The King Power Club hosted mid-table side Portsmouth as the Foxes returned from the international break. With Coventry City, Middlesbrough, and Stoke City winning their fixtures, Leicester's draw sees them fall to fourth in the table, now two wins (plus two losses for the others) away from taking either first or second place.
There remain two critical issues which face Marti Cifuentes: a failure to score and a failure to keep clean sheets. The East Midlands outfit are struggling to control the flow of matches, and in being unable to, they lack sufficient goal threat to override a defensively weak system, and the personnel to overcome that weakness at the back.
Wout Faes
This was evident with weak performance of Belgian central defender Wout Faes. In no way was he 'the worst defender' in the league and certainly is still an alright option at the King Power, but realistically the Foxes ought to be looking at why they are unable to retain clean sheets and hold onto wins where Cifuentes' team are instead delivering draws.
The defender only made two primary tackles successfully during the tie (referring to challenging someone on the ball and winning the ball), while only winning a third of Faes' aerial duels. While Jannik Vestergaard is the partnered defender, the other in the relation has to take on a more progressive and active role in snuffing out threats, while allowing the slower Dane to remain further back to avoid opening up spaces unnecessarily.
Faes was not particularly active, and where active in the air the Belgian did not deliver the goods. In terms of progression - critical to Cifuentes' system - Wout Faes lost the ball a minimum of five times, seldom made any passes into the opposition half, was inaccurate with passes while in the opposition half, and failed to recover enough to make up for it.
Without progressiveness, danger sense, or aerial prowess, we ended up having two centre-backs that seldom move to cover spaces or press enough to create mistakes, while also not working closely together to minimise space. In effect, the Belgian either needed the mentality of an aggressive defender, or a more composed yet sound defender who is also younger as a partner.
Harry Winks
I feel I have exhausted every possible laud I can offer for Harry Winks. The Foxes need a progressive, technically gifted, and visionary passer to set the tempo and launch every single attack. That is what the English midfielder offers the Spaniard.
Again, during this fixture, Winks exuded class: 91% accuracy of passes, winning more ground duels and tackles than Wout Faes, and of course actually being directly involved in the game almost more than any other player. The Englishman was vital to our build-up play, even if it did not end in a victory.
Perhaps the only negative can be that the player ceded possession a bit more than usual, but this is partly due to a good Portsmouth game plan, a lack of sync on the field, and a few misreads. These issues can be expected, especially when in the final chapters of a match, with time swiftly running out for Leicester to regain the lead.
Ricardo Pereira
Ricardo Pereira remains one of my favourite Leicester City players. He is our captain, and deservedly so. However, this does not make the 'rocketman' absolved of critique when the player's performances do not make par. When promotion is on the line - the very future of the club depending on it - the captain must set the standards defensively, creatively, and offensively.
Unfortunately, the player had a rough day. Losing possession seven times minimum, a relatively low volume & accuracy of passes versus Pereira's usual self, no attempts on goal, and very little shown in offensive intent. Cifuentes' side needs players to show attacking intent, get forward, and offer up something: Ricardo Pereira usually does this. It is a shame the player just seemed more absent than expected.
Our right flank with Abdul Fatawu, Jordan James, a progressive central defender, and Ricardo Pereira ought to be very good and progressing, exploding past defenders, and then creating opportunities. Pereira is vital to that function, but was unable to deliver for whatever reason. It also does not help the situation when, defensively, the talent did not make up for it.
Despite not losing a match since August against Preston North End, Marti Cifuentes' Foxes have struggled to convert draws into wins and have been both systematically and individually weak in terms of defensive and offensive ability. Leicester City need to drop those who are not performing, and give some other players a shot.