Analysis of the first month under manager Enzo Maresca assessing which players have emerged as key to the club’s success.
Seven games into the Enzo Maresca era have shown us a lot about the Leicester City manager’s strategies and the team’s potential, but most importantly, it has shown us which players will be essential to the team’s success.
Here are the top 10 players in the City according to our inaugural power rankings of the season. As new players emerge later in the season, the list will vary week by week, but as of right now, these are the key players on Maresca’s team.
Because Maresca has so many alternatives there, it is challenging to pick out any particular winger as being essential to the team’s success. There appears to be a rotation throughout the season with McAteer, Stephy Mavididi, Wanya Marcal, Abdul Fatawu, and Yunus Akgun.
However, McAteer appears to be the most likely candidate to take centre stage right now. The City academy graduate has seen a significant ascent after not having previously played any regular football above League Two level.
He does, however, appear to comprehend Maresca’s strategies the best among the available wingers. He is becoming a threat and can play on either wing, which is advantageous. It should imply that he receives lots of playing time.
Conor Coady
Given that he hasn’t yet participated in a single competitive match, this decision may seem weird, but Coady’s importance within the club should not be underrated. Maresca has lavished praise on him for his ability to follow the group wherever they went, even while wearing a protective boot.
From what has been seen of Coady before the season, he will be crucial to getting fit later this month as he will lead City’s play, both on the ball and with words. . He has a strong voice and he doesn’t mind using it.
But Jannik Vestergaard’s solid performance in Coady’s absence, particularly his crosses, showed that the summer signing was not an integral part of winning for the team.
Jamie Vardy
He may not be a starter, but he’s played every game so far and it’s the way his attributes stack up against Kelechi Iheanacho that makes him a threat. City can’t have a striker with depth throughout the game, especially if he’s camping in the opposition half. Then they needed a better mover in the box to give opposing defenders something new to think about, and Vardy still has those qualities.
He has made an impact in most of his appearances off the bench this season and continues to cause problems in the area. Once City’s wingers and midfielders have a better understanding of Maresca’s plans, it means he will have more opportunities.
Faes Wout
One of only two players to play every minute under Maresca, Faes has shown his importance not only on the right side of the back three but also as someone who can play in the middle.
He has composure on the ball and also passes the ball well forward, meaning he can confidently hold off opponents before offloading, allowing City to disrupt an organized team. He’s also pretty fast, so while his strides can take him out of position, he can step back to help block counter-attacks. So far, he has also shown composure in defence, and refrained from the occasional impulsive moments that occurred last season.
Kiernan Dewsbury Hall
Two goals in the opener against Coventry mean he remains City’s top scorer, on par with McAteer, although his attempts to score more goals have been somewhat erratic.
But it’s not Dewsbury-Hall’s goal threat that makes him important. His energy is essential in the forward role, and although his touch of the ball and decision-making has sometimes let him down in recent weeks, he still has an impact.
He holds the ball enthusiastically and creates chances with great speed. Only Norwich’s Gabriel Sara has had more shots than Dewsbury-Hall in the league this season, with 21 in midfield, three times more than City’s next best player.
Kelechi Iheanacho
As a goal threat, this has not been the season Iheanacho has wanted so far, with his only goal coming in the Carabao Cup at Burton. But he’s still on the team thanks to his complete game.
To support their attack, City need to move the ball to potential areas and keep it there. At Iheanacho, they have a player who can comfortably drop deep, support him with his feet and swing to score or unload a winger or midfielder. This helps Man City’s attack always flow smoothly.
He also kept an eye on the pass with the first assist for McAteer at Rotherham, but City need to see him more in and around the box.
Callum Doyle
Along with Faes, Doyle was the only player left to be present under Maresca, and although the match against Hull showed that he had defensive weaknesses that needed improvement, he was mostly solid at behind.
But what makes him important is not his defensive performance but his passing ability. As the only player to ever play under Maresca, Doyle understood the manager’s idea and consistently served well forward.
Only three players in the league have made more advanced passes than Doyle, while he also leads City in the number of passes inside the box, despite playing further back than the midfielders and wingers. His cross pings are also a weapon.
Mads Hermansen
He may not have kept a clean sheet yet, but Hermansen has been incredibly impressive in his first month at City.
It feels like the club has entered the modern era bringing in such a calm and skillful goalkeeper. He is unafraid to step 30 yards out of his own goal to create an exit for defenders, and he will make passes through the opposing midfield to find midfielders, even when pressed. force.
But he was also right with his hands, especially in the game against Coventry. It gives Man City fans a goalkeeper they don’t have to worry about, a rarity after last season. 2. Ricardo Pereira
Ricardo occupies the most tactically interesting position on the team. He is the one tasked with switching from full-back to playing in midfield, essentially operating in two roles at once and having to switch between them depending on whether City have the ball or not.
What makes him so important is that it’s hard to imagine anyone else in the City squad who could do it. He has the technical ability to make quick passes when things get tense in the midfield, but he can also hold his own against wingers in defence. He makes the hard work seem not difficult at all.
Harry winks
After the first month, City are preparing for their first summer signing. Winks is the center of the group in many ways.
He closes the gap between the defense and the more senior players, which often means he gets the ball under pressure, but the way he plays always makes him feel like he has plenty of time. He has made 55 passes in the last third of the pitch this season and only Middlesbrough’s Hayden Hackney (57) and Southampton’s Ryan Manning (56) have more passes.
He also supports his teammates well in the defensive area and holds the ball when there is space. He’s done all of that pretty consistently and hasn’t had a bad game yet.
Also, like Ricardo, his importance has been overstated as there is no one on the team who can do what he does at his level.
