Leicester City 0-4 Liverpool: 5 Talking Points and Tactical Analysis | Premier League 2019-20

#4 Brendan Rodgers' tactical gamble backfired when needed most

It was a tough night for Rodgers to watch against his former side, who ultimately cruised to victory

After their humbling 3-1 defeat by Manchester City on December 21st, Brendan Rodgers knew changes had to be made if they were to get a result against Liverpool on Boxing Day. He made one alteration to his starting XI, but shifted James Maddison onto the wing to accomodate Dennis Praet alongside compatriot Youri Tielemans in the centre of midfield.

That decision proved costly, as the Foxes were starved of their usual creativity and Maddison was isolated down the left flank - forced into more defensive responsibilities than the combination play and being given that licence to link midfield with attack.

Wilfred Ndidi was Leicester's best player, but in Rodgers' 4-1-4-1 formation, he sat too deep to get involved in a progressive sense which allowed Liverpool to target their wings - rather than attacking down the centre, unless there was a counter-attacking opening.

Harvey Barnes and Maddison completed 30 passes between them on either flank and it's unsurprising both were replaced in the second-half. By that time, the damage was already done.

Neither Chilwell nor Ricardo Pereira had adequate defensive support to deal with Liverpool's constant waves of pressure and the width they created - Robertson and Alexander-Arnold - were keen to punish them. They did precisely that, though the game could've been over long before it was.