Leicester City team analysis
In this dreary campaign's closing stages, Leicester emerges as a rather limp side. Despite having plenty of progressive, attacking, and explosive talents in the squad, their inability to defend, control possession, and progress intelligently and swiftly, led to Nistelrooy’s Foxes failing to create strong opportunities on goal.
We have both the second-worst goal-scoring side and the third-worst defensive side. That is impressively bad. It is clear there was no core to the side for most of the season – even with annoying injuries to Ricardo Pereira, Wilfred Ndidi, and of course Abdul Fatawu – able to both contribute defensively and progress the ball.
Opta illustrates this lack of control exerted by Leicester’s defence in their analysis of the zonal dominance of the King Power side versus their opposition. Of the 30 zones tracked, LCFC only controls possession in four as against 16 for the opposition. Three of those four are in the centre of our defensive half. The only attacking dominance was found in the attacking left wing where Stephy Mavididi, Luke Thomas, Victor Kristiansen, and sometimes Bilal El Khannouss often drifted and combined.
Overall, Leicester City only managed 45.6% total ball possession, had 144 less progressive carries as well as 636 less progressive passes versus their opponents. Oh, and we might as well mention that we had a whole 1.1xG90 less too. I think the picture should be fairly clear by now.
Steve Cooper’s and Nistelrooy’s teams were less possessive, did not control the pitch at all, retreated into a tiny part of the pitch for defence, barely offered any counter and lost possession in the transition incessantly, and hence seldom created chances. With a lack of chances, wasteful attempts, mistakes, and disappointing missies from several talents left the team with a huge hill to climb.