Tactics Under Maresca

[Aleksz]

Patterns. Over and over again.

[Tielemans63]

 

 

 

[sacreblueits442]

16 hours ago, BluethroughtheMiddle said:

Amazing run of form and completely dominating the league, the quality of our players and the managers tactics is so nice to see after last years nightmare.

 

But..

 

Have we actually faced anyone who hasnt parked the bus yet apart from Liverpool?

 

Would like to see how we deal with attacking teams this season in prep for next.

...the big thing is that these teams that have come at us have been let down by their finishing!!!

Blackburn had a spell where they were successful pressing us as well as Coventry early in the second half, the only thing was they failed to convert very good chances.

[BenTheFox]

It really struck me in the first-half how wide our wingers were. 

[Dan LCFC]

They really are two brilliant goals. It's hard to not be excited about our ceiling under Maresca.

[BenTheFox]

26 minutes ago, Dan LCFC said:

They really are two brilliant goals. It's hard to not be excited about our ceiling under Maresca.

Imagine if we had appointed someone like Scott Parker or stuck with Dean Smith. They may have been able to get us up and then again, I don't say that with any confidence, but there would have been no long term future under them. 

[Guest Kopfkino]

14 hours ago, coolhandfox said:

@StriderHiryu interesting that Casadei (7) average position is deeper then Ricardo's (21) and Winks (8).

 

That's has to be tactical.

 

I just don’t think he had that many touches further up the pitch, seemed to only really be involved when they had something breakdown and he won a good few headers from their goal kicks - average positions are determined by touches.

 

Look at his heatmap on here, especially compared to KDH, think he just found it hard to influence the game. Quite random for a right 8

https://www.sofascore.com/leicester-city-stoke-city/EG#11371538

 

Edited 8 October 2023 by Kopfkino

[Chrysalis]

3 hours ago, BenTheFox said:

Imagine if we had appointed someone like Scott Parker or stuck with Dean Smith. They may have been able to get us up and then again, I don't say that with any confidence, but there would have been no long term future under them. 

Just a reminder we won a EPL title that way.

 

This football is amazing when teams are scared of you and sit back, but we may not have that luxury past this season.

[davieG]

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/what-enzo-maresca-doing-solve-8815107?fbclid=IwAR3eO47XnVULAVR8mOQNe-V124mh44hnVtIAhazkbkxT5LLj1-glqshT9us

 

What Enzo Maresca is doing to solve the only two future problems that can stop Leicester City
Analysis of Leicester City's 2-0 win over Stoke, looking at how Maresca is guarding against complacency and fatigue, the need to become master safe-crackers, and that maths of promotion

ByJordan Blackwell
16:36, 8 OCT 2023

Who can stop Leicester City? Maybe at this point it is only themselves.

Their 10th win from 11 Championship games had an inevitability about it. There were very few pre-match nerves in the crowd. Supporters weren’t just coming to see their team play, but to see their team win.

They know what to expect now, with matches following a similar pattern: City will dominate the ball and try as many different combinations to pick the lock as they can. With patience and application, they will more than likely break through.

 

With visitors Stoke struggling for form and fit players, there was an even greater confidence that City would break their resistance. Indeed, with Enzo Maresca’s side controlling the ball to a greater degree than ever – they’d had 89 per cent possession in the first quarter of the game – and with the back three stationing themselves further up the field than ever, they scored their earliest home goal of the season, Kelechi Iheanacho netting after 24 minutes.

Despite that sense of inevitability, it wasn’t easy. City’s probes often fell short of finding a blue shirt in the box. They had very few chances in the first hour.

They were not quite as sharp on the ball as they can be, appearing to play in first gear for periods. First touches were sloppy at times. There were two moments in the first half where Jannik Vestergaard and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall threw their hands up in frustration because Hamza Choudhury and Abdul Fatawu respectively had switched off and not moved into the space where the ball was clearly going to be passed into.

Then, inside 30 seconds of the second half, Stoke had their best chance, Nathan Lowe heading over after a quick attack had caught City sleeping. This may feel like nit-picking, but City have set expectations extremely high with how well they're doing.

Right now, it feels like complacency is the most serious possible threat to derailing City. It's not a problem now, but it could be. An inevitability of victory has the potential to cause a dip in concentration. What's clear is that their gameplan, how they’re improving at it, and the quality of their players is not going to be a barrier to their charge for promotion.

 

Maresca's plan to guard against two future problems
So how do they guard against complacency? Maresca is already working on it. Making six changes for a league game, particularly ahead of a two-week international break, is not the norm around the division, but it is for the City manager.

With Harry Souttar handed his first league appearance of the season on Saturday, there are now 22 players at City who have started a Championship fixture this term. Only bottom club Sheffield Wednesday have more.

And that number could yet rise higher. City have Marc Albrighton, Tom Cannon, and Patson Daka still waiting in the wings for their first league starts this season. Maresca denied City had exorbitant squad depth this week, pointing out that Choudhury was needed to play in a position he was not totally suited to, but they do either have more players than their rivals, or they have a manager who is willing to put his faith in a greater number of his squad.

Maybe it’s both. Maresca’s regular rotation means that 17 different City players have now been on the pitch for more than 200 minutes this season. You have to go down to Millwall in 15th before finding a club with more players hitting that figure.

It helps twofold. Resting players reduces the risk of injury and allows for physical and mental breathers that should mean there are more players available, and more players at the top of their game, come the final few months of the campaign.

Plus, it keeps everyone on their toes. Standards are less likely to slip when every player knows the manager will rotate and a team-mate gets regular opportunities to stake a claim. It’s also why Maresca doesn’t reveal his line-up to his players until a couple of hours before kick-off. It keeps everyone on their toes. There will be no slacking in the final training session of the week if every player still feels like they have a fighting chance of making the weekend’s 11.

Up front, there is a shared role. Of the 990 Championship minutes so far, Jamie Vardy has played 510 and Kelechi Iheanacho has played 480. It doesn’t feel like either are going to wear themselves out, nor is the burden of goalscoring solely on the shoulders of either.

So while complacency and squad fitness feel like the only obstacles in City’s way, Maresca is already removing them before they even truly arise. It’s yet another sign of very good management.

 

City must work to become master safe-crackers
In terms of what City must continue to work on at the training ground, it is obvious. Games are still at their most difficult for them when they face a deep-set defence.

Stoke, even with two midfielders in their back-line, proved difficult to beat for large swathes of the game. They set up that way because they know that is the best option for denying City.

While Maresca’s men are getting better at piercing holes in opposition defences, they can clearly still improve at it. They will want to make themselves master safe-crackers.

Because when games open up, there are no problems. In the first 70 minutes on Saturday, City had five shots to Stoke’s two. When the Potters then pushed higher in search of an equaliser, it had an adverse effect. For the final 20 minutes, City had nine shots to Stoke’s none.

The moment teams open up against City, the moment there is space to exploit, that’s when their individual talent can be on show. Wilfred Ndidi, a man reborn under Maresca, could have had a hat-trick in the final quarter of the game.

When teams go toe-to-toe with them, they have no problems whatsoever. That bodes well for when they face more forward-thinking outfits.

 

Maresca gives sarcastic response over progress report
When a team is playing this well and earning results as good as City’s just a couple of months into a manager’s reign, questions will be asked about how good they can become. Maresca raised excitement levels when he said towards the end of August that his side were only 10 to 20 per cent of the way along their journey.

Heading into the October international break, it felt like the ideal time to get a progress report from the boss. The problem is that it’s been going so well that Maresca is now on expectation management, and so provided a sarcastic response.

“We are 100 per cent!” he said. “You know why, because I said 20 per cent and you start to say: ‘Only 20! Imagine when we are 100!’ So no, we are 100. Better than this, it’s impossible!”

He then gave a serious reply, saying: “You cannot measure. We are improving. We need to improve a lot because we are going to face these kinds of games many times.

“We are in the right direction. Now if we are 40, 50, 60, I don’t know, the only thing I can say is that, as you can see, they are working well and we are trying to combine winning and playing well.”

Maresca is happy for supporters to get excited and dream big. Just don’t expect him to join in publicly for now.

 

Promotion maths look very promising
So, 30 points from a possible 33 is a lot. A 10-point cushion inside the automatic promotion places is considerable. And it feels like enough of the season has passed for a spot of speculative maths.

Over the past 10 seasons, the average number of points required to finish in the top two is 86. Nineteen more wins for City would take them to 87, meaning they can possibly afford to drop points in 16 of their remaining 35 games.

So far, they have dropped points once in 11 fixtures. Since the September international break, not only have the results been perfect, but neither have City looked like drawing, never mind losing.

At this stage, based on the games so far, it feels like it would be a big surprise if City were to drop points in as many as 16 matches. Even the most pessimistic of supporters would have to admit that there is an extremely good chance of promotion.

[BenTheFox]

5 hours ago, Chrysalis said:

Just a reminder we won a EPL title that way.

 

This football is amazing when teams are scared of you and sit back, but we may not have that luxury past this season.

Have you replied to the wrong post? How is this relevant to what I have posted? 

[Les-TA-Jon]

10 hours ago, Tielemans63 said:

 

 

 

Someone tell Harry to be quiet!

[davieG]

Sort of tactics

 

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/sport-opinion/wilfred-ndidi-leicester-city-maresca-8766239

 

The pragmatic Enzo Maresca decision that has led to Leicester City's biggest turnaround
Wilfred Ndidi set up goal for the third game running against Stoke as his renaissance continued as an attacking threat following two years of plummeting form in defensive midfield

 

ByJordan Blackwell
08:00, 9 OCT 2023

Wilfred Ndidi was on the pitch for 13 minutes plus injury time during Leicester City's 2-0 win over Stoke, and yet no player had more shots. All three of his efforts were inches away from going in, with one blocked near the line, another deflected over, and one headed just wide.

He then set up Jamie Vardy – maybe with an excellent pass, maybe with a wild fourth attempt at goal – for his third assist in three Championship games. The outing before that he won the penalty that earned City victory. In any other season, this would be unusual for a player who has made his name at the other end of the pitch. But not this year.

Now, after 14 games in all competitions, Ndidi has contributed to seven goals for City. Only Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (eight) has had a hand in more. Nobody would have thought that could be true a few months ago. In fact, very few thought there would be a role for Ndidi at City at all.

 

 

 

Get Enzo Maresca to explain exactly what he wants from each position in his City set-up and Ndidi of the previous six-and-a-half seasons does not fit into any of them. There is no role in Maresca’s team that asks for a bustling, long-legged destroyer to win tackles and interceptions. Now, the player at the base of the midfield is there to build the game. Harry Winks is the opposite of Ndidi.

But just when Ndidi’s career at the King Power Stadium looked to be over, Maresca got pragmatic. He was short on players to operate in the two number eight roles and saw attributes in Ndidi that he felt could work.

Now, 14 games in, Ndidi is one of only two players, along with Dewsbury-Hall, to have featured in every match. His tally of three goals – two in the Carabao Cup and one in the Championship – matches his best scoring season for the club.

Speaking to the club after he waltzed around Southampton defenders to score at St Mary's, Ndidi joked that he’d shown his “striker’s instinct”, sarcastically acting as if it’s the type of goal he scores every week. His reaction to scoring may be as pleasing as the goal itself. Watching Ndidi now, it feels like a weight has been lifted.

In the two years leading up to City’s relegation, most players suffered a drop in form, but perhaps none as starkly as Ndidi. City’s defence looked so vulnerable in part because Ndidi was no longer protecting them well. The number of tackles and interceptions he was making fell through the floor.

For so long, City had relied on Ndidi. The attacking players were granted the freedom to venture forward and take risks because they had the Nigerian behind them to bail them out. When he stopped providing security, not only did City’s defence look more vulnerable, but their attackers became scared to be inventive in case they set up counters for the opposition. That’s a lot of pressure on Ndidi’s shoulders.

Moving him into a forward area relieves that pressure. There is a freedom that comes with being a more attacking player, and one that perhaps the world isn’t expected of. The big, beaming smile is back. At the mention of Ndidi's name, Maresca starts smiling too.

“I don’t know if he’s more or less happy but the only thing I can say is that he’s very happy,” the manager said of the midfielder last month. “He’s enjoying it, and he’s open-minded. He’s trying to learn something new and he’s making the effort to try to understand it and learn.

“He’s doing very well at arriving in the box. He’s doing not so good at staying in position and moving in the right way in the pocket. Most of the time he’s higher, close to the opposition central defender and sometimes he has to drop a little bit more. But as I said, it’s new for him and it’s not easy. But for sure he’s always in the box.”

If Ndidi does improve in those areas outlined by Maresca, if he does keep getting on the scoresheet, and if that does help City to achieve promotion, it could be the manager’s biggest success story of the season. But patience is required to see if that’s how it plays out. For now, let’s enjoy that a City great is enjoying himself again.

[FoxesWalk]

 

[urban fox]

The big difference for me is the fact that every player on the pitch looks eager to be involved and get on the ball, making runs into positions to receive and then move. Too many times last season players passed the ball and then remained static, giving the player in possession no options which meant we were predictable and going nowhere.

look at our first goal, Vesty makes a great pass out to the right, nothing is on so he gets it back, advances and goes left. At this point it is the players off the ball movement that stands out. Mavadidi plays to kdh but immediately makes a run looking for the return leaving two defenders undecided, creating the space for kdh to play into the middle. Ricardo has options everywhere, with players coming in from both sides, such that their defence is all at sea and the rest is history. 

Once players are playing with confidence to make these runs, knowing that they are contributing to the whole whether they receive the ball or not, it makes it easier for the player in possession to pick the best option.

[Guest Kopfkino]

I’m guessing Enzo’s thesis on Football & Chess isn’t available anywhere to read? Nor has he really discussed the idea publicly? I feel like @StriderHiryu would have found it by now. 

 

I’d love to read it. I’m sure I’ll lose a lot of people with this but I saw this on De Zerbi & find it an interesting thought (whether true or not). Chess & noughts and crosses are different magnitudes of complexity but I just wonder if his thesis gives indication to a game theory way of viewing football. 
https://twitter.com/thewittyjack/status/1704806166872707284

[fuchsntf]

28 minutes ago, Kopfkino said:

I’m guessing Enzo’s thesis on Football & Chess isn’t available anywhere to read? Nor has he really discussed the idea publicly? I feel like @StriderHiryu would have found it by now. 

 

I’d love to read it. I’m sure I’ll lose a lot of people with this but I saw this on De Zerbi & find it an interesting thought (whether true or not). Chess & noughts and crosses are different magnitudes of complexity but I just wonder if his thesis gives indication to a game theory way of viewing football. 
https://twitter.com/thewittyjack/status/1704806166872707284

Enzo I am sure..has his basics already grounded,but his major skills with that same surety,is going to be made ,formed and created along those basics he firmly holds..

 

This Leicester city is going to go through this season a new restructure and rebuild,

the man responsible will be Enzo a new coach with modern ideas,not yet practiced,

Enzo. Maresca will build,evolve create his reputation,with Leicester.

 

Sit back & enjoy the ride..

 

 

 

[StriderHiryu]

1 hour ago, Kopfkino said:

I’m guessing Enzo’s thesis on Football & Chess isn’t available anywhere to read? Nor has he really discussed the idea publicly? I feel like @StriderHiryu would have found it by now. 

 

I’d love to read it. I’m sure I’ll lose a lot of people with this but I saw this on De Zerbi & find it an interesting thought (whether true or not). Chess & noughts and crosses are different magnitudes of complexity but I just wonder if his thesis gives indication to a game theory way of viewing football. 
https://twitter.com/thewittyjack/status/1704806166872707284

I couldn't find it. I think it's an actual dissertation so it must exist somewhere, but probably written in Italian and only available at educational facilities.

 

TBH the Iheanacho goal against Stoke IS his philosophy. Move the opponent's pieces to develop an advantage for yourself. Iheanacho was the Knight that was pinning both the Queen and the King!

[ts_1010]

2 hours ago, Kopfkino said:

I’m guessing Enzo’s thesis on Football & Chess isn’t available anywhere to read? Nor has he really discussed the idea publicly? I feel like @StriderHiryu would have found it by now. 

 

I’d love to read it. I’m sure I’ll lose a lot of people with this but I saw this on De Zerbi & find it an interesting thought (whether true or not). Chess & noughts and crosses are different magnitudes of complexity but I just wonder if his thesis gives indication to a game theory way of viewing football. 
https://twitter.com/thewittyjack/status/1704806166872707284

It is in Italian, as you might expect. But I don't seem to be able to find it either.

 

Here is a good article that also mentions a fair bit about Enzo and his studies.

 

https://www.coachesvoice.com/cv/enzo-maresca-tactics-leicester-city/

[Guest Kopfkino]

1 hour ago, StriderHiryu said:

I couldn't find it. I think it's an actual dissertation so it must exist somewhere, but probably written in Italian and only available at educational facilities.

 

TBH the Iheanacho goal against Stoke IS his philosophy. Move the opponent's pieces to develop an advantage for yourself. Iheanacho was the Knight that was pinning both the Queen and the King!

 

24 minutes ago, ts_1010 said:

It is in Italian, as you might expect. But I don't seem to be able to find it either.

 

Here is a good article that also mentions a fair bit about Enzo and his studies.

 

https://www.coachesvoice.com/cv/enzo-maresca-tactics-leicester-city/

 

Well it’s listed in the catalog of the library of the Technical Centre at Coverciano so I’ve contacted them to see if you can get it. I assume you can’t but I found the FAQs and DeepL translation says to contact them and arrange an appointment  if anyone wants to head over
http://biblioteca.figc.it/12423/

Ranieri’s too which is apparently just a diary, classic.

http://biblioteca.figc.it/3788/
 

Shame it’s not public, some are public like Motta’s and Pirlo’s.

https://www.figc.it/it/tecnici/aula-multimediale/documenti/il-valore-del-pallone-lo-strumento-del-mestiere-nel-cuore-del-gioco-tesi-thiago-motta/

 

Another article with direct words from Maresca I haven’t seen before.

https://www.ilnapolista.it/2022/07/enzo-maresca-gli-scacchi-per-capire-il-calcio-se-piazzi-bene-i-giocatori-hai-vantaggi-sullavversario/

Yes I have spent an evening where I had things I needed to do scouring google in Italian 

Edited 9 October 2023 by Kopfkino

[blaaklint]

3 hours ago, StriderHiryu said:

I couldn't find it. I think it's an actual dissertation so it must exist somewhere, but probably written in Italian and only available at educational facilities.

 

TBH the Iheanacho goal against Stoke IS his philosophy. Move the opponent's pieces to develop an advantage for yourself. Iheanacho was the Knight that was pinning both the Queen and the King!

Pedantic but a knight can't pin another piece

[shailen]

The tactics we use starve the opposition of the ball and therefore they tire over the game and even when they have it can't do much with it. It's no coincidence this team scores so many late goals and concedes very few. 

[justfoxes]

I’m really enjoying Maresca Ball the guy is a technical magician he has brought back the feel good factor to Leicester where before under Bodgers going to the ground felt like a chore he made you almost not want to go to the KP, but under Maresca it’s like you can’t wait to see what he’s going to dish up for the game ?

 

Hes rotating the squad early using his team to get match experience he breaks down the game bit by bit not going our way in the first half he completely changes it to suit our style of play to hurt the opposition they want to overload the box with a bus Enzo gets our lads to pull them out with the passing making space to score!

 

Thos man is one hell of a magician a footballing genius it’s bloody great to have a decent manager playing quality football at last giving the fans hope and entertainment and enthusiasm to be at the KP long may it last !

 

IN ENZO WE TRUST !!

[davieG]

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/leicester-manchester-city-guardiola-maresca-8818597

 

Leicester City repeating Pep Guardiola trick that saw Manchester City beat Real Madrid
Latest Leicester City news as Enzo Maresca talks about replicating a training method used by Pep Guardiola at Manchester City

ByLuke PawleyMidlands Football Writer
09:14, 10 OCT 2023

Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca is using a proven Pep Guardiola strategy to get results in the Championship.

Maresca and his players have already come up against teams who have sat deep when facing City, looking to soak up the pressure and making themselves tough to break down. It's something Leicester are more than prepared for, but no matter the opposition, it can often prove a difficult task.

Speaking in his press conference last week about how Leicester combat that in training, Maresca revealed he drafts in the club's young players to help out. It's something that works for Guardiola and Manchester City and is now being replicated at Seagrave.

READ MORE: Kelechi Iheanacho opens up on competition with Leicester City 'legend' Jamie Vardy

READ MORE: When Jamie Vardy and Wayne Rooney will come up against each other as decision made

"Almost every time, the day before the game, we use the under-21s," Maresca said. "And we try to use them in the same way the day after we are going to face a team.

"Even against the under-21s, when they sit back, we struggle to find the golden solution. But not because we are bad, because it's complicated to find when they are all there.

"When they press higher, we have more space. But even with the second team, that we use a lot, we struggle. It's normal."

It is a strategy used by Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, and one that seems to be working well for Leicester so far this season with just three points dropped in the league so far. One of Maresca's current colleagues, first team coach Danny Walker, spoke about the exercise under Guardiola back in 2020.

Walker led their second team in a session against Guardiola's first team when they were preparing to face Real Madrid in the Champions League. City ended up winning that game 2-1.

"We were Real Madrid so we did a great job!" Walker said three years ago. "Taking aside training our boys, just to go next to the pitch and watch Pep work... he's the best coach in the world so just to see him work and how he puts his ideas across, how he is with the players. The players in the first team environment are the very best in the world so the way that he gets his ideas across and the way that they buy into it."

 

[Lionator]

21 hours ago, FoxesWalk said:

 

Fascinating to see that there are at least two methods to success in the Championship. The one similarity is probably that Ipswich and us fully believe in what we're doing 

[CheeseHead]

13 hours ago, blaaklint said:

Pedantic but a knight can't pin another piece

Very pedantic, just fork off