Alex Keble Five-Star Tactics: Everton v Leicester City

Everton’s audacious bid to break into the top four is all but over following their 3-1 defeat at Liverpool and Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s last-minute equaliser for Manchester United on Wednesday night.  

Finishing seventh and Europa League qualification is as high, and as low, as Ronald Koeman’s side can expect to finish this campaign, providing the Dutchman with room to experiment in the final seven matches. 

Leicester City, by contrast, could realistically climb to eighth after winning five consecutive Premier League matches. Craig Shakespeare has restored the Foxes to their former glory, employing exactly the same tactics that Claudio Ranieri used in the 2015/16 season. 

Here are five tactical questions ahead of Sunday’s game:  

1) Can Everton’s inexperienced defence cope with Vardy’s runs into the channels? 

Ashley Williams’ suspension leaves Everton in a precarious situation defensively. 20-year-old Matthew Pennington will deputise alongside Phil Jagielka, leaving Mason Holgate to play at right-back in this injury-hit young side. As a duo on the right, it is easy to see where Everton will be most vulnerable. 

Liverpool easily tore through a disjointed and confused defensive line last weekend, and although Koeman is unlikely to repeat his mistake of playing a 3-4-2-1, Leicester should be able to create panic in the final third. 

Jamie Vardy, who has amassed five goals and two assists in the six games since Ranieri’s departure, is once again making those frighteningly well-timed runs into the channels, getting on the end of Leicester’s endless long balls and pushing his team up the pitch. 

His favourite arcing run is in-between the centre-back and full-back, which will be a huge problem for Everton down their right; both Holgate and Pennington will struggle to communicate successfully, just as they did when up against Philippe Coutinho last Saturday. 

Coutinho easily found pockets of space and dribbled past both players on numerous occasions. Vardy will surely target this area on Sunday.  

2) Can Gueye shut down Drinkwater before he can launch the counter-attack? 

However, Vardy will not be afforded the opportunity to do so unless he receives good service from Danny Drinkwater. The 27-year-old will be tasked with launching long, first-time passes into the left channel for Vardy to chase, and his ability to do so depends on Idrissa Gueye’s performance. 

The former Aston Villa midfielder is one of the country’s outstanding destroyers; his energy in midfield has been vital for Koeman this season. With Ross Barkley and Tom Davies defensively unreliable (see below) and Morgan Schneiderlin an injury doubt, the Senegal international will need to quickly charge down Drinkwater as soon as Leicester see an opportunity to counter-attack. 

The individual battle between these two players should decide the outcome; either Drinkwater will find space to free Vardy, or Gueye’s tackling will ensure Everton’s domination of possession translates into goals.  

3) Will Koeman exploit Leicester’s vulnerability by using width on the flanks, or continue with his narrow midfield? 

Everton have trialled several unusual formations in 2017. Koeman played five central midfielders in a narrow, pentagon-shaped 4-6-1 against Tottenham Hotspur on March 5; he used a Chelsea-like 3-4-2-1 against Liverpool; and a 4-2-3-1 in midweek that used ultra-narrow wingers. None of these formations are well suited to countering Leicester’s 4-4-2. Instead, he must inject more width and pace into the team to stretch that compact defence out of shape. 

Since Yannick Bolasie’s injury in December, Koeman has gradually moved away from the direct, wing-focused attacking football that defined his management at Southampton. He must return to this system on Sunday, instructing Kevin Mirallas and Antonio Valencia (or Ademola Lookman) to hug the touchlines. Ross Barkley will then be able to switch the ball from flank to flank, gradually tiring Leicester and forcing open gaps in the middle of the park. 

However, if Koeman continues to pack central midfield (and/or use inverted wingers) then this will be a stodgy, claustrophobic game of football – which will clearly favour the visitors.   

4) Will Mahrez find space behind Davies in Everton’s mixed-up midfield? 

Tom Davies is a very talented young footballer, but his positional play and defensive actions leave a lot to be desired. The 18-year-old rushes into challenges and presses wildly, ignoring the overall shape of the team and appearing oblivious to how he impacts those around him. This gives Riyad Mahrez a chance to drift into the middle and dominate on the counter-attack. 

The Algerian is at his best when opponents choose to ignore his lurking presence on the right, mistaking his inactivity for harmlessness. Manchester City were torn apart by Mahrez in mid-December for this reason, as the 26-year-old found space behind City’s high-pressing central midfielders. This is a prospect that should worry Everton fans, given that Davies has not shown the tactical awareness needed at this level to sniff out danger.     

5) Will Lukaku provide enough off-the-ball energy through the middle to pull Leicester out of shape? 

All eyes are on Romelu Lukaku after his disappointing performances against Manchester United and Liverpool. The Belgium international has made it clear that he wants to leave Goodison, but it is hard to believe he will find an appropriate suitor unless he improves his off-the-ball work and first touch. 

Leicester’s narrow formation ensures Lukaku will be given very little space on Sunday, meaning his touch and pass must be considerably sharper than they have been of late. What’s more, the visitors’ powerful double-act of Robert Huth and Yohan Benalouane will not give him an inch aerially.  

This is, theoretically, one of the toughest matches Lukaku will have all season. How he copes with the situation might go some way to deciding if the likes of Manchester United – who have struggled all season to score against bottom-half clubs – think he is worthy of the hype.