Claudio Ranieri gained the ‘Tinkerman’ moniker for his penchant to alter his team line-ups during his time at Stamford Bridge. It was the willingness to go back to basics, however, that resulted in Leicester’s 4-2 thumping of Sunderland last Saturday, proving that sometimes simple can also be beautiful.
Leicester took to the field with a 4-4-2 formation, having Mark Albrighton and Riyad Mahrez on either flank, with Jamie Vardy and new man Shinji Okazaki forming the striking duo that wreaked havoc on Sunderland’s besieged back four. It was these player who were arguably Leicester’s best on the opening day.
In a time where 4-2-3-1, 3-5-2, 3-4-3, 4-5-1 and various other options are standard practice, the use of the traditional 4-4-2 to such effect was refreshing – and exciting – to watch. It allowed Leicester to heap pressure on Sunderland’s defensive line of Billy Jones, Sebastian Coates, Younes Kaboul and Patrick van Aanholt. The Foxes made these players, and Dick Advocaat’s newly appointed captain Lee Cattermole, look both foolish and slow, ending the 27-year-old’s game on the half-hour mark after giving away the penalty that lead to Leicester’s third goal. Kaboul in particular displayed the frailties that had presented towards the end of his time at Tottenham, looking both cumbersome and like an accident waiting to happen, with his confidence being dealt an early blow on the back of Leicester’s brilliance.
The matchup between Leicester’s attackers and Sunderland’s new look defence was always going to be pivotal, particularly due to the pace the Foxes possess in their ranks. To Ranieri’s credit, he identified the battle that would give his side the advantage – one which brought his side a three goal lead within 25 minutes.
Deploying a 4-4-2 system may not necessarily be a constant though – after all, it would not be fitting conduct of the ‘Tinkerman’. Although Leicester enjoyed such success in their opening fixture, Ranieri has declared he has the personnel to alter the team’s approach for any given match day.
“We brought [Yohan] Benalouane so we can change everything — we can play with three or with four and change during the matches,” he stated recently.
Also, in relishing his reputation, he explained his desire to mix things up, “There are also other Tinkermen. [Pep] Guardiola also said this: when you play a Guardiola team you do not know if they play three, four or five at the back.”
“When you change something the opponent has more and more difficulties for this reason. My players know what is happening but the opponents don’t.”
Ranieri is also remaining true his word to make changes gradually. Of the XI that started against the Black Cats, it was only Okazaki who did not start in the final fixture of last season, despite the formation change. Many expected N’Golo Kante to feature heavily and many also expected Leicester to line up with a 3-4-3 formation.
For those attempting to predict Leicester’s tactics for the upcoming fixtures, Ranieri is going to make the task extremely difficult. With the self-proclaimed ability to keep the opposition guessing, nobody will be sure who will be taking the field. In particular, it will be interesting to see how Leicester will approach bigger fixtures. With the likes of Leonardo Ulloa waiting in the wings, Ranieri also has the option of playing with one hold-up striker, should he decide he wants his team to defend deeper. Considering that Leicester’s most effective approach is to play attacking football, it will be a test of Ranieri’s mettle as to how he tinkers with his setup, and if he decides a point will suffice against the top teams.
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This week’s fixture is an exciting prospect against an equally impressive West Ham. The Hammer’s cutting edge, through the likes of Dimitri Payet, Mauro Zarate and Diafra Sakho, and ability to defend for long periods despite lacking some key players was vital in quelling the attacking threat of Arsenal. It means that they will be a much tougher test that was posed by the Black Cats in week one. This may be an outing in which Ranieri may deploy three at the back, giving Benalouane his Premier League starting appearance. Then again, he may not.
Ranieri is an enigma, and his team selections will reflect that throughout the season. Amongst the surprises and unpredictability that will unfold, perhaps the most surprising thing Ranieri could do for the next week is to persist with an unchanged, plain, simple 4-4-2 formation.
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I suspsect you didn’t actually watch the game as you think that Sunderland’s manager is Mark Hughes and that Benalouane didn’t play!