After five league games under Enzo Maresca, there are still more questions than there are answers. Harry Gregory looks at the available data.
Please indulge me for a bit. The five narrative codes proposed by Roland Barthes will be familiar to anyone who has studied media, film studies, or creative writing. These are the strategies a storyteller employs, and they work together to create a story. practically unconsciously.
A Hermeneutic Code is one of these codes. The author effectively uses hints and cues to prompt queries from the reader. More significantly, it keeps you interested as you ponder the characters’ reasons and actions.
Film ’23
Leicester City’s first five games of the season are similar to a Christopher Nolan movie. There are a ton of questions. Despite Saturday’s defeat to Hull City, there are still very few solutions.
I had rather erroneously believed that a setback would finally reveal our genuine state of advancement. However, it intensified how baffling Enzo Maresca’s tenure at Leicester City has been so far. It’s safe to suggest that you could distill the thoughts on the trip to the King Power on Saturday into two questions.
What would occur if City kicked into high gear and advanced the ball quickly? Wasn’t some unfortunate squad going to take a beating?
Or what would happen if the opponent used all of the opportunities they had been given in earlier games? A true humble-brag?
Neither of those questions received a response as the 90 minutes ended. Instead, it created something more complicated.
staffing issues?
Rotherham previously put Callum Doyle to the test and enjoyed it. Liam Rosenior took advantage of that and increased his wager by placing his greatest offensive player on the right wing. Doyle was consistently defeated by Liam Delap’s inside cuts. He had the appearance of a center back playing left back. There is no doubting that he is more capable of passing out than any other member of our defense.
You do, though, question if we did ourselves any harm by getting rid of all the left-backs. Including Victor Kristiansen, who made a big impression on his Bologna debut by winning a penalty, assisting on a goal, and—interestingly—regularly occupying a spot in the centre of the pitch.
With the exception of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s Andy King the Prime Andy King-possessed performance against Coventry, the two central midfielders continue to deliver below-par performances. Both Ndidi and Dewsbury-Hall slowed down possession against Rotherham frequently because they had to take an extra touch or pass less acrobatically. The same thing occurred once again or led to unsuccessful goal-setting attempts. Can this duo move the ball across the field the way we need them to?
A striker fails to score in yet another league contest. Even though Tom Cannon’s acquisition says otherwise, if I had to draw any conclusions from Hull’s match, it would be that frontline pressure and, more simply put, goal-scoring need to improve.
We had a second half where they consistently punted out to no one because it took them a whole half to realize their back four weren’t very effective at passing out from the back. We only had one shot that was on target out of 21 tries.
Extra points
That is not to argue that just negative queries are being raised. Instead, further lessons should be learnt, followed by encouragement about how this method may work with wingers. The presence of Abdul Fatawu on the field accelerated the action. A defender is kept guessing by his ability to keep the ball moving rather than stagnant. Does this kind of talent have the potential to make the difference in our promotion effort?
After all, we occasionally appeared more harmonious and proficient in our play patterns. The back four, which had been excessively opened up, didn’t reveal anything. Soon, Conor Coady will be included in this. In the first half, Hull maintained possession of the ball while actively probing. But as the game went on, they reset further and deeper.
It’s interesting that the upcoming games feature two sides who have demonstrated a desire to score goals and maintain possession; in mid-August, Norwich and Southampton battled to a 4-4 draw. Will it be advantageous for us to play against teams that occasionally attack and seize control of the ball, creating room for transitions? The signs are favorable given what transpired when our match versus Coventry was converted to “basketball,” to use a term from Brendan Rodgers’ coaching manual.
The remainder of the season, up until the international break in October, features an enticing slate of games that should clarify our position in the standings. While Preston North End defied early season forecasts and looked very great in their 2-1 win over Stoke to move top of the Championship, Bristol City has picked up respectable victories along with some dismal losses. Although they are dreadfully inconsistent, Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City have quality on the field.
How did the referee only award three minutes of injury time on Saturday? is the last unsolved riddle.
