Arsenal vs Leicester: 3 tactical areas to exploit

Leicester City's Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel reacts after Arsenal's Brazilian defender Gabriel scores his team's opening goal during the English Premier League football match between Leicester City and Arsenal at King Power Stadium in Leicester, central England on October 30, 2021. - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Leicester City's Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel reacts after Arsenal's Brazilian defender Gabriel scores his team's opening goal during the English Premier League football match between Leicester City and Arsenal at King Power Stadium in Leicester, central England on October 30, 2021. - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Arsenal, Gabriel
LEICESTER, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 30: Kasper Schmeichel of Leicester City watches on as Gabriel Magalhaes of Arsenal (obscured) scores from a header to make it 1-0 during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Arsenal at The King Power Stadium on October 30, 2021 in Leicester, England. (Photo by James Holyoak/MB Media/Getty Images ) /

2. Leicester Have an Appalling Record at Set Pieces

The most obvious weakness in this Leicester team is their leaky defence, which has conceded a staggering 13 goals from set pieces this season. Only Leeds United have conceded more.

Brendan Rodgers has flipped and flopped through set piece tactics all season. Varying from a zonal marking system to a man-marking system and somewhere in the middle, the Foxes appear to have now settled on a clearer structure of man marking and chiefly attacking the ball.

It’s still not great.

Any system has flaws and Leicester’s inability to track deep runners on corners is killing them. Setting up zonally, all it takes is one late run into the six-yard area and the opposition have the jump on them. There is no leadership in those situations.

All of which will be music to Nicolas Jover’s ears, whose methods saw Arsenal net from a corner in the reverse meeting back in October.

The Gunners haven’t been quite as efficient of late, however, scoring just one set piece goal in their previous nine Premier League outings, but they still possess a tally of nine overall and will be eyeing Sunday’s match as a chance to boost those numbers once more.

Corner routines alter depending on who the opposition is, with some teams weaker in the second phase and therefore short corners are the preferred avenue, yet in the Foxes’ case they’re poor in all aspects and getting the ball into the box first time is the method to adopt.

Continued on next page…