Match Report: Leicester City 2-1 Blues

Late heartbreak for Blues as promotion chasing Leicester City steal the points and leave Blues in the bottom three.

Leicester City continued their tilt towards the Championship title, leaving Blues winless in seven away from home in the process.

The hosts took the lead through Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's opener before Jay Stansfield made the most of hesitant goalkeeping for his 11th league goal of the campaign.

The first 45 was closer than anticipated but Leicester took control in the second. John Ruddy made a number of stops to keep Blues level but was finally beaten with a couple of minutes to go when Stephy Mavididi headed goalwards at the back stick.

Gary Rowett discussed possible changes in midweek but stuck with the side that beat Preston North End. The only change to the entire 20-man squad was Alex Pritchard stepping on the bench in place of Andre Dozzell.

Enzo Maresca’s Foxes started strong and a set-piece taken dead on the five-minute mark was pulled back for Harry Winks who blazed over. Emmanuel Aiwu then deflected a Dewsbury-Hall cross that Ruddy had to palm away.

Slowly, Blues worked their way into the game and did so by playing on the deck. Koji Miyoshi went 1v1 with Callum Doyle down the left-hand side and got a shot on target while Jordan James and Juninho Bacuna had efforts blocked.

A period of good possession was never likely to last against such quality opposition and Leicester camem back strong, Patson Daka having an effort blocked before Dewsbury-Hall curled over. There was a potential moment of controversy when James pushed over Daka on the break but he avoided a second yellow.

It didn’t matter. On 28 minutes, Dewsbury-Hall was involved again, opening the scoring. Abdul Fatawu squared up Lee Buchanan and shot towards goal. The ball deflected to Aiwu who stabbed against James and back to Fatawu. He prodded the ball to Daka who found Dewsbury-Hall free to finish first time.

Blues responded positively, however. Wout Faes fouled Jay Stansfield, who wanted more than the yellow dished out, believing he was throug on goal. Bacuna’s effort hit the wall. Paik Seung-Ho and Miyoshi then showed great footwork leading to Krystian Bielik skewing wide. Paik was less sharp at the other end when dispossessed by Daka who tested the palms of Ruddy.

With the half drawing to a close. Faes took a goal kick and gave it to Mads Hermansen. He waited for options to appear. And waited. And waited some more. By the time he made his decision to play, Stansfield had closed the space and promptly blocked the kick, seeing the ball cross the white line and put Blues level.

Blues will have known the need to step up again in the second half but it never really came. Instead, Ruddy was forced into four saves in the space of seven minutes, denying Wilfried Ndidi’s free header, a low blast from Fatawu and two efforts from Jannik Vestegaard at set-pieces. Jamie Vardy then headed wide at the near post.

Blues needed an out and it came via substitute Keshi Anderson who took down a loose ball nicely and fired on target. Ethan Laird then escaped the grip of Mavididi to fired a low effort just wide of the far post.

Teams that are involved in promotion races almost never lose or draw a game without offering something and Blues’ weary legs started to succumb. Mavididi and Vardy played a sharp 1-2 that ended with Ruddy making an excellent low stop. And although Pritchard stung the palms of Hermansen at the other end, the killer blow was about to arrive.

Vestegaard stepped out of defence and found Dennis Praet who popped the ball along to Yunus Akgun. His deep cross found Mavididi free at the back post to head down low past Ruddy.

Blues huffed and puffed but had little left in the tank. Leicester saw out the victory to move back into the top two and leave their opponents in the bottom three.

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Lineups

Leicester: Hermansen; Ricardo Faes Vestergaard Doyle (Justin 46); Ndidi (Praet 82) Winks KDH; Fatawu (Yunus 82) Daka (Vardy 60) Mavididi (Coady 95). Unused: Stolarczyk; Choudhury Marcal Iheanacho.

Blues: Ruddy; Laird Aiwu Sanderson Buchanan; Bielik (Sunjic 58); Miyoshi (Pritchard 58) Paik James (Dembele 80) Bacuna (Anderson 58); Stansfield (Hogan 80). Unused: Etheridge; Drameh Gardner Roberts.

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Tactics

Leicester dominated, so let’s start with them.

Effectively, they’re a 4-3-3. But they’re almost never in a 4-3-3 shape.

Out of possession, it’s 4-4-2. Dewsbury-Hall (KDH) moves alongside Daka to press from the front with the rest slotting in as standard. Ndidi stepped onto Bielik and when Blues had deep possession, otherwise they were tight and compact as a unit.

In possession, it’s a 3-2-4-1. Pereira immediately drops into midfield next to Winks. Faes and Doyle flank Vestergaard. Ndidi and KDH step forward and look to find half space either side of their marker with Mavididi and Fatawu holding width.

Blues had trouble with that shape early doors. We again started with a 4-1-4-1.

Initially, we set up with Stansfield watchful of Faes, Miyoshi watchful of Doyle and Vestergaard left free. Paik and James sat on Pereira and Winks, with one expected to step off their man, press while cutting the angle off to their man and then the team could step up. Bacuna and Miyoshi were close by, ready to back up their team-mates and pounce.

It never really worked. We either got the timing wrong. Or Leicester simply popped it around us. And with Bielik alone vs KDH and Ndidi, their quality players were able to find the 8’s in high positions free. The centre-backs didn’t want to be dragged out to ensure the wingers couldn’t break in behind. So we just relied on defending our box.

After about 20 minutes, and JJ having been booked, we changed it up. We moved to a 4-2-3-1. It meant that JJ and Bielik could keep watch of the 8’s on their side and allow the centre-backs to cover or defend their area. We could push things wider. Meanwhile, higher up, Stansfield could now focus on Vestergaard with Bacuna, Paik and Miyoshi together and able to cover the other four, shifting side-to-side.

That meant Leicester finding a new route out. Hermansen had more involvement to help with the numbers game (he was also very high off his line when Leicester had good possession). Most often, the winger would receive on the touchline, step forward and Ndidi/KDH would make a forward, inside run, that would open the space inside or not be tracked allowing the pass towards the Blues area.

As the game wore on and Blues sat deeper, they really spread things out, Pereira joining Praet and KDH higher up the pitch, Faes and Justin much wider in possession and Vestergaard and Winks manning the fort in the centre.

In possession, Blues beat the 3-2-4-1 in transition by bouncing the ball off Stansfield and Bielik in the 4-1-4-1 and getting the four inbetween working forward as a unit and stretching play. Bacuna and Miyoshi would move wider and look to commit their men 1v1 while Paik and James made themselves available to receive on the turn and play.

Once we moved to 4-2-3-1, a bit of this was taken away. However, it did allow Laird to get forward more when the opportunity was right, with Miyoshi having freedom to join Paik in right-central positions, their link-up again an important part of our game plan.

Blues did revert to 4-1-4-1 in the second half. Paik sat deep. Pritchard paired with Sunjic, who was a bit hybrid between a defensive and standard midfield role. JJ moved to the right. Effectively, Sunjic had the legs to step up out of midfield and return.

A final note. This may have changed since the arrival of Rowett but I noticed it for the first time today. Sanderson, Aiwu and Laird did the marking from set-pieces against Leicester’s back three. Bielik was then spare on the six yard box.

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Players

Never an easy day to judge players given the quality/physical levels between the two sides.

Starting with the positives. Paik and Miyoshi again showed their ability, their intelligence, their quality. Serious operators and players we hopefully see more of next season. Miyoshi’s work ethic to double on Mavididi was excellent too.

I thought Sanderson had a good game at the heart of the backline. Buchanan again did himself little harm. Ruddy made a number of important stops and I disagree with the notion he could have claimed the cross in the final minute given his starting position. Bielik was again comfortable, albeit only when additional support was given.

Laird was okay. I thought he read the game well & picked the right moments to go forward. His quality with the ball needs refining but I’m still 100% convinced he’s 100% fit.

Aiwu is getting a lot of flak. There’s little denying he’s raw and not great with the ball. I don’t remember a moment he really shit the bed during this 90 minutes, unlike Preston. Would be interested to hear people’s thoughts.

James looks knackered. He’s lacking power in his movement and I wonder how much that 120 minutes for Wales & heartbreak took out of him. Bacuna wasn’t himself, though I will acknowledge him being doubled up on by Pereira and Ndidi. And Stansfield ran himself into the ground again but gives away a lot physically – I do feel for him.

The subs never really helped. Pritchard and Anderson were okay but never helped us get a foothold as such. Sunjic ran but typically got carried away at times. I thought Hogan ran about with little support or opportunity to do anything productive and to his credit, he does try and chase back at Vestegaard for the second.

I do think Dembele has a role to play, potentially across these final games. But that role never felt like being today. And playing on the right, drifting inside into central areas and getting caught was absolutely a poor decision and one you suspect Rowett won’t make twice. Keep him wide. Keep him 1v1. Keep him away from dangerous areas.

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Conclusions

We saw the good and bad of this team today.

We struggled early doors in both halves but otherwise remained fairly solid and defended our box well. We didn’t resort to hoofing it first half and instead played our way out of trouble, which isn’t always easy against a side like Leicester for a team in our position.

But, we couldn’t keep it up. We flagged, we took easy decisions through tiredness, lacked the power to be a threat on the break and were punished.

It was interesting to hear Rowett discuss being a bit too attacking with his substitutions when he probably could have sat in. But given the need for results at this stage of the season, I don’t think anybody can begrudge him trying to give us some energy and an attacking outlet. Ultimately, you live and die by your decisions and it never worked out on this occasion.

The final third is a real issue. We lack searing pace. We lack real power. We lack a ruthless streak. We don’t have enough players with a hunger to score goals. We lack consistent quality. We lack a Plan B option to hoist it into the area to be attacked. And we aren’t a big side so we aren’t scoring many from set-pieces either. We either have to do something brilliant or rely on an error. It’s tough.

I’m also curious how our squad has become so imbalanced. We’ve only got three players missing but find ourselves without a centre-back on the bench, without an obvious replacement for Miyoshi on the right, no natural replacement for Bielik and our only out-and-out striker being Scott Hogan. But then different managers, different ideas. It automatically creates a situation in which certain players come back in, some find new roles and others drop out.

People may point to refereeing decisions but I think we had a fair amount go our way. Most of the decisions on the day were calls that would change depending on the man in the middle. The potential Daka offside & Faes receiving a red didn’t go our way. JJ avoiding a second yellow, Bielik not being yellowed until he launched Fatawu to the ground, Miyoshi on Justin at the back post went our way.

The goals. I think this is more Southampton than Middlesbrough/Watford. We didn’t gift them the goals, just decisions or circumstances led to the situations and they punished us.

The first goal looks messy. It goes wide because Stansfield chests the ball over the supporting Blues midfield and to a Leicester man. He finds Fatawu, who cuts inside and shoots. It deflects of Buchanan. Aiwu has to stab a leg at the ball which bounces off JJ and kindly to Fatawu. Daka is first to the loose ball because Aiwu and JJ aren’t set as a result of previous actions and KDH is cool as you like. Ideally, I think Bielik covers across a little more in the first instance to stop Fatawu cutting inside. It’s small margins.

The second, Hogan reads a loose pass and looks to be in until Hermansen appears and plays the ball to Vestegaard. Blues don’t push up, so Vestegaard can step forward. The midfield don’t engage. Pritchard is watching Winks. Sunjic is clearly concerned by KDH and trying to cut that pass off. Paik has Ndidi. Nobody steps up and takes charge, all concerned by their own men and their own tasks. It needs somebody to communicate or just get it done.

It’s Paik who eventually moves and Vestegaard slides it across him. Then Anderson closes and he’s beaten by Praet but in a way that forces him to play 5 yards deeper. We’ve forced it wide. Ordinarily, we’ve made the right call.

However, Anderson is tracking Pereira and has to pass him onto Buchanan, which leaves Yunus with a lot of space. Anderson and Buchanan go to close Yunus but if either sprints out, they leave themselves exposed and Yunus is quick to deliver.

Vestergaard, meanwhile, has carried on into the box and KDH has followed him. All of a sudden, we have three defenders marking five players. Sanderson has to cover the near post, as a centre-back should. That leaves Aiwu marking Vardy and Laird makes the decision to close the biggest of the three. KDH and Mavididi are free. And to be fair to Yunus, the delivery is excellent, as you’d expect from a Leicester winger.

Who could have stepped in? I don’t think Sunjic needed to take up his normal position with Pritchard already over that side and Paik having stepped across. I think he should have followed Vestergaard until told otherwise. And Dembele is aware of KDH and should probably track that run. Both have made decisions they would ordinarily make and haven’t read the game situation.

Again, it’s small margins against quality sides. You break shape once or take one risk and you’re beaten. Not reacting to Tuanzebe vs Ipswich. Being turned twice in the press vs Southampton. Chasing a loose ball and leaving the centre-back free vs Leicester. It’s brutal.

It’s out of the way now. The most important games are to come. Cardiff on Wednesday. Coventry on Saturday. Rotherham away next week. Huddersfield away the week after. Norwich at home on the final day.

We’re in the bottom three now. Performances have bee structured enough to give us a chance but now results are paramount. We have to get the job done. That starts Wednesday.