Only three teams have conceded more goals than Leicester City in the opening ten rounds of their title defence.
This is largely thanks to the N’Golo Kante-shaped hole in the Foxes midfield which needs filling. The man who could do so hasn’t played a single Premier League minute this season.
The dust has now settled on Leicester City’s storied Premier League triumph and the signs are not good for the Foxes. As many predicted, Claudio Ranieri’s men haven’t gone even close to equalling their heroic feats of 2015-16.
While the Foxes managed to keep hold of star men Jamie Vardy and Rihad Mahrez, the departure of N’golo Kante to Chelsea in the summer has arguably been the catalyst for the decline of the defending Premier League champions.
Leicester City sit in 11th place in 2016-17, having won just three matches and earning a sole point away from home this season. They have shelled 16 league goals already this campaign, only 20 short of the number they conceded in the entirety of last season.
Comparing the Foxes style of play this season to last, the variable responsible for this dip is plain and simple. Last season, N’Golo Kante registered 156 interceptions and 125 tackles from a deep lying midfield role, more than any other player in the Premier League.
He performed what is known as ‘the Makelele role,’ named after former Chelsea midfielder Claude, with aplomb, protecting the Leicester back four and stopping the push forward of opposition attacks with timely interceptions.
This season, Ranieri has opted for a central midfield pairing of Andy King and Danny Drinkwater, in a familiar 4-4-2 formation. However, neither have the defensive work rate or ability of Kante and as such the Leicester back four have found themselves exposed.
If Leicester are to return to their winning ways, Ranieri must find an equally robust, skilful midfield man to occupy the Makelele role. This would in turn allow his side to hold out their opposition’s drives forward before venturing forward on the counter, where Vardy and Mahrez are most dangerous.
There aren’t all that many footballers in England, or the world for that matter, who can perform this role as well as Kante can. However, a player with the midfield pedigree to give Leicester something a little different but perhaps equally potent is sulking around the halls of the Etihad Stadium as we speak.
Yaya Toure, while more considered a box to box midfielder, has previously plied his trade in defensive midfield, showcasing an ability to turn to defence into attack. Something Leicester’s style of play directly revolves around.
Toure, who has yet to see a Premier League minute for Manchester City this season and was omitted from their Champions League squad earlier this year, has done just about all there is to do in European football.
The Ivorian has won two La Ligas, a Copa Del Rey as well as a Champions League with Barcelona along with two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and two League Cups in his time at Manchester City. At international level he has captained his nation to African Cup of Nations Glory as well as being named African Footballer of the year for four consecutive years between 2011 and 2014.
However, the 33-year-old has been frozen out at Manchester City, who still pay his 220,000 pound-a-week wages despite his lack of playing time. Toure could well be the answer to the Leicester’s midfield troubles this season, and considering his current situation at Manchester City, it is more than feasible he will be on the market in January.
Get your cheque book out Claudio, Yaya should be the target at all costs.
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
And just like that, another A-League regular season (sans one game) is in the books and we look ahead to the finals. Let's recap…
Salah was dropped from the starting side for the visit to London - and the striker was involved in a furious confrontation with Klopp…
Liverpool have fallen further out of contention for the Premier League title - but that's perhaps the least of Jurgen Klopp's problems. Just as…
Liverpool have reached a verbal agreement with Feyenoord for their head coach Arne Slot to succeed Jurgen Klopp at the end of the season.…
The past 18-24 months have been an enjoyable ride for Arsenal and their fan-base after almost a decade of turbulence. Mikel Arteta has been…
Manchester City have chalked up another big win in their hunt for an unprecedented fourth straight Premier League title, with Phil Foden continuing his…
