Why is Leicester unbeaten?

Striker Troy Deeney has written an analysis for the BBC about the secret factors that make Leicester City the top contender for the Premier League title.

Troy Deeney is Watford's captain. The 27-year-old striker has scored nine goals in 30 Premier League games this season. Deeney featured in both matches between Watford and Leicester, witnessing his team lose 1-2 in the first half and 0-1 in the second. Deeney highlighted the strengths of Leicester's defense, transforming the team from struggling to avoid relegation last season to winning the league title this year.

Roberth Huth's cornerstone

"I've faced every defense in the Premier League this season and Huth is the most difficult opponent," Deeney said, praising the veteran Leicester centre-back. "He's the kind of player who always puts pressure on you, letting you know he's there with tackles right from the start of the game. If you're prepared to fight back, Huth isn't intimidated either."

In Deeney's analysis, Huth and his partner Wes Morgan are classic center-backs who prefer to use their strength. These center-backs are willing to do anything, from heading and kicking the ball to even kicking opponents, to protect the goal.

Besides individual talent, one of Leicester's defensive strengths is their communication and connection among the players. They don't resort to verbal sparring with opponents but communicate extensively with each other. Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel is the most talkative of all. Central midfielder Danny Drinkwater even runs back from midfield to listen to defensive instructions if he can't hear his teammates clearly.

Both central defenders always maintain their positions.

Deeney's role when facing Leicester was to act as the main striker, receiving the ball in the highest position. However, in some instances, Deeney had to harass and draw the two central defenders, Huth and Morgan, out of position to allow his teammates in the second line to advance. However, this was an impossible task for Deeney.

Huth and Morgan never chased after opponents and got into one-on-one situations. Even when the ball was played down the wing and the opposing player was in a clear position, Leicester's central defenders maintained their positions in front of the goal and chose to intercept the cross instead of rushing out to stop it.

The two positions that Leicester's central defenders chose to occupy were the near post and the center of the penalty area, near the penalty spot. They stood there, ready to intercept an opponent's cross.

Okazaki started 23 Premier League matches this season but only played the full 90 minutes in three. The Japanese striker was the most substituted player, ahead of his teammates Riyad Mahrez and Marc Albrighton. Constantly running throughout the match quickly depleted Okazaki's energy, but this compensated for it by ensuring Leicester's continuous pressing. Photo: Reuters.

The full-back focuses on defense.

"One of the reasons Leicester's defense is harder to break down than other teams lies in their two full-backs," Deeney said. "Most defenders in the Premier League are constantly pushing forward. It's easy to deal with players who are originally wingers but switch to playing full-back. This is in contrast to the solidity of Danny Simpson and Christian Fuchs."

Leicester's two full-backs still push forward in attack, but it's not uncommon for both to be in the opponent's half. If Fuchs pushes up the left wing, Simpson will stay back to support the central defenders.

The whole team knows their role and the players perform well. It's no coincidence that Shinji Okazaki is the player who has been substituted the most this season. Besides his attacking role, the Japanese striker runs a lot to press and win the ball back from opponents. The same goes for stars Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez; there's no "we're too good to defend" attitude from this duo.

Kante is the player with the most successful tackles this season with 139, more than any other player in the top leagues of England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France. Photo: Reuters.

Shortness of breath with Kante and Drinkwater

"When the ball was passed up from our own half, I had to deal with Huth's strength and then the central midfield duo. N'Golo Kante and Danny Drinkwater would constantly harass you. If Kante paused for a moment, Drinkwater would immediately fill the gap," Deeney recalled the encounter with Leicester. "We didn't know where they were coming from, but the pressure was always on our minds—pass the ball quickly or it would be stolen."

In the match against Southampton, Kante was everywhere. The hardest thing wasn't just getting past him, but keeping him behind you. Kante is currently the best central midfielder in the Premier League.

In their most recent match, Southampton made 33 crosses but only five reached a player inside the penalty area (blue and yellow arrows in the left image). Leicester conceded the most crosses this season with 341, but only 61 of those were touched by an opposing player inside the penalty area. Image: Opta.

Intercept the ball and counter-attack.

With Kante and Drinkwater anchoring the midfield, Leicester forced opponents to move to the flanks. Ranieri's team was prepared for opponents to use crosses or crosses, and this was exactly what they were looking for.

Besides the availability of center-backs Huth and Morgan, full-backs Simpson and Fuchs are also excellent in aerial duels. This is quite different from teams whose defenders are originally wingers who lack experience in defending against high balls.

Waiting for crosses is also part of Leicester's attacking strategy. The team often starts cautiously, allowing opponents to push forward, leading them to mistakenly believe they have the upper hand. However, when repeated crosses fail and Leicester simply intercepts the ball, their speedy forwards will have a chance.

The fans are a huge source of strength for Leicester. Photo: Reuters.

Paper fans

Interestingly, the stands at King Power Stadium were filled with paper fans that the organizers placed on the seats before the match. Whenever the home team showed signs of losing, the Leicester fans understood they needed to boost their team's morale. Thousands of paper fans were fanned at full speed, creating a noise that was anything but pleasant for the visiting team.

"At many stadiums where we play away, the fans are always glued to their cameras and phones taking pictures instead of creating a passionate atmosphere. At Leicester, everything the fans do is to support the team," Deeney said admiringly.

According to VNE