Analysis from Leicester City’s 1-0 defeat to Palermo, looking at the tactics, the call for new signings, Wilfred Ndidi’s role, the missing players and captain Conor Coady
Midway through the first half, there was a flash of deja vu for the Leicester City faithful among the 3,000-strong crowd at Chesterfield.
Abdul Fatawu picked up the ball on the right wing, Wilfred Ndidi made an underlapping run, and the former played a ball to the byline for the latter, leading to a dinked cross. It was a move straight out of the Enzo Maresca playbook, and was a regular sight at the King Power Stadium last season
While the influences of Maresca could be felt in City’s first public pre-season friendly at Shrewsbury, against Palermo on Friday night, the set-up and style were even more similar to last term. There just wasn’t the victory that usually followed last season.
Fatawu, after an outing on the left in midweek, was back on the right flank. Stephy Mavididi’s starting position was on the left wing, rather than in the middle. Ndidi, back to being a sitting midfielder in Shropshire, was pushed forward into an advanced role again.
And once they found their feet after a drab first 30 minutes, the performance was familiar too. City had much more control than against Shrewsbury and once they’d established their domination of possession, they pushed high, the back three stationing themselves midway inside Palermo’s half.
The difficulties they had in fashioning clear-cut chances against Palermo’s deep-set defence were not uncommon last season either. When they did manoeuvre themselves into the box to get a shot away, a Palermo defender was usually in the way.
There were still differences from last season. James Justin was the hybrid full-back this time, pushing from the defence onto the wing, as Ricardo Pereira played in the first half at Shrewsbury. The full-back moving into central midfield, a staple of Maresca’s plan, has not yet been utilised.
It didn’t feel like City used Mads Hermansen as much as they did last season either. But that may just be because they were so high up the pitch that they did not need to call on him.
The performance and the comparison with Shrewsbury gave the impression that Cooper is still experimenting, still figuring things out, and still deciding how much his gameplan will be influenced by what came before. He did seem much happier with the general build-up play, suggesting he does want his team to dominate possession. But he also admitted to fielding players in positions he couldn’t see them playing once the competitive matches begin, simply to get them minutes.
As such, the time for cut-and-dry judgements has still not arrived. The friendlies with Augsburg and Lens, when the Tottenham opener will be coming into view, should reveal more about the set-up, the gameplan, and the line-up Cooper sees as being City’s best bet for the Premier League.
Why Cooper avoided straight answer on striker question
How do City improve? Transfers. It’s Cooper’s go-to answer, the manager making it very clear he feels the team need new recruits to be capable of competing in the Premier League.
When asked if a new striker was on the list of deals City must do, Cooper gave a politician’s answer, neither replying yes nor no. But by responding in such a way, it feels like he’s leaning towards yes.
His hesitance felt like an attempt not to upset the strikers currently at the club, and who he may still need. If Cooper outright says City need a new forward, it suggests to Patson Daka and Tom Cannon that he does not think they’re good enough and that they may have to leave.
Upsetting current players is fine if Cooper can guarantee City will sign a striker and can guarantee those he doesn’t feel are up to scratch will leave. But those guarantees don’t exist in the transfer window, especially not at City. Daka and Cannon could still be in the squad, maybe even starting, come Spurs.
Cooper is free to say and reiterate the club’s need for an attacking midfielder because that’s not going to put anybody’s nose out of joint. City don’t have any players in their squad who would feel they deserve to start in that role. There’s Michael Golding and Will Alves to choose from, but they both know they’re not going to be in the 11 just yet. They won’t be blindsided if a new first-choice attacking midfielder comes in.
It does feel like City need a new striker. Even without considering the quality of the three available to Cooper currently, they are all very similar in their styles. Equally, none of them are ideal for the role they have to play, a continuation of Maresca’s plan.
Daka, Cannon, and Jamie Vardy are all at their best on the shoulder of the last defender, searching for space inside the box, not dropping deep to connect play. On Friday, Daka carried out his link-up duties to a decent standard, but, perhaps as a result, he was not an attacking threat at all. Cannon did not have enough time on the pitch either way.
The problem City have is that to bring in a striker who will do everything they need him to do and be an improvement on their current players will cost them a lot of money. There’s no guarantee that money will be there with other positions needing fresh faces too.
Confident Ndidi an option but not a starter
When Cooper said some players were operating out of position simply so they could be on the pitch to get minutes, it felt like Ndidi was one of those he was referring to. But that’s not to say he had a bad game in attacking midfield or looked unorthodox.
For the most part, he showed himself well as an option to receive passes and he had a bit of swagger about his play, holding off or skipping around defenders and trying audacious first-time balls to try to bamboozle the Palermo back-line. A few came off.
But maybe it is a step too far. Maybe in the Premier League, players need to be natural fits. Despite Maresca’s attempt to make Ndidi a more rounded player, he is still a square-ish peg.
However, it is good to see him playing with confidence all of the same. He may not be Cooper’s starter there, but in a pinch, he could still be an option.
Cooper streamlines squad as players cut
Cooper took a large group to Evian and had a packed-out bench at Shrewsbury. Now, the process of trimming the squad has begun.
On Friday, young players like Wanya Marcal, Brandon Cover, Sammy Braybrooke and Logan Briggs were cut from the first-team group and instead played a friendly against non-league Leamington. It’s an indication that perhaps they won’t be in the conversation for first-team involvement come the competitive season.
Plus, there was no Harry Souttar. To face Palermo, Cooper selected two 11s plus an extra goalkeeper. With Conor Coady, Caleb Okoli, Jannik Vestergaard and Ben Nelson chosen, there was no space for a fifth centre-back, suggesting Souttar remains down the pecking order under the new manager, as he was under Maresca. A loan move is on the cards.
But for Alves and Golding, the signs are good. There’s still a few weeks where selection or new signings could knock them out of contention, but for now, they seem to be in Cooper’s first-team plans.
Coady hints in City’s most competitive battle
So three games into City’s pre-season marks the halfway point, with Augsburg, Lens, and a behind-closed-doors game in Germany to come. Who has stood out so far?
Mavididi has perhaps been the brightest player. He looks fit, he looks sharp, he’s been an attacking threat and looks keen to grab the Premier League chance he was never afforded when coming through the ranks at Arsenal.
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