Leicester entered the game vs. Wolves, their only win under Dean Smith, with no fear and a bold and attacking style. Bouba Soumare shined alongside Tielemans in the centre of midfield.
Tetê, Vardy, Iheanacho and Daka were all in the same line-up and the balance of the team was totally different from the way Leicester play with Maddison and Barnes in there.
Dean Smith was without his two best players, and of course taking them both back in the next game with no plan of axing any of them going forward, but in the end it made Leicester go back to old habits, without a balance that makes it difficult to understand the selection of Bouba Soumare.
James Maddison contributes as Harvey Barnes does in front of goal, but defensively they are both not much to count. Looking at a compare between Barnes and Daka you get a pattern showing that the Zambian is a more physical player and have more strengths defensively. This is often seen in games as he works on a broader area of the field.
James Maddison is also clever with the ball, but in recent games we have seen Maddison used in a team with Soumare also in there and it has been a struggle. Soumare is a player who will pass the ball faster with Maddison doing his own work, so to play both at the same time is at this point an error.
Looking at the two players and how they are, you will see that Maddison is a more attacking player than Soumare, and then making a compare with Wilfred Ndidi, who has been left on the bench and Mendy who has not played at all, with Tielemans the other option in there, you start to wonder what type of midfield Leicester are considering.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall compared to Wilfred Ndidi you have a picture that shows how this in all can be set up, but possibly not two players that would be a perfect fitting in the same line-up .
Dennis Praet and Nampalys Mendy are two other alternatives and they are not similar at all, then we do have a dilemma to look at as Leicester need to settle a midfield as this has been the achilles of the team without the correct stability.
There are talk about defenders having difficulties, but against Fulham the shield in front that would stop central defenders getting in and out of position, would surely been all there with Nampalys Mendy or Wilfred Ndidi in the team.
This is a very difficult area to balance and with so many options as a manager you need a stronger vision on the positions than we have seen from Dean Smith, strangely Craig Shakespeare looks as if he has not had his say as the former midfielder might have good ideas how to balance it all up.
Leicester played mostly in a 4-3-3 set up under Brendan Rodgers, but since Dean Smith has come in, we have seen a more flat midfield and a more 4-2-3-1 system and not really understood the set up as it has been, and in some way difficult to understand with Tielemans and Soumare playing in those positions vs. Fulham, as that looks more or less strange as Maddison is put in front of them and in some way blocking Tielemans and Soumare as it becomes to tight.
Maddison is also a ball central which makes Soumare just second fiddle and the young french talent, becomes less important. It makes little sense to play them both without giving Dewsbury-Hall and Ndidi a job in there and also with Tielemans to play, you need to decide. This then melts down to a major problem as players aren’t always suited to play in a team together when they tend to lose their specials and must adjust and do another job that they aren’t really suited to, so how should Dean Smith play his team.
Maddison and Barnes are both players to play every day of the week, but with both in there, we are uncertain who should be taken out, and who to play in there with them. Mendy or Ndidi needs to start, as they are players doing the defensive work in front of defenders and being that shield. Tielemans is a player to play and we have seen that Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is one to use in this midfield area, and then push Maddison up on the flank, with Barnes on the other side and up front, go for Jamie Vardy.
Looking at Soumare compared to Dewsbury-Hall you get different sterngths, but you need to consider this in relations with other players and having Maddison in there as well as Tielemans, the work of Dewsbury-Hall might give the team what they need in the rest of the games as he would run his socks off, but still not one player that has the same level of excellence as Soumare, but at present he would get the vote to start.
Without Perez or Albrighton you could go for Daka on the flank, with Tetê also an alternative, as he looks to give a tackle and being more physical than the two others, but to play Soumare and Maddison together looks no good, could work but then Tielemans has to be the one taken out. Having a defensive midfielder such as Mendy or Ndidi in the team could also see Maddison used alongside in midfield if needed, but with Tielemans and Dewsbury-Hall as options, would go for both.
Leicester do have a struggle on left back with Victor Kristiansen showing lack of defensive skills, Thomas making too many errors and of course having Justin and Pereira out of play.
Dennis Praet is not a battler and cannot be considered in the centre of the field in a heated situation as he also is a more flair type of midfielder and not a hard battler, being in the category of Soumare and Tielemans.
This is the team that could see Leicester avoid relegation,
Iversen, Castagne, Thomas, Soyuncu, Faes, Ndidi, Tielemans, Dewsbury-Hall, Barnes, Vardy, Maddison
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