Leicester City are leading the Championship table and look to be in a strong position to gain promotion back to the Premier League. If they make it, the task will be to avoid an immediate fall back to the second tier.
And judging by this season, it’s going to be difficult, with Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton currently occupying the relegation spots. If City go up, will they be in a decent position to stay up? Will Enzo Maresca change his tactics? And will they let the out-of-contract players leave to free up space for new blood?
Those are among the questions on our latest Q+A with supporters. You can read our answers below…
Q: Do you think Maresca will give new contracts to any of the players whose deals expire in the summer, or do you think he sees it as an opportunity to make wholesale changes ahead of hopefully a Premier league campaign next season?
A: That’s a good question. Maresca’s given very little away on how he sees the future of this squad, so it’s difficult to answer right now. On contracts, he’s always said it’s a matter for further down the line.
But one thing he has said about the January window is that “there’s always room to improve” and so he definitely thinks the squad could get better. And obviously he’s been quick to mention that the squad is full and that players need to move on before they can bring anyone in. So maybe he would welcome the opportunity to get six or seven players off the books and then bring in fresh faces.
The only issue is that signings cost money. There’s a transfer fee and a contract to pay. Yes, perhaps City can get better players than Ndidi and Iheanacho, but they’ll have to pay for them, so that will have to be weighed up too.
I think Praet and Albrighton will go, and Vestergaard maybe too. Ndidi, Iheanacho, and Vardy are the interesting ones. I think there’s potential for all of them to be offered new contracts in the event of promotion. I’m not as certain as you are that Ndidi will want to leave, to be honest. I think he’s enjoying his football at the minute.
Q: Looking at the three promoted teams that have struggled, what do you think sets us apart from the likes of Burnley? There has been much debate and comparisons made, but do you think Maresca may tweak certain things if the team struggles, providing we go up?
A: What sets City apart at the moment is that they are performing better than the three promoted teams did last season. It’s not perfect, but the best measure we have is expected goal difference, and City’s average right now, across their first 21 games this season, is +0.83 per match. Burnley’s last season was +0.61 per match, while Sheffield United’s was +0.60 and Luton’s was +0.31. So, in short, from where they are now, City do not have as far to go to get up to Premier League standard.
I’d also add that City have quite a lot of players who have Premier League know-how already, and I feel like the squad turnover that we’ve seen at last season’s promoted trio won’t be the same at City. They’ll strengthen in a few positions, but I can’t see there being mass changes. Sometimes, when there are so many new faces, it can be more difficult to make a smooth start.
I really can’t see Maresca changing too much. He makes tweaks every game and so we’ll see those if City go up. But his belief in his philosophy and his style is strong. I can’t see him changing for any reason. It’s something I would love to ask him, but there’s no way he’ll talk about tactics for next season in the event of promotion. He won’t even discuss tactics for the next-but-one game!
Q: Since the summer, there’s been a distinct lack of atmosphere at the King Power. I’ve spoken to many fans and the majority say the style of football being played is uninspiring. In fact, most have said it’s downright boring. What are your views?
A: I’ll start by saying I do think the atmosphere is better than it was last season, but I suppose you would expect that with the amount of games they lost last term. But yes, it’s probably not as buoyant and loud as you would expect of a team that is on course to set records.
I think the style of play is a factor in that, yes. Like you, I know people who feel that way. It’s patient and methodical and that’s not conducive to getting fans pumped up. I wouldn’t describe it as boring though. It might be if they didn’t create chances, but they’ve created tons in the past few games, and they have that sprinkling of individual talent in players like Fatawu, who I think is a joy to watch.
Something that popped into my head on Wednesday night might help explain it too. There was a moment in the first half where Faes rushed forward, made an interception, and then won a 50-50 tackle. It raised the noise levels considerably. It feels like those moments are rare because City dominate possession, and I suppose that’s a shame because it feels like those crunching tackles are what people want to see and are one of the best ways to get the noise levels up. But those thunderous tackles are rare, so I think that has an effect too.
Another factor is the expectation level. City fans have been treated to the club’s best period over the past decade and I think supporters now see the club in a different light. Winning Championship games no longer gets people fired up in the way they used to. Simply, a match against Millwall is not going to have the same impact as a game against Manchester United.
I suppose the real concern would be if attendances dropped, and it was the first time in nine-and-a-half years last night that the attendance was below 30,000 for a league game (Covid excluded). But to be honest, I can’t see it being below 30,000 very often this term. The average attendance is still way up on what it was the last time they were in the Championship.
Q: Unfortunately ‘boring’ is here to stay this season. However, if Maresca persists with this system in the Prem, we will be hung out to dry every Saturday. It will be embarrassing.
A: We don’t know that just yet! I think he’s tactically smart enough and the team will be good enough that if they do get promoted, they won’t be blown away by Premier League opposition. Hopefully they’ll get past Millwall in the FA Cup and will have a good run in which they draw a mid-table Premier League side at some point so that they can test themselves on where they are.
Which of Vardy, Iheanacho, Ndidi, Vestergaard, Praet, and Albrighton would you like to see offered a new contract.
