I've watched 53 Leicester City matches and seven players have led Premier League charge
Any successful season needs a squad, and not just 11 men. But it’s equally true that star turns from key players are integral to a triumphant campaign.
Here’s a rundown of the 26 players who played their part in Leicester City’s promotion and how their performances stacked up over the past nine months across 53 games in all competitions. There are seven players who score nine or higher.
Mads Hermansen
A true modern-day goalkeeper, Hermansen was perhaps the best of City’s nine signings last summer, or at least the most important when it came to implementing Maresca’s idea. An outfield player until he was 10, the Dane has been exceptional on the ball, not only in the short passes through the lines and the long chips upfield meeting team-mates’ strides, but in his first touch and his composure in tight areas. For the pressure he is put under and the importance of his role, he has been remarkably calm.
And he makes saves too. The fingertip stop onto the crossbar in the opening game of the season set the tone for an excellent campaign with his hands as well. Yes, there were costly, uncharacteristic mistakes with his feet against Blackburn and Birmingham but rarely did opposition goals leave fans asking if the Dane could have done better. It’s been an all-around superb season and City will hope he’s their number one for some time. 9
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Jakub Stolarczyk
A big future had been predicted for Stolarczyk but it was still a surprise to see him promoted by Maresca past Ward, Iversen, and Smithies to become the club’s deputy goalkeeper. He kept a clean sheet in his two league appearances and while his ball-playing emphasised just how good Hermansen is, he didn’t lack bravery in possession. Most importantly for now, he’s a safe pair of hands. Across his cup outings there were plenty of fine stops. 7
Wout Faes
There were a couple of matches where Faes would play as if he was too good for the Championship. He would be lackadaisical in his passing and lose concentration at the back. But that’s perhaps because the rest of the time he was too good for the Championship. Defensively, he combined aggression in the press, strength in the 50-50s, and awareness to make goal-saving blocks.
On the ball, he was not afraid to dribble into the final third, with a few of those ventures leading to goals. Maresca called it in October when he said: “For me he has the potential to be a big-team central defender. But at the same time he needs to understand that the only way is to always be on the game, to be focused, and every time to give 100 per cent.” 8
Jannik Vestergaard
Vestergaard’s inclusion in Maresca’s squad would have been the shock of the season. But it was then topped by the Dane becoming an integral part of the 11. Training with the Under-21s in Brendan Rodgers’ final days, Vestergaard capitalised on his fresh start under a new manager, with his passing ability earning him the spot at the heart of the defence.
His vision and accuracy to ping passes through the lines into midfielders and strikers has been a huge asset for City and is regularly the action that starts off their attacking moves. Defensively, he marshalled the box superbly too, and while his lack of pace was occasionally exploited, explaining his high yellow card count, his positioning and intelligence saw him handle most dangerous situations confidently. 9
Conor Coady
He didn’t play as much as everybody thought he would, or as much as he would have liked, with a broken foot in pre-season putting him behind schedule. That led to some rusty showing in the first few months of the season too.
But when he made his infrequent appearances in the second half of the campaign, he was very good, defending with heart and commitment and regularly in the right place to head away crosses, throwing in a few nice clipped passes over the top too. On top of that, he’s an excellent person to have in the squad and a favourite with his team-mates. 7
Ben Nelson
Playing in League Two last season, this has been a big step up for the promising homegrown centre-back. But he’s handled it well. He did not lose heart in matches when his attempts to follow the gameplan didn’t pay off, and there was a coolness about his play that belied his age and inexperience.
The physical and footballing attributes for him to become a star of the future were there to see, and it feels like he is well-suited to progressing in Maresca’s system. If he has a little more confidence to play the more audacious passes, he should earn himself some more appearances. 7
Harry Souttar
He was unfortunate to play as few games as he did, because in those outings, he didn’t put a foot wrong, and looked more than adept at playing the way Maresca wants to. It doesn’t look like he has a future at City, and he deserves to be playing regularly elsewhere. 6
Ricardo Pereira
Finally, Ricardo has enjoyed a season where he hasn’t been hamstrung by injuries, earning more minutes this term than in the previous three combined. And what a treat it’s been. He’s just an exceptional all-around footballer and so it has been no surprise that he has seamlessly taken on his new role.
Smart, intricate link-up play in midfield, dribbles in tight areas, well-timed tackles on his wingers – he can do it all. He’s chipped in with four goals and three assists too. It should not look this easy to essentially play two positions at once. 9
James Justin
Like with Ricardo, it’s been great to see Justin come through a season without spending long periods on the sidelines, the England international only once missing a matchday squad, all the way back in October. On the pitch, he’s been solid, and always did a good job of shutting down the Championship’s best wingers, with Maresca often relying on him for such opponents.
In possession, he was a little safe at times, and it does feel like the system stifles his athleticism and dynamism. It’d be nice to see him bombing down the flank every now and again. 8
Callum Doyle
You can tell Doyle has been schooled by Manchester City, with the crispness and pinpoint accuracy of his passing into the midfield a big part of Leicester’s success early in the season. A knee injury then kept him out for three months but he showed his talent on the ball on his return, albeit he had lost his permanent place in the team by then. Defensively, he was caught out by the trickier or quicker wingers, and occasionally by back-post crosses, perhaps exposing his inexperience. 7
Hamza Choudhury
As back-up to both Ricardo and Winks, the highest compliment that can be paid to Choudhury is that it did not affect City too much when he had to stand in for either. He had the odd poor game, but otherwise was his usual self in defence – eager to disrupt play and tough-tackling – while the faith shown in him by Maresca seemed to improve his ability on the ball too. Those three goal-line clearances against West Brom will be remembered for years to come. 7
Harry Winks
Winks has frequently declared Maresca the best manager he’s worked under and he’s been one of the key men in making the manager’s set-up work, playing to a consistently high level. He makes things tick in the midfield, opening himself up to receive the passes from the defence, and dictating tempo too, knowing when to play fast and when to slow it down.
Defensively, he’s impressed too in the way he’s scurried around the pitch. Except for some late-season tiredness, he’s been brilliant. And pleasingly for a player who started a Champions League final not too long ago, you can see his passion for this team, particularly in his late winners at QPR and West Brom, which go down as two of the best moments of the season. 9
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
He said after his match-winning double on the opening weekend that he wanted to be the best player in the division. He came agonisingly close to that, just missing out to Crysencio Summerville. But for the amount he has contributed, he has been City’s best player. Twenty-six goal contributions from midfield is incredibly prolific, and he does far more beyond that too, particularly with his driving runs up the pitch.
His passing and creativity has come on leaps and bounds, as has his ability to sniff out goals, while he took on advice from Maresca to change his trigger-happy ways at the start of the season. His determination to get City back to the Premier League after relegation last season has shone through and he can be mightily proud of what he’s achieved. 10
Wilfred Ndidi
In the first month of the season, Maresca’s bid to convert Ndidi into an attacking midfielder seemed overly optimistic. But, credit to both, as their perseverance eventually made Ndidi the obvious best option to partner Dewsbury-Hall. He’s still not a natural, but there were plenty of nice moments, some tidy footwork, a great combination with Fatawu, and a few goals and assists here and there.
No longer having to protect the back four, he played with a weight off his shoulders, but was still able to use some of his defensive abilities in the press. For a lot of the season, that smile was back on his face. 8
Dennis Praet
Once again, injuries disrupted Praet’s season. When he did play, there was the usual mix of some nice link-up in the middle third but a lack of cutting edge at the top end. However, late in the season, particularly in games where City were struggling, his introduction made a difference and he perhaps deserved more game-time. 6
Yunus Akgun
Arriving as a winger but quickly converted to an attacking midfielder by Maresca, it’s been a tough season of adaptation for the Turk. He’s never lacked commitment but his small frame often saw him outmuscled in the centre of the park. What he did bring was an insatiable energy in the press, particularly effective against tiring teams, and some very quick feet in close quarters at times. 6
Cesare Casadei
His early-season cameos – including the winner against Cardiff and the deceiving run against Rotherham – suggested Casadei could become a key player. But as the rest of the team improved, he stuttered, moving the ball too slowly and with his first touch letting him down.
With Ndidi injured, he was set to become a regular starter, and looked to be getting into his stride again, becoming the physical presence and goal-getting midfielder Maresca thought he could be. But a surprise recall by Chelsea ended his time at the club. 6
Abdul Fatawu
No player has thrilled supporters this season quite like Fatawu. An electric debut where he tore past his full-back set the tone for a brilliant campaign, in which he put his speed and quick feet to superb use, setting up 12 goals and creating countless chances for more. He scored a few too, including a hat-trick in the rout of Southampton in the best individual display of the campaign.
Perhaps most pleasingly, he doesn’t shirk hard work, and has been an enthusiastic defender (sometimes too enthusiastic) all season, a rarity for a flashy, young winger. His shot selection has sometimes frustrated, and there have been games where he’s been anonymous, but he showed this season he has the potential to reach the very top. 9
Stephy Mavididi
When he was on it, Mavididi was often the best player on the pitch. In those games, full-backs could not handle his quick feet and he would rip through defences, often providing the finishing touch as well. There were just a few too many games where he didn’t get into gear.
He did find his consistency in December, when he won player of the month, and scored some terrific goals, while he also popped up with some crucial strikes late in the season in the victories over Norwich and Birmingham, heading in a late winner against the latter after taking on board Maresca’s advice for him to attack the far post. 9
Kasey McAteer
Rising up from a loan in League Two, McAteer coped well with the step up, and his newfound goalscoring ability was a big help in the early months of the season, when City weren’t creating quite so many chances. That remains his biggest strength, with the winger able to read play well to find space and attack crosses in the box, giving him a decent tally despite a campaign hampered by hamstring injuries. He’s been a willing runner and a decent dribbler too. 7
Marc Albrighton
He didn’t start a single league game but in his cup outings there were always the trademark deliveries from wide for the forwards to attack and so he was still able to grab a few assists. He was regularly praised by Maresca for his professionalism and leadership off the pitch. 6
Wanya Marcal
A promising start saw him net his first senior goal back in August, but he then found himself out of the picture as other wingers arrived at the club. He struggled to make an impact in his cup outings thereafter until the FA Cup tie at Bournemouth where he showed the talent he has in one-on-ones and in striking the ball. Fans saw enough to be excited about his future. 6
Jamie Vardy
“Goals are in his blood,” Maresca said of his number nine, and so it has proven, with Vardy enjoying yet another 20-goal season in blue. He’s reached that milestone thanks to an excellent late-season run, where sharp movements and his ability to sniff out opportunities have seen him torment defences, and opposition fanbases, again.
That goal tally is also in spite of his game-time, which has been more limited with Maresca spreading the minutes between his strikers. Certainly, he’s produced more than enough for there to be belief he can deliver in the Premier League for at least another year. 8
Patson Daka
Out in the cold for so long after nearly departing last summer, Daka was eventually called upon after injuries hit Iheanacho and Vardy at the same time, and the Zambian did a grand job early on, quickly getting among the goals to keep City’s winning streak going. But after a high-profile miss against Leeds, his confidence was knocked and he’s been guilty of some poor finishes since then. 6
Kelechi Iheanacho
City’s player of the season last term, it felt like a coup to keep Iheanacho in the Championship. But he’s just not been at his best. There were still good moments, and he was the best of Maresca’s forwards at linking play and providing a focal point for defenders and midfielders to pass to. But dropping deep harmed his output at the top end and he barely featured in the second half of the season. 6
Tom Cannon
Supporters are quite rightly excited about Cannon’s future. He’s quick, he’s strong, and he can hit a ball cleanly and powerfully, those qualities combining for three goals in his first two starts. Chances have been limited since then, and there is a natural naivety to some of his play, but the early signs are that he could be the long-term successor to Vardy. 6
Enzo Maresca
For a rookie manager in their first full season at senior level, Maresca has been extremely good. He’s introduced a style of play that the squad love and that has helped rack up a lot of wins, while he’s endeared himself to the players to the extent they felt comfortable celebrating promotion at his house at 2am.
He’s been diligent in his research of the opposition, and has introduced tactical ideas that Dewsbury-Hall said left him feeling “stupid” over his lack of knowledge. There’s been a stubbornness to his tactics at times, even when they’re evidently not working, and he could have been more proactive in his substitutions, but those are minor quibbles. 9