Leicester City making football simple again

Leicester City has been a joy to watch this season and it’s not because of their Cinderella story as much as, they’ve made football simple again.

The Foxes don’t play a 4-3-2-1, they don’t play a 5-3-2 or any formation that seems complicated on paper. They play a simple 4-4-2 and they do it well. In Sunday’s win against Southhampton it was all about executing swift attacks on the wings and making each opportunity count. Here are three quick hit reasons why Leicester City will win the EPL and are making the sport we love something to watch.

Jamie Vardy’s pressure up top

LEICESTER, ENGLAND – APRIL 03: Jamie Vardy of Leicester City is tackled by Victor Wanyama of Southampton during the Barclays Premier League match between Leicester City and Southampton at The King Power Stadium on April 3, 2016 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /

Vardy has been exceptional for Leicester City this year tallying 19 goals, however it’s not his goal scoring that has caught my attention, it’s the pressure he puts on defenders when the opposing team has possession.

On most occasions around football you see strikers putting little to no pressure on defenders as teams look to move the ball out of their back third, however, Vardy always keep his line up and puts pressure as to not allow teams to initiate any successful movement to create an attack. Vardy is one of the few I’ve ever seen do that and it’s paying off, The Foxes have only given up 31 goals this season, that’s top five in the league.

Fluid Midfield

The midfield is led by four fantastic players, Riyad Mahrez, Marc Albrighton, N’ Golo Kante and Andy Drinkwater. As a collective group, these midfielders know how to push the ball. According to Whoscored.com The Foxes are second in the EPL in assist efficiency, right behind Arsenal. Today’s goal by Wes Morgan was the result of what Leicester likes to do best, open up on the wings and fire in crosses to create opportunities.

Even more incredible, Leicester has four of the top 15 assist to goal combinations in the entire league. It’s no wonder they’re lighting it up from the midfield to the front line.

Premier League Assist to Goal Scorer (Whoscored.com)

R	Goal Scorer	Assisted By	Team	Assists
1	Harry Kane	Dele Alli	Tottenham	7
2	Olivier Giroud	Mesut Özil	Arsenal	6
3	Odion Ighalo	Troy Deeney	Watford	6
4	Romelu Lukaku	Gerard Deulofeu	Everton	6
5	Riyad Mahrez	Marc Albrighton	Leicester	5
6	Jamie Vardy	Riyad Mahrez	Leicester	5
7	Jamie Vardy	Daniel Drinkwater	Leicester	4
8	Harry Kane	Christian Eriksen	Tottenham	4
9	Arouna Koné	Romelu Lukaku	Everton	4
10	Nathan Redmond	Wes Hoolahan	Norwich	4
11	Alexis Sánchez	Mesut Özil	Arsenal	3
12	Riyad Mahrez	Jamie Vardy	Leicester	3
13	Diego Costa	Willian	Chelsea	3
14	Jermain Defoe	Adam Johnson	Sunderland	3
15	Graziano Pellè	Sadio Mané	Southampton	3

Star Goalkeeping

Kasper Schmeichel, is becoming a star as goalkeeper for Leicester City. If you recognize his name, that’s because his father is former Danish keeper Peter Schmeichel. Looks like dad has been training his son well. Kasper has bolstered The Foxes defensively and it was evident on Sunday with some outstanding saves. So far this season Schmeichel ranks in the top 10 on overall goalkeeper rating for keepers having made 25 appearances or more.

More playing for 90: 5 rapid reactions from Tottenham-Liverpool draw

Leicester City has been one of the most balanced teams to come through the EPL in quite a while. They’re ability to pressure teams into mistakes and put themselves in great opportunities makes for one of the best stories in EPL history. Only a few weeks remain, can Jamie Vardy and his club win the league and propel themselves into Europe next year? They’re getting very close.

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