Will Leicester challenge for Europe again this season?

Leicester had become accustomed to rubbing shoulders with the top six in previous seasons, but last year was significantly more difficult for the Foxes.

With a fully fit squad heading into this season, can Brendan Rodgers get Leicester to compete at the top end of the Premier League once again? 

 

Where it went wrong last season 

Leicester finished last season in eighth place in the Premier League, which was their lowest finish since the 2018/19 season. 

Their biggest problem was conceding goals and this was arguably a result of the injuries which accumulated in the defensive positions. 

Last season the likes of James Justin, Ricardo Pereira and Wesley Fofana all played less than 1000 minutes of Premier League football as they were each kept out with major injuries.  

Leicester’s lack of depth in the defensive areas ultimately then led to a less than impressive defensive record which saw them concede 59 goals, an increase from their previous two seasons. 

The area where they were most susceptible was set-pieces as they conceded 19 throughout the season which was the most in the Premier League along with Leeds. 

From open play they actually only conceded 28 goals which was only six more than Manchester City did and so it’s clear that their problems were mainly with set-pieces. 

Brendan Rodgers' side also gave away seven penalties, only Norwich and Wolves gave away more last season.  

Kasper Schmeichel has been an ever-dependable member of the Leicester City set up, but he actually underperformed by 0.7 goals last season too. 

Leicester’s improvement this season will largely depend on their defensive organisation from set-pieces and if the likes of Justin, Pereira and Fofana can come back and hit the ground running. 

 

James Maddison 

Arguably Leicester’s highlight of last season was the return to form of James Maddison who had his best goalscoring season at this level. 

Maddison scored 12 goals and chipped in with eight assists in total.  

His xG overperformance of 3.8 goals ranked him as the ninth biggest xG overperformer in the Premier League last season and he will be looking to replicate his numbers this time around. 

Maddison was also Leicester’s most creative outlet as he made 100 shot-creating actions throughout the season, more than any other Leicester player.  

He often drifts towards the left side of the pitch to create crossing angles and to link up with Harvey Barnes who was another of Leicester’s most creative players. 

Last season 42% of their attacks went down the left side, which was more than any other Premier League side. 

Barnes chipped in with 16 goal contributions throughout the season and created 57 shot-creating actions. 

 

Goal threat 

Other than Maddison and Barnes, Jamie Vardy can still be relied upon even at the age of 35. 

Last season he scored 15 goals and finished the season as the Foxes top scorer once again. 

Considering the 35-year-old played just 1806 minutes, it’s mighty impressive he managed such a consistent goal return. 

Vardy averaged a goal every 120 minutes, which means that if he was to play every minute of next season and keep up the same ratio, he would score 28 goals.  

Despite their inconsistency throughout the season, Leicester still ranked well for creativity with an xG per 90 of 1.34, which was the seventh highest in the league. 

What could prove to be a problem for Leicester is the departure of Youri Tielemans as the Belgian midfielder has been linked with a move away from the club as he enters the final year of his contract. 

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has been an emerging star in the middle though as he played more Premier League football than ever before last season with 2106 minutes played.  

If Brendan Rodgers can manage to strike the balance right this time between defence and attack, there’s no reason why Leicester can’t be aiming for a European place again this season.