Leicester City are genuine title contenders after sixteen games played and while their
exciting attacking play has caught the eye, their defensive solidity is perhaps even more
significant. Brendan Rodgers may have arrived with a reputation as a largely attack-focussed
manager, but he’s set about creating a mean defensive unit.
So far, Leicester have conceded 10 goals, the lowest number in the division. They also
have the best goal difference. They’ve given up fewer than 10 shots per game, fourth best
in the league, and their Passes per Defensive Action, the most effective standard measure
of pressing intensity, is the best.
Leicester City have lined up almost exclusively as a 4-1-4-1 and the few variations Rodgers
has made have been in single matches, such as the midfield diamond against Aston Villa.
Wilfried Ndidi is the anchor in midfield, a dervish of covering and intercepting, fulfilling
the promise he showed when signed as a 20 year old from Genk. The preferred back four
is Ricardo Pereira, Jonny Evans, Çağlar Söyüncü, and Ben Chilwell, although Christian
Fuchs is still an able deputy at left back. They play in front of Kasper Schmeichel, the
only regular defensive starter from the title winning season of 2015/16.
While Leicester’s attacking ability is clear, predicated on direct, vertical transitions
at pace, the skill and speed of Jamie Vardy, and the progressive running of the two midfield
eights Youri Tielemans and James Maddison, each member of the team contributes defensively.
Leicester’s pressing is extremely effective and dovetails with their efforts to isolate
opposition defenders and get Vardy or other runners one on one with them following a turnover.
Vardy leads from the front, pressing if the defensive line has the ball, sometimes joined
by the wider attackers. Should the ball pass him, though, Vardy’s positioning and actions
are very smart – he will move so that a backwards passing angle is shut off, but he
rarely pressing from behind the opposition midfield line. This ensures that he is in
space if Leicester retrieve possession and he can then run at a defender or already be
level with the defensive line to sprint past it – it also conserves his energy.
Leicester’s press continues in the midfield third and generally will see men look to press
the player in possession and those likely to receive the ball, a sort of man-orientated
press. However, it’s noticeable that Leicester players are often smart enough to move from
behind the man they are pressing towards the passing lane should it look like that’s
an option.
Another facet of Leicester’s midfield defence is that while Ndidi is the screening pivot
ahead of the back four and does an exceptional amount of work covering his defenders, especially
in the wide areas, he will also push very high to prevent Leicester being caught on
the counter, which gives the other midfielders the chance to rush back and either engage
a press of form a low block with the back line. Ndidi doesn’t just sweep – he’s
proactive in how he safeguards the high line of Leicester’s defence
The defensive line is the final guard to Schmeichel’s goal. The centre back pairing of Evans and
Söyüncü have excelled, the physicality and passing ability of the latter aided by
the composed awareness of the former. Evans has clearly helped coach a young, at times
impetuous defender through the season so far – the presence of Schmeichel behind will
have helped too. Söyüncü is generally more proactive in covering across if the full backs
are high, or pushing out of the line to intercept; Evans is mostly less aggressive with his positioning,
and more inclined to sit off and hold up to wait for reinforcements rather than scurry
across and clear as his centre back partner does.
The line also pushes high and while the full backs are both dynamic attacking presences,
if the midfield is advancing the ball well in attack, the back four sometimes keeps its
shape and the wide defenders only push up if required. If they do push up higher, then
Ndidi is able to cover. The high line compresses the space, with Schmeichel sweeping up behind,
but the compactness of the back four means that Leicester have men behind the ball against
quick counters, again with Ndidi also patrolling. The degree to which the full backs push high
is a match-by-match consideration, another example of Rodgers’ tactical acumen.
It’s also worth noting that Söyüncü’s poise on the ball means that Leicester can
defend very deep but still have the ability to get the ball out in transition, as the
Turkish defender’s control and passing from tight spaces means that the Foxes can start
to play out even when hemmed in.
The Foxes have been defensively magnificent so far this season. Understat, who measure
xG and xG Against have Leicester being expected to concede 16.62 from the shots they have
given up – in fact they’ve only conceded 10, a positive xG against of 6.62. Only Crystal
Palace are better in the league by this metric. Of course, Rodgers’ emphasis on possession
and swift attacks means that Leicester have the ball more than, say, under Claudio Ranieri
– according to Wyscout, they’re fourth for possession percentage – and that helps,
as does their pace making teams wary of committing too many bodies forwards.
But Leicester City’s defence is mostly built upon a superb blend of intelligent, organised
pressing, a defence with great balance and awareness, and a team ethic that means everyone
does their job consistently for the duration of a game. It’s not always perfect, as Liverpool
and Manchester United have shown. But it’s a potent combination that has seen Leicester
City once again upset expectations in the title race.