Talking points from Leicester City’s 3-1 win over Swansea, looking at their response to midweek’s ‘arrogance’ claim, the new set-up, goals from distance, and more
Marti Cifuentes and Abdul Fatawu celebrate after Leicester City’s 3-1 win over Swansea(Image: Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images)
Ethan Galbraith appeared to be appealing for a corner when Wout Faes slid in and flicked the ball off the Swansea midfielder inside the box. It should have been a goal kick. Instead, a penalty was awarded.
That moment 20 minutes from full-time could have derailed Leicester City’s bid to claim a first win in five but they used the injustice to come on strong, delivering a great finish to the game that showed both their mental fortitude and that they’d listened to manager Marti Cifuentes.
“What I value the most is the reaction,” Cifuentes said. “We spoke about the need to chase goals. It doesn’t matter if you’re performing well, it doesn’t matter if you’re in control, you always need to try to score.
“That’s exactly what the team did. After the penalty the reaction showed a lot of mental strength. I think we were very strong in the last 20 minutes of the game.”
It wasn’t just that City responded to the equaliser by stepping up their levels and restoring their lead seven minutes later, but that they kept pushing.
Cifuentes accused the team of arrogance for the way they’d sat on the 1-0 scoreline against Wrexham in midweek. While Swansea had enough possession to ensure City never felt totally in control, neither did they act like a one-goal lead was ever going to be enough.
Even after Abdul Fatawu’s stunning strike, it was all City. Swansea were ragged as they pushed up, but City didn’t let them have a sniff because they were so intent on scoring a third, and then attempting to get a fourth.
In fact, after the penalty in the 70th minute, Swansea didn’t have another shot until the fifth minute of added time.
It seems a lesson has been learned. Now there’s tangible proof for this City team that attack is the best form of defence, let’s hope it’s a lesson they remember for the rest of the season.
Tweaked set-up brings positives and should remain in place
Cifuentes had spoken about “continuity” before the game and indeed stuck to the same set-up from the Wrexham draw, only changing right-backs, bringing Ricardo Pereira back in.
There are a few subtle differences to what City were doing before. The right-back now comes in to sit at the base of the midfield, as they did under Enzo Maresca, rather than roaming further forward. That in turn pushes a midfielder higher, giving more freedom to Jordan James.
The wingers stay high and wide and they have a striker in Patson Daka who stays on the shoulder of the last man, rather than dropping in.
While it’s not been perfect, these tweaks do seem to have improved City. It feels like they’ve had greater control in midfield and also a better structure for penning teams in, and so reducing the risk of being hit on the counter.
Leicester City’s Jordan James celebrates scoring their side’s first goal of the game during the Sky Bet Championship match at the Swansea.com Stadium
It gets the best out of James, who thrives with the freedom to get forward and back and has space to operate in.
The press has worked more effectively while Daka’s occupying of the centre-backs forces them deeper, stretching the pitch and affording more room for the attackers behind him.
With Daka, City also have the option of playing clipped passes over the top for him to chase, especially when they’re ahead and the opposition are pushing higher up the pitch.
They did it once in the first half against Swansea, Daka latching onto Jannik Vestergaard’s pass and then scampering away from his marker towards the corner, allowing the rest of the City squad to get up the pitch.
It didn’t lead to a chance, but it did earn praise from Cifuentes, who raised his hands above his head to applaud the idea.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if City continue with this plan, and with Daka up front, after the international break.
City are resurrecting dying art – and have quality to make it work
City could dominate the Championship’s goal-of-the-season shortlist at this rate. Having already netted August’s goal of the month, City produced two more strikes to rival Fatawu’s stunner at Charlton, the Ghanaian scoring another outstanding curling effort and James getting in on the act with a blast from range too.
Cifuentes won’t take credit for coaching long-range strikes, but he does encourage them. City’s average shot distance this season stands at 18 yards, with only QPR and Portsmouth shooting from further out.
They go for goal from range because it can lead to set-pieces and gives the opposition more to think about. Pushing out to block shots from distance while also covering the potential space in behind is not easy for a defence to manage.
Cifuentes said: “I would look like an amazing coach if I say we have been practicing long-range shots and then we score because of that. It’s part of our philosophy.
“I know about the stats and data, but shooting from long range is a way to put pressure on. The game is not just the stats on how many times you’re going to score on average if you kick from a certain distance, but the kind of pressure you can put on, the set-pieces you can provoke and so on.
“Credit to the guys that they scored two fantastic goals from two fantastic strikes. We’re going to keep trying to find ways to score goals.”
Leicester City’s Abdul Fatawu scores their side’s second goal of the game during the Sky Bet Championship match at the Swansea.com Stadium
The other factor at play is that City have the quality to score such goals. Few if any players in the Championship can whip the ball with pace and accuracy from 20 yards in the way Fatawu can.
City can’t only shoot from outside the box. They will come unstuck. They have to use it as part of their arsenal, not as their only weapon.
But as every sides focuses on expected goals and creating opportunities from inside the box, City are resurrecting a dying art. For supporters, it should mean they get to witness more memorable goals.
Chants point way to obvious transfer
James was the man whose name was being chanted by City supporters at full-time. Just a month after his arrival at the club, he’s won over the fanbase.
He looks perfect for the position he’s now playing, where he has the opportunity to get up and down the pitch. There’s no aspect of the game that he doesn’t seem competent in.
And he’s contributing at the top end. Since Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall left, City haven’t had a box-to-box midfielder who threatens in attack. They’ve either had out-and-out attacking midfielders like Bilal El Khannouss, or midfielders who do everything but make an impact in the most advanced area.
James looks like he can do it all. And he’s only 21, and so will likely get better at most aspects of the game too.
There’s an option to buy in his loan contract and, right now, it feels like an obvious deal to do. He’s expressed his desire to build a career at City and those feelings are unlikely to change if he’s a prominent part of a successful team.
He’s a player who can deliver now but also one whose career is on the rise. It’s a transfer to sort next summer.
City on the right path as win makes draws better
Assessing a sequence of draws can only truly be done once the streak is broken. Four draws followed by a loss is a poor run of form. Four draws and then a win looks pretty decent.
It means City go into the international break in a good mood. Sitting third, just two points off second and on the second-longest unbeaten run in the division, makes for pleasant reading.
They can definitely still play better. For the quality of players they have, they can create more good chances, they can enjoy greater control of games, and restrict the opposition to fewer sights of goal. But they seem to be on the right path.
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