4 Reasons Why Leicester City Will Finish In The Top Four

#1 Brendan Rodgers' tactical nous

Liverpool FC v Leicester City - Premier League

An attacking formation of 4-1-4-1 is not very common in English football or in Europe, but since Rodgers took over Leicester City last year, the 46-year-old has been reluctant in switching formations despite a few poor results last season. He has stuck to his philosophy of free-flowing attacking football since day 1, and in under 9 months in-charge, Leicester City play one of the most exciting brands of football in the Premier League.

The former Liverpool manager has put his ideas into practice with great efficiency and accuracy, and the results say the same. Leicester City play like a well drilled team who know what the coach expects from them. They have shown flexibility in their approach to different games, as they can either see out a 1-0 win or can smash a team out of the park, if needed.

Wilfred Ndidi's role in this formation impresses me the most. He is deployed just in front of the back four, and has the responsibility to break counter attacks primarily, while also keeping the ball in flow when his side has possession. After 12 games, the 23-year-old has the most tackles and interceptions in the Premier League. The pressure on him is immense because of the fact that Maddison and Tielemans have more of an attacking role. Hence, Ndidi covers a lot of ground and is undoubtedly Leicester's most hardworking player.

While Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola set up their teams in a 4-3-3, Brendan Rodgers relies on a 4-1-4-1, which seems to have slightly more attacking prowess than the standard 4-3-3. With overlapping fullbacks, two wingers to provide with the necessary width, and two play-makers right behind Jamie Vardy to unleash him behind the deep block followed by a back three of Soyuncu, Ndidi and Evans to protect the goal, Rodgers has formed a team difficult to defend as well as score against.