Leicester’s solid defence has been the foundation of their rise up the Premier League table
Leicester have proven a serious attacking threat this season with the re-emergence of Jamie Vardy as one of the deadliest strikers in the Premier League and a record-equalling 9-0 victory away to Southampton.
But under Brendan Rodgers they have also rediscovered the defensive resilience that was so crucial to their logic-defying title triumph of four years ago.
Not only have they scored just one goal fewer than Liverpool this term but they have only conceded 10 – four better than the runaway league leaders and indeed anyone else.
Sunday’s 4-1 victory at Aston Villa extended Leicester’s winning streak to a club record eight matches, tightening their grip on second place, and means they have the top flight’s best goal difference of +29.
Considering the club sold in-demand centre-back Harry Maguire for £80m in the summer to Manchester United, the fact they have kept seven clean sheets in 16 league games is all the more surprising.
Turkish defender Caglar Soyuncu has been integral to that success, a scenario that few could have predicted given he was grabted just four league starts last season, having joined from Freiburg in 2018.
Club captain Wes Morgan has also taken a step back this year, making just four league appearances off of the bench.
Centre-back pairing
It has allowed the partnership between Soyuncu and Jonny Evans to flourish. The 31-year-old has re-established himself as one of the most reliable defenders in the league after leaving Manchester United for West Brom in 2015 to reinvigorate his career.
The pair, who both arived last summer for a combined £22.5m, are the latest success stories in a line of shrewd business completed by Leicester’s recruitment team.
They are so far conceding an average of 0.63 goals per game, which is significantly less than last year’s 1.26 goals per game and 1.58 the season before that. It is even less than the 0.95 conceded per game on their way to the league title four seasons ago.
Part of that is also down to the possession-based, attacking football that Rodgers likes to play.
Possession-based football
One of the best ways to stop the opposition from scoring is to have the ball and Leicester have averaged 55.4 per cent possession in their top-flight matches this season.
It is the fourth highest in the league, behind only Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool, and more than last year’s average of 50.8 per cent, which was the eighth highest.
Even that was slightly impacted by Rodgers’ arrival, however, after he replaced Claude Puel mid-season.
The two previous campaigns saw Leicester average just 48.3 and 43.7 per cent possession, but having the ball does not necessarily equate to success; Claudio Ranieri’s league-winning side had the third lowest possession in the league with an average of 44.7 per cent.
Yet while Ranieri’s side prided themselves on defending deep and counter-attacking, Rodgers’ more exuberant style is being aided greatly by the players at his disposal.
With James Maddison and Youri Tielemans pulling the strings in midfield and Ben Chilwell and Ricardo Pereira supporting Harvey Barnes and Ayoze Perez out wide, they are difficult to keep out of possession.
Ndidi steps up
And yet perhaps the greatest improvement is in the heart of midfield from the defensive-minded Wilfred Ndidi, who has grown in stature markedly this season under Rodgers’ stewardship.
The 22-year-old was signed to replace N’Golo Kante in January 2017 from Genk, but is only now starting to fulfil his potential.
Comfortable on the ball, he averages 52.9 passes per game with a success rate of 84.1 per cent. He has also completed a league-best 4.6 tackles per match, as well as 2.9 interceptions and 2.3 clearances as he disrupts the opposition’s game as well as anyone else in the league at present.
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This Leicester side may be yet to match the achievments of the 2015-16 title winners but at the current rate of results would surpass the 81 points accumulated by Ranieri’s side.
However, unlike in that campaign, Leicester must contend with an unrelenting Liverpool and back-to-back champions City.
While claiming a second Premier League crown still looks improbable, their formidable solidity has made finishing in the top four once more increasingly likely.