Leicester City will be furious with themselves for failing to convert chances against fellow promoted side Ipswich Town.
Leif Davis scored a stunning strike late in the game to give the hosts the lead. Here’s what we learned after the fixture.
10 games played, 10 points earned, 15th in the Premier League, and only five points clear of the relegation zone. Leicester City have a lot of work to do to get into a comfortable position, and Steve Cooper will be well aware that his inability to defeat Nottingham Forest and Ipswich Town will make the task even more difficult with a tough run of fixtures ahead of them.
After analyzing the Ipswich Town game, the Welshman plans to concentrate on a few things to assist build some momentum in their chances of assuring EPL survival. First, the Foxes must identify their best starting XI. Second, the head coach will work to improve the defensive shape. Third, it appears that the King Power side lacks a distinct identity.
Leicester City’s best XI
Steve Cooper selected what would appear to be a strong team against the fellow promoted team. Mads Hermansen in goal; a back four of Victor Kristiansen, Jannik Vestergaard, Wout Faes, and Ricardo Pereria; a midfield trio of Harry Winks, Wilfred Ndidi, and Facundo Buonanotte; and, a forward-line of Stephy Mavididi, Jamie Vardy, and Abdul Fatawu. It is difficult to imagine a stronger XI than that.
However, as the previous defeats have demonstrated, the head coach does not appear to have a clear vision of what the best team should look like and is found wanting when adjusting that XI game by game. That adaptation is crucial for efficiently balancing defensive structure and how to create opportunities.
Arguably, Boubakary Soumare, a truly progressive midfielder, would have been a superior option from the start. The player would have provided the Foxes with a route from Winks and the defensive line to the offensive midfield, eliminating the need for the Argentinian to constantly drop deeper to create opportunities. ‘Bouba’ can carry and handle the ball well, whilst Ndidi excels at retrieving possession once it has been lost. We required retention, as well as Buonanotte in the future.
It is also fair to state that, while the Danish left-back is the superior player on the attack, James Justin is more versatile – albeit more prone to defensive blunders due to a lack of judgment in critical situations – and provides better defensive cover. When facing Omari Hutchinson and Sammie Szmodics, the team should prioritize players who can disrupt opponents, take the ball away from them, and then cling onto it. Again, this would have made Kasey McAteer or Jordan Ayew stronger options against this particular opponent.
An identity crisis
Cooper must address the question, “What does it mean to be Leicester City?” How should the Foxes play? The ideal response is what it was during Brendan Rodgers’ early years: we will play progressive, demanding, and intense football against the great majority of opponents; and, against teams that are better than us, LCFC must adapt, defend, and slow down rather than doing the same thing. During those years, the squad would play differently against each opponent in order to maximize points.
At the moment, the Blues appear to have settled on one style of play coupled with panicky substitutions (such as sending Bilal El Khannouss in for Pereira) dependent on how we play against the opposition rather than preparing us for success from the start. This results in a predictable style of play, a reliance on specific players, and in-game frustrations from players who struggle to have an impact because their instructions and setup are simply not appropriate for the opposition.
A defensive shape to last
That was not the defensive structure or shape the King Power team required to survive in the Premier League. We give away too many cheap goals, allowing opponents to get into wonderful positions with plenty of time to shoot the ball into our net, and Leicester City are unable to contain players adequately.
Under Nuno EspÃrito Santo, Nottingham Forest effectively contained Leicester players, preventing them from creating crucial chances. Without the ball, Forest formed two compact lines, with one to two players staying significantly farther upfield, either wide or central, depending on how many remained up front. This allowed them to limit the amount of time innovative players like Fatawu and Buonanotte could employ to influence the game with their skills.
To make matters worse, whenever a Leicester player had the ball in the final third or in any potentially hazardous situation, they were subjected to relentless pressure. As a result, no Fox was able to create a strong chance on goal from open play, and no Fox was capable of more than a wasteful slice of the ball in a generally goal-bound trajectory. Ipswich also followed this formula.
So, Steve Cooper should look at these efficient structures and shapes and then apply the same principles to the Foxes. First, when out of possession, one of your wingers should form a four-man line with the midfield. Second, those lines must be balanced between players who can keep and carry the ball and those who are willing to take chances to break a press. Third, the lines must be compact and narrow, with the tallest in the center. Finally, your explosive and quick forwards must continue forward, going wide to stretch the defence and provide defenders with a long-pass option.
