Adrian Clarke looks at the key tactical battles in the opening fixtures of the Premier League.
Team analysis - Leicester City
Three successive friendly defeats without scoring does not represent ideal preparation for a season opener at home to Tottenham Hotspur, but Steve Cooper and Leicester have proved in the past they are both comfortable playing the role of underdogs.
They will relish that status and, from a tactical perspective, what happens at the King Power Stadium is going to be fascinating.
Will Cooper retain parts of Enzo Maresca’s stylish possession-based football? Or will the Welshman revert to the pragmatic counter-attacking style which was synonymous with his spell at Nottingham Forest?
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Flexible formations
The history books will show that Leicester used a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 in 44 of their 46 Championship matches last season, but when they had possession it was almost always a 3-2-4-1.
Cooper’s set-up will also be fluid and interchangeable.
During pre-season Leicester have been set up in a relatively standard 4-2-3-1 shape out of possession, yet on the ball they frequently configure into a 3-2-4-1 featuring a box midfield.
When one full-back pushes on, the winger on that side will slip inside to play as one of two No 10s.
Below is an example of how Leicester may look in and out of possession on Monday evening. When they are without the ball, they could adopt a 4-2-3-1 shape. When they have the ball, they could move to 3-2-4-1.
This represents a seismic change from Maresca’s use of his wide forwards, with Stephy Mavididi and Abdul Fatawu asked to stay extremely wide during 2023/24.
Maresca filled out his central midfield with an inverted full-back rather than a winger.
Cooper has never been tied down to one specific shape, and tried out a variety of systems during his largely successful time at the City Ground.
Fans at the King Power Stadium can expect constantly changing systems in 2024/25.
Formations used by Cooper since Sep 2021
| Formation | Times used |
|---|---|
| 3-4-1-2 | 32 |
| 3-4-3 | 23 |
| 4-3-3 | 23 |
| 4-2-3-1 | 15 |
| 4-4-2 diamond | 8 |
| 3-5-2 | 3 |
Passing with more purpose
Maresca was criticised in some quarters for the way Leicester were often passive on the ball, taking their time to wear opponents down.
While his replacement Cooper will retain many aspects of the existing approach, having been in charge of a possession-based outfit at Swansea City, there is no way Cooper will accept passing without a purpose.
If his top-flight coaching at Forest is an indicator, he will drill home the importance of creating opportunities quicker. So, look out for the Foxes being more progressive and direct now. The new boss will want his players to strike hard and fast if space opens up.
This table below highlights the differences between Cooper and Maresca in regard to possession and how they like to use. It compares Maresca's 2023/24 Leicester team with Cooper's Nottingham Forest sides in the 2021/22 Championship and 2022/23 Premier League, and shows the league rank for each statistic in each campaign.
Cooper v Maresca comparison
| Possession | Long passes | Passes/shot | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooper 21/22 Champ. | 51% (10th) | 15% (15th) | 31.2 (4th) |
| Cooper 22/23 PL | 38% (20th) | 16.1% (2nd) | 33.3 (7th) |
| Maresca 23/24 Champ. | 62% (2nd) | 7.5% (22nd) | 43.4 (24th) |
Looking after the ball
If Leicester are to produce a surprise victory on Monday they will need central midfielder Harry Winks to play well against his former club.
The 28-year-old is a classy operator who deserves to be playing top-flight football once again.
He knows he and his team-mates will see much less of the ball in the Premier League but, when they do have hold of it, he is crucial to the way they build efficient, clinical attacks.
Last season he was in the top one per cent of Championship midfielders for all the major passing categories, as the table below shows.
In tight situations Winks is calm and press-resistant; qualities which will be needed against Ange Postecoglou’s high-intensity Spurs team.
Winks' Championship stats 23/24
| Stats | Per 90 | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Succ. passes | 83 | 99% |
| Passing accuracy (%) | 93.1 | 99% |
| Pass distance (m) | 1,310 | 99% |
| Passes into final third | 8.4 | 99% |
| Touches | 95 | 99% |
| Passes received | 79 | 99% |
Key player - Mads Hermansen
Danish goalkeeper Mads Hermansen made a wonderful impression in the east Midlands last season, and Leicester will be reliant on him delivering a quality performance against Spurs.
The 24-year-old is fantastic with the ball at his feet. He is able to spray a variety of passes around the pitch while also covering as an effective sweeper-keeper when required.
But it was his shot-stopping that impressed most during their Championship title success.
No goalkeeper in the second tier prevented as many extra goals as Hermansen, according to Opta, which is no mean feat considering how dominant Maresca’s side were in most matches at that level.
Most goals prevented in Championship 23/24
| Goalkeeper | Most goals prevented |
|---|---|
| Mads Hermansen (Leicester) | 6.7 |
| Angus Gunn (Norwich) | 6.6 |
| Carl Rushworth (Swansea) | 6.3 |
| Michael Cooper (Plymouth) | 4.7 |
With Jamie Vardy and Patson Daka out injured and pre-season form unconvincing, this opening encounter will be a serious test for Leicester.
But in Winks and Hermansen they have two coolheaded figures who Cooper knows he can trust.
