Leicester City players are not your typical footballers. Their game is different, and in many respects, very simplistic. Yet, it’s just that simplistic style that may have given them an edge over other teams – and qualified them for the Champions League.
How Are Leicester City's Tactics Different?
Leicester employs a rather “throwback” game. In the past, most teams used a 4-4-2 formation. According to SB Nation, this formation is typified this way: “four defenders (two centre-backs in the middle, full-backs on the left and right sides), four midfielders (two central midfielders, two wingers on the left and right sides) and two strikers”.
In this setup, the midfielders are spread out in a line as opposed to the more typical diamond shape of modern play. This is considered an “open” or “flat” formation. While many teams used this in the past, this formation eventually evolved into the more commonly used 4-2-3-1.
The chief advantage of this type of play is that it’s extremely simple to learn, and everyone has very set roles. If the four defenders and four midfielders don’t have the ball, they can cover the whole field and put pressure on the opposing team, creating a virtual wall of men or women. Plus, it allows players to stick to their strengths.
This rigidness, however, can also be a weakness if the opposing team has more lithe players, not to mention the problem of only having two strikers who can quickly get overwhelmed midfield.
How Has Leicester City Taken Advantage Of The Retro Formation?
Most other teams know perfectly well how the 4-4-2 formation works. Many have grown up playing the game exactly this way. The problem, however, is just that: They believe that they understand the formation so well that they can simply keep playing with their own, current formation. And that’s purely not the case.
Danny Murphy of BBC.com beautifully laid out why Leicester is so successful. He said that their strategy “relies on the intelligence of individuals to know they are all defending when they have not got the ball — which is a lot of the time”.
Most major teams want possession as much as possible since possession means the ball and the ability to attack with your best players. Leicester, on the other hand, isn’t worried about passing accuracy, which is showcased in their poor passing stats.
“Instead,” says Murphy, “they defend well, do not over-play at the back and get the ball upfield quickly, using the pace and efficiency of their forward players to punish teams.”
This is done by limiting the available attacking area, exasperating opponents and keeping them from easily changing direction with the ball. Plus, one lapse of attention from opponents, and Leicester has taken advantage of the play and scored.
Leicester is known for their early, long balls, and their push to get forward as fast as they possibly can.
Further, you can’t deny that Leicester is the image of fitness. Something is clearly going right with their training, for which they can surely thank their relatively new manager, Claudio Ranieri. Ranieri was a controversial choice for Leicester when he was selected since he wanted to bring a level of “Italian tactics” to the Leicester game. While many scoffed in the beginning, Ranieri has actually made a formidable team of contenders.
Can The Game Be Sustained In The Champions League?
The Leicester game is started to be appreciated for its effectiveness. Champions League players simply haven’t had to deal with the Leicester tactics of delivering the ball early. It will definitely come as a surprise to many defenders even if they feel that they’ve adequately studied the plays. Footballers won’t be able to truly appreciate the Leicester counterattack until they fully experience it.
This novelty will play into Leicester’s hands — at least in the foreseeable future. It probably won’t take them all the way to the semi-finals or finals, but they should at least make the knockout stage.
