Leicester City have become an unlikely source of optimism for the English national team over the last couple of years. Jamie Vardy was, up until his recent international retirement, a willing, viable Plan B to Harry Kane, while Slabhead Harry Maguire has become something of a cult figure at the back for the Three Lions. Englands search for a playmaker led them to James Maddisons doorstep, while Demarai Gray was very unlucky to be struck down by injury just when it looked like he may get a chance in the side as well. Amidst all of these stories, one of Leicesters very own has quietly made a name for himself in the England set-up and is probably the second-choice left-back now behind Luke Shaw. I am, of course, talking about Ben Chilwell.
The Milton Keynes-born youngster has made the left-back spot his own for the Foxes, ousting one of the heroes of the 2015/16 title-winning season in Christian Fuchs. He has all the qualities of a modern full-back: he is fast, aggressive and delivers a really good cross, but he marries all of these with very competent defensive skills as well. Chilwell is rarely beaten in a one-on-one duel, and while he may be slightly suspect positionally, there is enough time for him to iron out these kinks as he progresses on and off the pitch. I will now analyse the 21-year olds game in a bit more detail.
Defensive qualities
As stated above, Chilwell is extremely comfortable defensively, and one of his strengths is in defending one-on-one. He gets into good positions and his body shape makes it difficult for the attacker to dribble past him. This was quite prominent during the UEFA Nations League game against Spain, where Jonny Castro and Iago Aspas both struggled to make headway against Chilwell.
