Leicester City's best XI

[davieG]

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/leicester-citys-best-xi-three-9537878

 

Steve Cooper knows the players he has to work with, and there are plenty of options in every position, but now it's about picking the best team to tackle the Premier League

ByJordan Blackwell
07:00, 8 SEP 2024

Unless Leicester City make a surprise move for a free agent, Steve Cooper now knows the squad he’s working with until at least January.

But he may not quite know what his best 11 is yet. While he kept the same starting line-up for the first two Premier League matches, he then made three changes for the defeat to Aston Villa. Next time out, against Crystal Palace, he has Bilal El Khannouss to consider for a start too. The following week, against Everton, Odsonne Edouard could make his debut.

It may be the case that he doesn’t have a best 11. Cooper has suggested that he will make tweaks to his side depending on the opposition, and the profiles of players they have in certain positions. But that won’t stop us assessing what the ideal City line-up is. Here's a closer look at each position and the key battlegrounds for starting spots.

 

 

 

Goalkeeper

Perhaps the simplest decision in the team. Mads Hermansen is City’s number one and, especially with Jakub Stolarczyk injured, it feels very unlikely that there will be any serious challenge to the Dane’s position. That shouldn’t be a problem, as he’s already beginning to look at home in the Premier League.

 

Full-back

Our first contentious area. More than any other call made by Cooper so far this season, the decision to not give Ricardo Pereira a single minute of Premier League football has been the hottest topic.

A key player last season, Ricardo has found himself behind James Justin in the pecking order for now, and the decision is explained by Cooper’s set-up. When City are on the ball, one full-back tucks in and one rushes forward. At the moment, it’s the right-back who has to form part of the back three, and Justin is perhaps better suited to it. He has experience of playing a similar role last term, and he’s probably physically stronger, and so better equipped to deal with the amount of defending City might do.

On the other side, Victor Kristiansen is getting the nod, and the Dane certainly has the stamina to get up and down the pitch. He’s struggled at times in City’s opening fixtures, but those have typically been moments when he’s been left without support.

While Cooper’s current picks are understandable, it feels like Ricardo needs to be given the opportunity to show if he can make a difference. He is one of the most technically-talented and tactically-intelligent players in the squad, and those attributes may make up for what he lacks physically. Plus, both the Portuguese and Justin can play on the left side, allowing Cooper to experiment.

 

Centre-back

The Wout Faes-Jannik Vestergaard centre-back partnership that everybody has become so accustomed to was broken up last time out, Caleb Okoli brought in for the Dane. The idea was to bring in a defender who could better deal with the speed of Villa’s attacks and cope with Ollie Watkins’ runs.

Okoli did well and it will be pretty intriguing to see if he keeps his spot against Palace. Against Jean-Philippe Mateta, it feels like it will be a battle of wits and strength rather than one of speed, and that may see Vestergaard get his place back. He remains the best passer City have available at centre-back, marginally ahead of Conor Coady.

So often, a successful centre-back partnership is built on the understanding between the two players forming it. If Okoli can quickly build that with Faes when he gets his opportunities, then the Italian may begin to play more often. But there's not the evidence there yet it's a better partnership than than the one City had last season.

Deep midfield

Harry Winks controlled the game at Championship level and there have already been moments this season where he’s shown he’s capable of doing it in the Premier League too. As long as he’s fit and available, it feels like he should start.

The battle to play next to him is more contentious, but Oli Skipp is perhaps now the frontrunner. Coming in against Villa, City kept the ball with much more composure, built patterns of play more comfortably, and moved it into the final third more regularly as a result.

Skipp also offers great work-rate, a defensive know-how, and a willingness to get forward. On the whole, it feels like he offers more than Wilfred Ndidi, and so may become the regular next to Winks.

 

Out wide

This is another intriguing one. Because of the idea with the full-backs, one winger will stay wide, and the other will shuffle in to become a number 10 when City have the ball.

That’s why City have not yet started with the combo from last season, with Abdul Fatawu and Stephy Mavididi on the flanks. Cooper sees both as being at their best when they stick to the touchline, and so if Fatawu starts, it’s likely Jordan Ayew will be in the team on the left-hand side, while if Mavididi is eventually given the nod, Bobby De Cordova-Reid could operate from the right.

Of those two choices, it feels like Fatawu and Ayew is the best combination for now. De Cordova-Reid has not made too much of an impact since joining the club, whereas Ayew was effective in his outing against Villa. That possibly wouldn't appease supporters though, with many keen to see Fatawu and Mavididi play together.

 

Attacking midfield

Another big choice awaits. Facundo Buonanotte has won lots of plaudits among the City fanbase for his displays so far, the Argentinian showing off intricate footwork and good pressing.

However, Bilal El Khannouss is the big, exciting signing. The £20m man has great vision and is renowned for the through balls and expert forward passes he plays.

For now, it may be a case of splitting match minutes between the pair, particularly while El Khannouss gets used to the Premier League. But once the Moroccan is up and running, he may begin to be the main man behind the striker.

 

Striker

It’s still Jamie Vardy. Odsonne Edouard arrival on deadline day gives City a good option, and the Frenchman should definitely make a difference with Vardy unlikely to be able to play 90 minutes every week.

However, the number nine is still City’s go-to man. Cooper has a lot of faith in him, and the glimpses of this season so far suggest he can produce more moments of magic, even aged 37.

Our best City XI (for now): Hermansen; Ricardo, Vestergaard, Faes, Justin; Winks, Skipp; Fatawu, El Khannouss, Ayew; Vardy.

 

[Lambert09]

 

                     edouard 

Mav.                                        fatawu                

 

         Bilal.               buannanotte 

                    winks 

vk.       okoli.         faes.         ricardo

 

                    hermansen 

 

I love to see this for a game. I know it’s unlikely but with the work rate on facundo and fatawu I think we’d still defend well higher up the pitch.   Reality will be it’s Bilal or facundo but i’d still love to see if we could just attack a team to death. 

 

 

[Xen]

3 hours ago, Lambert09 said:

 

                     edouard 

Mav.                                        fatawu                

 

         Bilal.               buannanotte 

                    winks 

vk.       okoli.         faes.         ricardo

 

                    hermansen 

 

I love to see this for a game. I know it’s unlikely but with the work rate on facundo and fatawu I think we’d still defend well higher up the pitch.   Reality will be it’s Bilal or facundo but i’d still love to see if we could just attack a team to death. 

 

 

I'd throw Skipp in there instead or BEK/Facundo, but then share the starts between those two dependent on form. Don't bring one on for the other as a like-for-like, either - at 60/70mins switch to your setup or go the opposite way take them off for Ndidi (as a DM though, not whatever he has been trying to play as lately...). Don't think there will be many games this season where we can get away with being fully attacking from the get go

 

I want to see VK with Mavididi more as he seems more comfortable then than when Reid or Ayew are ahead of him, but I wouldn't be opposed to JJ either. So long as Ricardo starts, of course.

[Muzzy_no7]

Mads 

 

Ricardo

Coady

Okoli

VK

 

Skipp

Winks

Bilal

 

Facundo

Mavididi

 

Edouard

[pmcla26]

Mads 

 

Ricardo

Faes 

Vestergaard (Okoli too early to say) 

Kristiansen 

 

Winks 

Skipp 

 

Fatawu 

Buonanotte 

Mavididi 

 

Vardy

[Finnegan]

Put simply, our best 11 is not playing Cooper's preferred shape at all. 

 

That's the problem. You can't recruit for one thing and then hire a coach to play something different. It's moronic. 

 

Funny that, given I'd expect such a PrAgMaTiSt to adapt his formation to the players he has but yknow. 

 

[Finnegan]

And if you must insist on playing this system, you can solve most of your problems by just mirroring it. 

 

Our best attacking full backs are right backs, Ricardo or JJ would both be better options as attacking width down the right than VK is on the left. VK is strong, athletic, aggressive, works hard and is solid enough in the tackle. He can be the most defensive full back. 

 

You then get to play Facu on the right as the narrow wide player tucking in as the second AM. He is by far the best equipped player in the squad go play that role and it gets both Facu and Bilal in the team at the same start which is clearly what we want. 

 

You then have Mavididi, who is probably our best goal threat outside our strikers and our fastest and most direct ball carrier out in his best position on the wing, terrifying defenders. 

 

The only major casualty is Fatawu, who has looked fairly lost and isolated in this shape anyway and appears to be struggling. 

 

[Stadt]

1 hour ago, Finnegan said:

And if you must insist on playing this system, you can solve most of your problems by just mirroring it. 

 

Our best attacking full backs are right backs, Ricardo or JJ would both be better options as attacking width down the right than VK is on the left. VK is strong, athletic, aggressive, works hard and is solid enough in the tackle. He can be the most defensive full back. 

 

You then get to play Facu on the right as the narrow wide player tucking in as the second AM. He is by far the best equipped player in the squad go play that role and it gets both Facu and Bilal in the team at the same start which is clearly what we want. 

 

You then have Mavididi, who is probably our best goal threat outside our strikers and our fastest and most direct ball carrier out in his best position on the wing, terrifying defenders. 

 

The only major casualty is Fatawu, who has looked fairly lost and isolated in this shape anyway and appears to be struggling. 

 

No no no. This would make us to threatening and likely to score goals and win games.

 

What we need is more resilience and discipline to stay in games, that's the most important thing.

[Finnegan]

1 hour ago, Stadt said:

No no no. This would make us to threatening and likely to score goals and win games.

 

What we need is more resilience and discipline to stay in games, that's the most important thing.

 

This is what drives me absolutely insane about diverging from the Maresca shape, especially given all of the claims to be "not changing anything" and wanting to ultimately play the same way. 

 

Last year's formation already enabled us to drop in to a solid 4-5-1 block if we really wanted to. 

 

Mavididi and Fatawu are both hard working wingers who graft defensively with impressive defensive numbers, you had Ndidi (or Skipp I guess now?) dropping in to sure up the midfield alongside Winks and you have a well established back four made up of English, Danish, Belgian and Portuguese internationals. 

 

It's not exactly flimsy. 

 

The thing I absolutely loved the best about last year's shape is that it could be anything you wanted it to be. Allowed us to be both defensive or progressive, passive or aggressive. 

 

[Bourbon Fox]

One of the common things I hear from F****t fans is that Cooper never knew his best XI...

Edited 9 September by Bourbon Fox

[Stadt]

2 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

 

This is what drives me absolutely insane about diverging from the Maresca shape, especially given all of the claims to be "not changing anything" and wanting to ultimately play the same way. 

 

Last year's formation already enabled us to drop in to a solid 4-5-1 block if we really wanted to. 

 

Mavididi and Fatawu are both hard working wingers who graft defensively with impressive defensive numbers, you had Ndidi (or Skipp I guess now?) dropping in to sure up the midfield alongside Winks and you have a well established back four made up of English, Danish, Belgian and Portuguese internationals. 

 

It's not exactly flimsy. 

 

The thing I absolutely loved the best about last year's shape is that it could be anything you wanted it to be. Allowed us to be both defensive or progressive, passive or aggressive. 

 

This why the Ayew and Reid signings are weird. Mavididi and Fatawu (especially) are fantastic defensively. 
 

Even trying to be charitable I just can’t see the logic in starting them 

[The Doctor]

1 minute ago, Stadt said:

This why the Ayew and Reid signings are weird. Mavididi and Fatawu (especially) are fantastic defensively. 
 

Even trying to be charitable I just can’t see the logic in starting them 

PrEmIeR LeAgUe ExPeRiEnCe

[Finnegan]

2 minutes ago, Stadt said:

This why the Ayew and Reid signings are weird. Mavididi and Fatawu (especially) are fantastic defensively. 
 

Even trying to be charitable I just can’t see the logic in starting them 

 

The fact we just had our best ever spending window, apparently, and our best 11 is still last year's 11 except KDH going is ****ing tragic. 

 

[Stadt]

4 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

 

The fact we just had our best ever spending window, apparently, and our best 11 is still last year's 11 except KDH going is ****ing tragic. 

 

£50m+ net on a manager there’s probably a 50% chance he’s sacked by next season. £50m net but Corberan’s alleged £4m buyout was too much. 

[The Doctor]

4 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

 

The fact we just had our best ever spending window, apparently, and our best 11 is still last year's 11 except KDH going is ****ing tragic. 

 

idk, if we're looking at the system we played last year I think you could make a case for BEK over Ndidi (assuming you put Facundo as KDHs replacement). not fantastic to have only upgraded on one player who didn't leave still

[Finnegan]

5 minutes ago, The Doctor said:

idk, if we're looking at the system we played last year I think you could make a case for BEK over Ndidi (assuming you put Facundo as KDHs replacement). not fantastic to have only upgraded on one player who didn't leave still

 

I mean yeah, I'd play two of BEK, Facu or Skipp depending on the quality of the opposition. 

 

That's fair. It's still honking though. 

 

[BKLFox]

14 minutes ago, Bourbon Fox said:

One of the common things I hear from F****t fans is that Cooper never knew his best XI...

I think their comments and to a degree some from our own is that fans look at a ‘best 11’ as the best players on paper where as a manager looks at a best 11 to play against a certain opposition & therefore there is a degree of rotation which to the uneducated translates as he don’t know what he doing 🤷‍♂️ 

[LeePhilpottsBaldSpot]

Mads

Ricky Vestegaard Okoli Justin

Skipp Winks

Fatawu Bilal* Mavididi

Edouard

 

*Hopefully!

[The Doctor]

4 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

 

I mean yeah, I'd play two of BEK, Facu or Skipp depending on the quality of the opposition. 

 

That's fair. It's still honking though. 

 

yea. it's a pretty shocking window tbh.

 

Okoli and BEK fit the old model of buying potential and developing it to sell on and are the two permanent deals (excluding Fatawu) that I'm happy with, Skipp I'm not convinced is good value at all but I do at least get the idea given we were really light on CMs last season even before losing KDH and Praet but then Ayew, Reid and Eduoard are just baffling.

[BenTayfour]

Home and Against bottom third. (Attack/Direct focused):

 

 

Vardy / Winks / Ndidi can be interchangeable with players in their position.

 

Away and Against stronger opponent:

 

Vardy/Ndidi/Bilal can be interchangeable with players in their position.

 

[Sol thewall Bamba]

1 hour ago, Stadt said:

£50m+ net on a manager there’s probably a 50% chance he’s sacked by next season. £50m net but Corberan’s alleged £4m buyout was too much. 

Long term plan! Long term plan!

[Bourbon Fox]

3 hours ago, BKLFox said:

I think their comments and to a degree some from our own is that fans look at a ‘best 11’ as the best players on paper where as a manager looks at a best 11 to play against a certain opposition & therefore there is a degree of rotation which to the uneducated translates as he don’t know what he doing 🤷‍♂️ 

I hope that's the case.

 

Still a couple of his selections boggle my ignorant mind...

[Trav Le Bleu]

16 hours ago, Lambert09 said:

 

                     edouard 

Mav.                                        fatawu                

 

         Bilal.               buannanotte 

                    winks 

vk.       okoli.         faes.         ricardo

 

                    hermansen 

 

I love to see this for a game. I know it’s unlikely but with the work rate on facundo and fatawu I think we’d still defend well higher up the pitch.   Reality will be it’s Bilal or facundo but i’d still love to see if we could just attack a team to death. 

 

 

Sod it, let's go proper old skool, 2-3-5:

 

Mav      Bilal     Edouard     Vardy     Fatawu

 

       Buannanote    Winks      Ricardo

 

               Vestergaard        Faes

 

                        Hermansen

 

Chaos and lots of 5-5, 7-5, 4-8 type results!

[RumbleFox]

We’ve scored 3 goals and Buonanotte has had a hand in two of them despite not starting the third game due to tripledmgate. Has to start. 

[Lambert09]

2 hours ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

Sod it, let's go proper old skool, 2-3-5:

 

Mav      Bilal     Edouard     Vardy     Fatawu

 

       Buannanote    Winks      Ricardo

 

               Vestergaard        Faes

 

                        Hermansen

 

Chaos and lots of 5-5, 7-5, 4-8 type results!

The postecoglu