Leicester City 4-0 Plymouth Argyle: 3 Standout Foxes

The King Power club continued their return to form with a 4-0 win over relegation threatened Plymouth in what was initially a tight affair. Only in the second half did the chances really start to flow and the creative and clinical prowess of the Foxes begin to shine. Three goals in six minutes sealed another emphatic victory.

Stephy Mavididi began the evening by drawing a penalty and scoring that penalty in the first half, with little else happening in the first 45 minutes. The second half saw Patson Daka, Mavididi, and Wilfred Ndidi score another three in rapid fire succession to utterly shatter any hope Plymouth had of getting back into the tie. Dominate, create, and win: that is 'MarescaBall'.

Of course, some of Enzo Maresca's team stood above the rest as deserving recognition for their involvement in the fixture. I think it would be unhelpful to constantly feature the simply superb Harry Winks any more than we already have, so there are three players I would like to focus on.

Leicester City's Top Three

There are a plethora of ways to judge how players performed. We could choose to focus on the goals they scored, on how involved they were in the tie, or what their contribution to the fixture means for the club going forward: we will do all three. That is, I will order my top three from the match based on these categories and provide a brief explanation before we delve into more detailed analysis.

3. Stephy Mavididi

The contributions of the summer signing Stephy Mavididi cannot be understated. Physically, it would be impossible to decry the transfer as a flop. The English left-winger has become integral. With two goals scored, you cannot argue with his inclusion in this list.

2. Mads Hermansen

The Danish goalkeeper Mads Hermansen has cemented himself as the undeniable No.1 in the squad. Only the shirt eludes him for a moment in what will be a long career at the Foxes. With five saves made, Hermansen kept the King Power side in the positive when they could have otherwise only gained a draw.

1. Patson Daka

Finally, the return and impact of our explosive 'Jamie Vardy' replacement. Patson Daka has gotten the call to action and played the role perfectly: taking chances when they came and drawing the odd foul from defenders to help his team progress the ball and maintain that progression.

Although others may have been equally or more deserving of the recognition (Abdul Fatawu and Winks deserve a mention), these three offered Leicester City what they needed to in order to achieve. One scored goals, one prevented them, the other took his opportunity to show what he can do when given the chance. That is what the Italian head coach's system is all about.

Observing the players from a more technical basis, we could argue Mavididi was not particularly involved in other aspects of the game. With only a small number of both ground duels against defenders and assist attempts, the Englishman finds himself as the most clinical of our attackers during the tie, but not the most involved or exciting. It is because of these lower stats that despite the goal return, Mavididi cannot be any higher in the rankings.

Hermansen is on a whole other level versus our other 'keeper options. The Dane made four saves from inside the box, preventing at least two good chances from going in the next and keeping Leicester City in the lead. There is also so much more to his game: he is involved a lot. With intelligent movement, the Danish goalkeeper offers a ball-retention option for midfield and defence players under pressure. On top of that, his passing neatness is a welcome change from the uncomposed days of Danny Ward.

Meanwhile, Patson Daka has been an outcast in an otherwise rock-solid Foxes starting XI despite being considered one of our better players. The Zambian forward was not involved a great deal, only springing to life when the opportunity availed itself: otherwise, the player struggled to shake off a compact and highly focus Championship defence. Nevertheless, he linked up well with other forwards and midfield runners, which aided Leicester in creating their critical chances.

Enzo Maresca needs goal scorers, goal preventers, and passion to build a ceaseless locomotive. These three exhibit what is needed to be permanent first teamers. Hopefully this means we see more of Daka upfront as the season progresses.

Do you agree with our rankings, or do you feel another Leicester City player should have been the star of the list? Let Foxes of Leicester know through our social media channels on 'X' and check out this recent article about transfer rumours and supposed target Trai Hume.