Enzo Maresca’s Leicester City are passing any test thrown their way. Wednesday’s game at Norwich saw them presented with another unique challenge, but they again overcame it.
At Carrow Road, they faced a side with a 100 per cent home record and with statistically the best attack in the division. It has often been City trying to break down the opposition in the second half of matches, but having earned the lead before half-time, it was Norwich who were pushing.
It was the first time this season that City have been barricaded into their own box and had to deal with a flurry of aerial attacks. Norwich sent in 32 crosses and 10 corners, the most City have had to face of either this term, and yet they just kept clearing danger. For all Norwich’s pressure in the second half, there was just one big chance.
Ideally, they would have relieved the pressure by keeping hold of the ball better once Jannik Vestergaard had thumped a header clear, or they would have been as great a threat on the counter as they were against Southampton to move the game beyond Norwich earlier, but that’s not always going to happen. City have now proven that when they do face a bombardment, they can cope. If they can do it against the best attacking team so far, then who can’t they do it against?
City showed against Southampton that against sides playing in a similar style, they are much further ahead in their progress. They showed in the games against Huddersfield, Cardiff, and Rotherham that they have the patience to break through deep-set defences late on.
And this team is still in its infancy too. The more often they face each kind of test, the better they should be at finding solutions to it. Everything’s looking rosy.
Rotation success bodes well for late-season energy levels
All that, and the game was won despite five changes being made. That alleviates some concerns over what might happen if certain players get injured.
Not all of the changes worked spectacularly. Cesare Casadei, so impressive in his cup and substitute appearances before the international break, was sloppy and a little sluggish. Yunus Akgun was energetic, but could have got on the ball more often.
But despite that, City’s performance was not affected. Maresca has been hammering the point that he is going to need 20 outfield players to make this season a success, but it’s easier said than done. There is a balance to be struck in managing players’ minutes while also retaining the cohesion that comes with a settled line-up.
However, if Maresca is coaching the players so well that they totally understand the system and that regular rotation does not see a drop off in quality, then City will be in a very good position. It should limit injuries and ensure energy levels remain high right up until May.
McAteer progress shows impact of Maresca
Perhaps the best example of Maresca’s coaching and tactics is the continued effectiveness of Kasey McAteer. You would not know that his career up to this season had included just half a campaign of regular football at League Two level.
He was the least experienced player in what was City’s youngest starting line-up in a league game for more than a decade, and he got his fourth goal of the campaign, making him outright the club’s top scorer. But he did more than just put the ball in the net.
“Did you see the way he worked off the ball?” Maresca said after the game. “It was unbelievable.”
The manager is right. For much of the game, McAteer was tasked with dropping into the back-line when Norwich attacked to guard against their forward-minded full-backs, and yet he still had the energy to make runs beyond the Norwich defence. Even as time ticked down, he got forward to support two fresher substitutes in Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Jamie Vardy and get the victory-sealing second goal.
McAteer’s regular involvement is testament to a player who is intelligent, who understands the manager’s tactics completely and also works very hard to execute them to a tee. As a result, he is making leaps and bounds in his progress, and is increasing his importance to this team every week.
Hermansen contender for bargain of the summer
It is only now that Mads Hermansen has kept his first clean sheet for the club and yet it feels like enough has been seen of the Dane to describe his £5m transfer from Brondby as a bargain. He is terrific.
In the first half, he almost set up a goal with a ping downfield right into McAteer’s path. In the second period, he flicked up a hand to keep out Shane Duffy’s header when it looked destined to find the net.
“We use him a lot on the ball especially when we face teams like tonight who go man to man,” Maresca said. “But the keeper is there to save goals so tonight we needed him once and he was very good. He is a complete keeper, playing and saving.”
But more than that, it also feels like he’s trusted by his defence. The back-line clearly back him to play out with the ball at his feet, but they also know he can claim crosses and make saves too. It relieves the nerves.
Last season, when City introduced a new number one in Danny Ward, Brendan Rodgers explained how there would be teething problems in terms of communication as the goalkeeper and defence learned to work with each other and to understand their habits. There have been no moments of confusion with Hermansen.
He’s only 23 too. The early signs are that he could be a top-level goalkeeper, and City will hope he can reach that status with them.
Statement week puts City on course for promotion
On paper, back-to-back trips to Southampton and Norwich were about as difficult as any pair of games City would face this season. They have come away with six points and an aggregate score of 6-1.
