When Leicester’s marathon Premier League season finally ended in disappointment at their failure to secure a Champions League spot last summer, Brendan Rodgers set to work on tinkering with his side.
Defeats to Tottenham and Manchester United, plus the 4-1 loss at to-be-relegated Bournemouth, saw them slip out of the top four and exposed their defensive frailties. The attack has not been a problem for Leicester since their return to the Premier League in 2014 but at the back Rodgers needed to get the house in order.
The mission wasn’t helped by the subsequent £50m sale of Ben Chilwell to Chelsea. But in his place Rodgers snapped up Wesley Fofana for around £35m and Timothy Castagne for slightly cheaper. Cengiz Under arrived on loan from Roma to bulk up the midfield.
That was it for first-team additions as Leicester swiftly began preparing for 2020-21. Like the other teams in the Premier League, there was no time for pre-season rehearsals – they were expected on stage immediately.
And so Rodgers was happy to maintain the forward line that had developed so wonderfully under his gaze the previous season. In Jamie Vardy, James Maddison and Harvey Barnes, the boss had the formula required to terrorise opposition defences with vigour and persistence.
It is a blueprint that has worked for Leicester ever since they escaped the Championship. Structure a robust defence, set a strike force ready to attack at short notice, and let the midfield act as the metronome between the two.
Speed has been Leicester’s deadliest weapon – and that’s thanks to Vardy. A player who has the energy, knowledge and commitment to play as a frightening lone striker effectively ensures Leicester’s offensive capacity has taken care of itself for the past half-decade. Riyad Mahrez, Shinji Okazaki, Ahmed Musa, Islam Slimani and Ayoze Perez have all accompanied Vardy to varying degrees of success. Some have gone on to bigger things, some haven’t lived up to their price tag and some are still there. But the one constant through all these arrivals is Vardy.
Leicester have thrived with a forward-thinking, attack-minded ethos that plays to Vardy’s strengths. It’s what won them the league under Claudio Ranieri – alongside a solid defence – and what was lacking when other managers subsequently took over. When Rodgers first arrived at Leicester in 2019 there was no consideration of changing things to the detriment of his main man. The way Leicester attack today remains about speed and smarts. It maximises Vardy’s capabilities and draws other players along with him.
Those other players, such as Maddison and Barnes, are what have made Leicester flourish so wonderfully in a second resurgence since their title win. Wilfred Ndidi sitting in front of the defence gives them the freedom to bomb forward. And so when Rodgers is faced with issues elsewhere in his squad over a shortened summer break, he rightly deals with those first.
But this set-up cannot last for ever and Vardy will be 36 when his current contract comes to an end. The striker has done remarkably well to remain a deadly threat in the most competitive top division in Europe – thanks in part to his decision to retire from England duty, something that arguably helped prolong Alan Shearer’s career.
Thursday’s disappointing exit from the Europa League exposed just how dependent Leicester are on that blistering attack. Vardy in particular was isolated against Slavia Prague, with no Maddison to support him and Barnes only being introduced in the second half when Slavia were happy to defend deep. Under, Marc Albrighton and Hamza Choudhury couldn’t facilitate the striker’s needs. Three days later and, wary of the lack of service to his main man, Rodgers then stuck Kelechi Iheanacho up front with Vardy against Arsenal – but to very little effect.
The lack of attacking threat against Slavia and the Gunners was similar to that versus Leeds back at the end of January, and during the goalless draw with Wolves. The Vardy-Maddison-Barnes triumvirate featured in none of those outings. During the times these three have played together recently, Leicester have beaten Liverpool and Aston Villa.
So with Barnes’ latest knee injury compounding Rodgers’ woes, the wheels are coming off Leicester’s season, right? Well, not quite. They are still firmly in the race for a top-four finish and now don’t have the nuisance distraction of Thursday night football to deal with.
What’s more, Leicester are about to come up against three teams in Burnley, Brighton and Sheffield United who will likely sit back and let them play. Less need, then, of blistering speed and quick thinking, and more for brawn and power to force the breach.
But Rodgers does have plenty to consider for the summer transfer market. Vardy won’t be around for ever and his sole goal scored in 12 games since Christmas has perhaps been papered over by Maddison’s six during that period.
The boss certainly won’t want to lose one of the remaining members of Leicester’s title-winning team. But he must begin considering what happens when Vardy isn’t there. In Barnes and Maddison, he is halfway to stenciling over that same formula.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3bSsbMa
Post a Comment