English League Cup 2019/20: Leicester City vs. Aston Villa – tactical analysis

As Leicester City hosted Aston Villa in the first leg of the English League Cup semifinal, both clubs knew they had a valuable opportunity ahead. The Foxes could move one step closer to earning concrete evidence of a highly successful season in the form of silverware. The Villans, on the other hand, could earn a positive result despite losing the second-most matches in the Premier League this season with 12. This tactical analysis will examine the systems of both teams and dissect how Aston Villa were able to match an overall superior side.

Lineups

Brendan Rodgers organised his side in a back three/back five formation, a setup Leicester had only run once this season in a  victory against Newcastle. Çağlar Söyüncü, Jonny Evans, and Christian Fuchs started as the centre-back trio, with the usual full-backs Ricardo Pereira and Ben Chilwell as the wing-backs. A midfield three of Dennis Praet, Youri Tielemans, and James Maddison were also in charge of receiving the ball from the backline and aiding in forward progression. Ayoze Pérez and Premier League-leading goalscorer Jamie Vardy led the front line.

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith also formatted his eleven in a back three/back five formation, albeit with different front two lines and tactical intentions. Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings, and Kortney Hause sat defensively as the centre-backs. Wing-backs Frédéric Guilbert and Neil Taylor positioned themselves more defensively than Leicester’s wing-backs. Douglas Luiz and Marvelous Nakamba started as the top of the defensive block in midfield behind a fluid front three of Trézéguet, Anwar El Ghazi, and Jack Grealish.