Leicester City Preview

A welcome return

What met them could not have been more different. In one short week, everything had again changed as Rodgers’ squad was a team reborn – and one who would soon make a mockery of any fretful relegation worries.

From bottom of the table to eyeing up the European places, Leicester’s transformation over the next nine games was remarkable.

The entire team stepped up, but James Maddison, Youri Tielemans and Wout Faes stood tallest as the Foxes rediscovered their defensive vigour and sharpened their attacking verve.

From one point in seven games, Leicester suddenly took 16 from the next eight – collecting five wins and a draw.

Another League Two opponent awaited in the Carabao Cup third round, but this time the Foxes bared their teeth and made short work of Newport in a comfortable 3-0 victory.

So, when the second international interruption of the season arrived – and this time not merely Nations League tedium but the bells and whistles of a World Cup finals – Leicester supporters were cursing. From the pits of despair in September, they went into the seven-week break gripped by a run of five wins in six and itching to see more from their flying Foxes.

Understanding the slow start

While it would have been impossible to predict the scale of the Foxes’ early struggles, there were indicators that hinted at a tough start.

Goalkeeper and talisman Kasper Schmeichel left less than a week before the start of the campaign, leaving the team not just without their first-choice goalkeeper but depriving them of a massive dressing room presence – an irreplaceable source of experience and leadership.

Days earlier, Ricardo Pereira had ruptured his Achilles tendon, ruling the full-back out for six months. And on the penultimate day of the transfer window, Leicester lost key defender Wesley Fofana to Chelsea – another huge blow to Rodgers’ backline.

Moreover, several key squad members were targeted by ‘big six’ clubs and were understandably distracted in the five matches before the transfer window closed.

Seeds had been sown for a poor start and Leicester were also presented with a horror fixture list, with Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, in-form Brighton and Tottenham all lying in wait in the Foxes’ first seven matches.

Despite the factors counting against them, Rodgers’ men still stood up well in most of those matches and were unlucky in a couple. Ayoze Perez struck the underside of the crossbar in the dying moments of a 2-1 defeat at Chelsea, while Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea pulled off a couple of fine saves to deny the Foxes in a 1-0 defeat.

But whatever the reasons and misfortunes, a run of seven league games without a win put Rodgers under immense pressure. Through it all, however, the Foxes head coach stayed calm, tinkering with his formation and experimenting with his line-up but refusing to panic.

Similarly, the board refused to overreact, trusting in Rodgers and his team to come good.

And they would be rewarded soon enough.

Timing is everything

Early in the campaign a number of factors had converged, weakening the defence, bringing early defeats and knocking confidence – but a European squad had not become Championship level overnight.

And in the same way that multiple issues caused the slump, multiple remedies contributed to the upturn.

The international break arrived at a good time, giving Rodgers and his squad a chance to regroup. Tielemans was among those most disrupted by the overtures of other clubs but he took the week away with Belgium to clear his head and rediscover his form. Injured players started returning to action and regaining full match fitness. A full fortnight in training gave the non-international players a chance to adapt to Rodgers’ recently implemented 4-1-4-1 formation.

But the standout turning point was the introduction to the first team of a deadline day signing.

A Wout Faes volte-face

The late summer signing of Wout Faes slipped under the radar at the time but from the outset it was clear that the Belgian centre-back had a touch of class that could plug the gap left by the departed Fofafa.

Many supporters were left groaning by their first impressions of Faes as he received a baptism of fire in a 6-2 defeat at Tottenham.

But he even in a game in which his side had shipped six goals, Faes emerged with credit. And while it sounded odd to those who saw the score but not the performance, Rodgers was correct to suggest that Leicester had played well and were the better team for large parts of the match.

A freakish flurry of finishing from Son Heung-min gave the final score an absurd look, utterly skewing the scoreline of a largely close-fought encounter. Leicester had more shots, more possession and made more passes away at Tottenham but it was just one of those days.

However, the tide was already turning in Leicester’s favour.

From then on, they were a team transformed. A defensive unit that had conceded 16 goals in six matches prior to Faes’ arrival went on to become among the most watertight in the Premier League.

His individual performance against Tottenham had given a glimpse of his ability but the international break gave Faes and his new team-mates time to gel as a unit.

After the break, they reappeared as a different beast, keeping seven clean sheets in the next nine games and conceding just three goals – an incredible drop from 2.67 goals conceded per game to 0.33.

It is true that the best teams are built from the back, and Rodgers had found the missing piece of his jigsaw.

Pushing for Europe?

Leicester will look to the post-World Cup campaign with high hopes – not just of allaying any lingering relegation concerns but with eyes fixed firmly on Europe.

That may seem fanciful for a club who were still in the relegation places as the calendar flipped to November, but with 23 games left to play there are factors playing in Leicester’s favour.

First, Rodgers’ squad has more than enough quality to compete and a disrupted start to the season should not mask that fact. A largely identical squad spent the vast majority of 2019-20 and 2020-21 in the top four and twice came within a whisker of claiming Champions League football.

The quality is not a question and nor, now, is the focus of its leading protagonists. There is stability in the dugout and continuity in the squad.

The absence of European football gives Rodgers’ men a serious competitive advantage, particularly in this condensed campaign.

The Champions League clubs will have horrendous fixture pile-ups if they go deep into the competition and have already shown signs of struggling in the group stage – even Manchester City, with their vast resources, have dropped their level at times.

And the Europa League and Europa Conference League teams will have to start taking their European assignments seriously as the quality of opposition improves.

Manchester United – who sit just 11 points above Leicester – face more games than most after slipping into the Europa League playoffs and have a testing tie against Barcelona as the first of a potential nine additional matches en route to the final.

Even if United are out of reach, Leicester are just four points behind seventh-placed Brighton and Chelsea in eighth, while Liverpool in sixth are only five away. None look invulnerable.

It will not be easy, but the European places are within reach. What looked unthinkable just a few short weeks ago now looks perfectly possible.

Leicester City to finish in the top half – 2/1

Leicester City to finish in the top 6 – 50/1

Excitement beckons in 2023

The upcoming January transfer window could offer Leicester a serious boost.

Danny Ward has done a fine job covering for Schmeichel but the transfer committee will surely have eyes on a top-level goalkeeper who could make a solid defence look impregnable.

There may also be a dip into the full-back market after the luckless James Justin joined Ricardo Pereira and Ryan Bertrand on the sidelines. Ricardo should return early in 2023 but the squad would benefit from a top-class addition given the injury records of those currently at the club.

But the biggest piece of business will be holding onto Youri Tielemans, whether a new contract can be agreed or not.

The Belgian is a class apart from most, with his stunning strikes in recent weeks only a small part of what he offers. His contract situation means there may be a temptation to cash in during January rather than let him go for free in the summer, but surely the club is better served holding onto him.

Tielemans can be the difference between a ninth-place finish and sixth. And with around £3million of prize money per Premier League position available and the money-spinning European places to aim at, Tielemans’ quality on the pitch is likely to be worth more than any transfer fee recouped.

Away from transfers and a push for Europe, there’s plenty for Leicester supporters to look forward to.

The Carabao Cup has opened up spectacularly to offer a very presentable route to silverware.

Only League One MK Dons stand between the Foxes and a place in the quarter-finals, which will not include the already-departed Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea. One of Liverpool and Manchester City will join them on the sidelines as they face each other in the fourth round – Leicester could have a clear shot at silverware.

Before that, we could witness a Leicester City player lighting up the World Cup finals for England.

James Maddison has long been bafflingly overlooked, but Gareth Southgate could no longer fail to notice the impressive performances of the Foxes midfielder.

In 48 Premier League appearances, Maddison has had 31 goal involvements – 19 goals and 12 assists – and Harry Kane is the only Englishman to have a higher combined goals and assist record in the Premier League since the start of 2022.

His defensive input and tactical awareness have both shot up and his set-piece ability is elite, making Maddison arguably the most complete player in the England squad.

His next job is to force his way into the starting line-up, but it would be no surprise if he made himself undroppable in Qatar.

From there, Maddison can show the world just how good he really is. And, who knows, maybe we will have a World Cup winner returning to inspire Leicester to even greater heights.

Leicester City to win the FA Cup – 33/1

Leicester City to win the EFL Cup – 12/1

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