Nine games played, nine points gained, 15th in the Premier League as Steve Cooper's Foxes are set to face their promoted rivals Ipswich Town. The hosts sit 18th within the relegation zone on four points, so it should represent a clear chance for Leicester to form a gap between themselves and the bottom three.
As such, the Welsh head coach will have to make the right systematic and team selection decisions to ensure the pacy and always energetic Ipswich Town side are kept under control. The problem for the Foxes has not been scoring, but conceding, and the hosts can certainly score goals, although they do have a -11 goal difference at the moment.
Three Leicester City players who deserve to start
Analysing the team's weaknesses reveals clear opportunities for Cooper to make strategic decisions regarding player selection for the match against Ipswich. Leicester’s -8.83 expected goal difference from open play and -3.88 from corners underscore significant defensive shortcomings that must be addressed.
In terms of attacking intent, Jamie Vardy and Facundo Buonanotte have scored four and three goals respectively, with very few goals coming from other attacking talents. There is a reliance on these two due to - in my opinion - the great freedom with which the Argentinian players, and the sheer brilliance of the English veteran. However, when either are kept at bay or isolated - as against Nottingham Forest - Leicester City struggle to create chances.
So, Steve Cooper must both make systematic changes so when out of possession we are faster in the transition to a more compact set of defensive lines with a mix of proactive pressure and space control, and team changes to maximise the attacking potential of the side. The Blues have a lot of work to do, but I feel Kasey McAteer should be one part of that plan.
The academy graduate is a pacy, explosive, and passionate player who can link up with teammates and create chances for both himself and others, as well as offering an aggressive defensive talent. McAteer is our fourth-highest player in expected goals per 90, and ranks amongst the highest quantity of defensive actions taken by players in his position. Especially impressive are his aerial stats. The player will help the King Power team create, and defend from corners better.
Further to this, I think a return for Victor Kristiansen is in order. The Danish left-back is our fourth-highest talent for progressive carries with the ball, and ranks highly against his peers in the quantity and quality (accuracy) of progressive passes made. Kristiansen is a player who can act as one side of a counter, collecting the ball and rushing it forward or teaming up with a player such as Stephy Mavididi to create an opportunity for either the Dane to cross or Mavididi to cut inside. Defensively, the player is not the best, but an alteration to Cooper's instructions should prevent major gaps.
Finally, we desperately need organisation and leadership in that backline to remain composed, not give away silly chances, and ideally help during corners. To me, that means Conor Coady. Coady is an experienced centre-back, a former England international, and can score goals from corners proficiently. The defender will - like the others - offer Leicester City the composed side of our defence, and an option to have a chance on goal.
Quite what this could mean for the starting XI would be hard to exactly say. However, based on the three I want to see in the XI and the other priorities the Foxes ought to have, I feel this team ought to be on the pitch: Mads Hermansen, Kristiansen, Coady, Caleb Okoli, Ricardo Pereira, Harry Winks, Wilfred Ndidi, Facundo Bounanotte, Mavididi, Vardy, and Kasey McAteer. A slight deviation to the current plan for Cooper, but more balanced.