A defence of the defence, a look at an underrated Leicester City defence.

Ah, Leicester. A team that stunned the footballing world almost 5 years ago are on track to stage yet another revolt and break the ‘unbreakable’ barrier of the top 6. This brave team from the East Midlands have squared up to the powerhouses of English football once, are the Foxes about to conjure up another giant killing?

2 years ago a Claude Puel governed Leicester team were devoid of ideas, lost under the restraining grip of the Frenchman and if we are being real, wasting a wealth of good talent. The controversial emergence of ex-Liverpool coach and Northern Irishman Brendan Rodgers meant a fresh start, something that ultimately revitalised the drab feeling around the King Power and restored a feeling that is eerily similar to that of the 2015/16 title win. Rodgers had seen the potential with Leicester, he had seen the players that he had at his disposal, he had seen the chairman he would be working with and he had seen the clubs colossal ambitions, in the end all of that was enough to prize him away from a club of such magnitude, stature and history as Celtic.

Rodgers has completely transformed the way Leicester play, he has adopted a faster and more aggressive game, a game where every player will come off that pitch drowning in their own sweat. He of course worked with the squad last season, giving him even more time and consideration to mould his team into a shape that satisfies his intentions for this season.

Many of the praise given to the high flying Foxes has been heaped upon head talisman Jamie Vardy and his partners in crime Youri Tielemans and James Maddison but when a team is doing this great, it would be unwise not to look elsewhere.

We can see that Rodgers loved his new fullbacks Ben Chilwell and Ricardo Periera as soon as he walked through the door. In his first game, away at Watford, Rodgers opted for a back five allowing Chilwell and Ricardo to bomb further forward acting more as the ‘modern day’ fullback/winger. The ex Liverpool coach knew that he had some very capable players in that department and although a back five for Leicester never did materialise, the two flying fullbacks are utilised similarly in a back four. They have been key players to Leicester’s success so far this season, collecting 3 goals and 4 assists between them. They bring Leicester forward, make countless overlapping runs to offer support and provide menacing attacking threat that would make most teams in the division jealous. Its not just galloping forward that the pair do so well in, they also excel in the defensive side of their game. They both prove difficult to get past, especially Pereira, the Portuguese international has notched 84 tackles this season the 2nd best in the division, just behind teammate Wilfred Ndidi with 85. They are both definitions of the modern day fullback and are an integral part to Rodgers plans now and moving forward.

Rodgers has also found the key to any seriously competitive team, a centre back pairing from the Evans... cough cough, sorry, Heavens. The dynamic duo of Caglar Soyuncu and Jonny Evans has proved pivotal in Leicester’s quest for over achievement, they together have conceded a fantastic 19 goals in 21 games, with a league high 8 clean sheets in that time, but why is this unlikely partnership flourishing so famously? Let’s start with old reliable and Rodgers’ fellow countryman Johnny Evans. Born from the ashes of a rampant Alex Ferguson United side, Evans looks as capable as ever in the foxes back line. The Northern Ireland captain has invaluable experience, starting out and learning his trade under a United side that included the likes of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, two of the best centre backs, and arguably the best defensive pairing the Premier League has ever witnessed. Of course his time with Tony Pulis and West Brom matured and nursed Evans into a real ‘out and out‘ defender, but he has shown throughout his career that he’s also pretty good on the ball as well. For a man that was brought in from West Brom for a measly fee of £3m, he is having a monumental impact on the way this Leicester team defend, he guides and nurtures his much younger, inexperienced teammates and with the exception of Jamie Vardy, Evans is the oldest outfield player at 32. The plethora of young players Leicester possess, an experienced Evans will be of gargantuan importance not just now but heading into the tougher more draining months the season will throw up.

Last but by no means least is the quite brilliant but surprise package Caglar Soyuncu. The big Turk at the heart of the Leicester defence has been mesmeric since the sale of Harry Maguire, which pushed the Farquad lookalike into the first team. There was frustration and confusion from fans when city didn’t sign a replacement for Maguire, with many even thinking that Benkovic would probably be the man to fill the void. Yet the emergence of the former Freiburg man Soyuncu has given Rodgers a stability that Leicester never could of dreamed of. He’s quick, he’s strong, he’s intelligent, he’s hungry, he’s young and his 🍆 is f***ing massive. He sweeps up everything that comes his way, at first look some of his runs out from defence to try and win back the ball look naive, but the intelligence he shows to do it at the right time shows he also has the brains to go with the power. The hard tackling brute is surprisingly calm and collected on the ball, as he elegantly glides around the pitch, picking his pass precisely. He also has a few cheeky tricks up his sleeve to deceive opponents, the fans adore him.

So there it was, a defence of the defence. What a season Leicester have had so far, apart from a few blips against some of the best teams the Premier League has ever seen, it looks as though these defenders will be playing Champions League football next season. It will be very interesting to see how they cope with that.