From being predicted a fourth-place promotion play-off finish to currently being predicted 10th place by the end of the season, all while actually sitting in 18th... Russell Martin has certainly mastered 'death by football', just death for the King Power Club.
However, the team certainly has bite and sparks all over the place; players the Foxes will need to rely on to create chances and to prevent dangerous opportunities. Martin will need to alter his system, alter his starting XI, and actually deliver the performances and results necessary to get this team out of League One, where our preferred playstyle is anaemic at best.
Leicester City must play this team
Against Stockport County, there is a golden opportunity to try another system, to change things up and try something new. It is necessary to start playing like a League One team, not trying to rekindle our Premier League days with high-possession recycling football. We need more direct, faster-paced transitions to a more connected front line.
With Jakub Stolarczyk out injured, Alex McCarthy did well in one half of football not to concede, but every other minute has been torturous. The goalie cannot play with the ball at his feet, does not catch the ball much, barely comes out to challenge attackers who have broken the defence, and offers only solid shot-stopping ability, minus any acrobatics necessary and reaction speeds necessary to outperform chances conceded.
Therefore, LCFC should give Franco Ravizzoli a chance to play. The originally third-choice keeper may not be better; we do not really know yet, but at a minimum, he will be hungry to perform well and to prove himself deserving of the No.1 spot while the Polish goalkeeper is injured.
In front of him, the back line should have a totally new look. Switching to a back three, Christian McFarlane, Warren O'Hora, and Wout Faes should start, with Olabade Aluko or Woyo Coulibaly coming on to replace the Belgian later. The focus of the left-sided and right-sided defenders ought to be similar to Sheffield United's old tactic under Chris Wilder: the overlapping centre-back.
When in the final third, we need to create overloads in the wide areas against narrow and compact defensive blocks so we can try and get crosses in or free up a player to cut inside for a shot; sending the centre-backs out wide will help this, which is why, as progressive players, McFarlane and Faes are best placed for this.
A midfield four comprised of two box-to-box midfielders and two wing-backs should be enough to support progression up the pitch, should they show sufficient spark to move into space. Louis Page and Sammy Braybrooke are the obvious choices for the midfield roles, with John Lundstram and Kamari Doyle capable of coming on as subs. Jayden Joseph and Wes Burns ought to take the wing-back roles, with the priority being to get forward and stay wide for crosses, or wait for CB support to cut inside.
The front three should become a diamond, with two strikers playing on either side of the penalty box and an attacking midfielder acting as the creative maestro of the final third. I can think of no better combination than Emil Riis & Admir Bristric upfront, with Will Alves playing behind them.
The goal of the AM in this system is to orchestrate the final third chance, needing vision and technical ability to get passes out wide, through defenders, and link up play between strikers, while also being able to take a shot himself. The strikers must collectively work to pull the block to one side or another to support both progression of the ball and create space in the wide areas for the wing-back CB combo.
This system still delivers the high possession that Russell Martin craves, but it equally offers more overloads and options in creating chances, and, should we be under pressure, an extra defensive player in the central areas to reduce the quality of chances conceded. You can even switch to a wide front three with Harry Howell and Tommy Watson coming on. Of course, even if we know there are systems with faster transitions, a better array of passes, and less susceptible to a high press, Martin will not stray from his path.
Predicted XI
The injury situation appears to be the same as the last fixture. With Conor Chaplin, Caleb Okoli, and Stolarczyk out, and both Wout Faes and Woyo Coulibaly now on the squad list for this season, we have some areas of certainty, but others we might have to think a little more about.
Regardless of his inconsistency for us, the Belgian defender has a playstyle and quality in excess of anything many of our other defenders possess. For example, when marauding forward, you actually feel the Foxes are going somewhere. Coulibaly as well is certainly a decent player. With both now on the squad list, they are likely remaining with Leicester, and should feature soon.
McCarthy will start in goal. Despite his clear lack of suitability to the system and lack of solidity, he is trusted by 'RM'. At the back, Martin will retain a back four, but I do think the composition will be different to prior games. McFarlane on the left, Harry Souttar (C), Wout Faes, and Jayden Joseph. With the inclusion of Faes, it will mean O'Hora does not start for another fixture; hopefully he will eventually feature for us.
In midfield, I cannot see anything transformational happening: Page, Braybrooke, and Bobby De Cordova-Reid hopefully being replaced by Liam Cullen or John Lundstram during the fixture. The midfield duo of Page-Braybrooke looks really good, we just need the forward line and defence to start delivering comparable performances.
Up front then, I see Will Alves on the left, Riis in the centre, and Howell starting on the right. The wingers have proved themselves to be nailed on starters in Martin's Foxes, as being among the only Leicester players to have scored. The King Power side will definitely do well to keep those two on the pitch together.
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