In a tightly contested game, Leicester City went with a 4-3-3 formation but fielded very different lineups in the first and second halves. In the first half, first team stars such as Fofana, Ricardo, Dewsbury-Hall, Choudhury, Soumare, Daka and Barnes were all on the pitch. In the 30th minute, Ricardo grabbed the lead for his team after a sideline break, Daka's clever long pass and Barnes' clever one-two finish. However, Northshire were quick to hit back and Kairo Mitchell's excellent shot in the 41st minute was parried away, but the visitors added the extras from a corner to make the score 1-1.
In the second half, Leicester City switched to a brand new U23 side with all young players except Iheanacho. Despite dominating the time of possession, the team's attack lacked direct threat, with more through balls in the midfield and at the back, posing little threat to the Northamptonshire defense. The first shot on goal did not occur in the second half until the 83rd minute. Defensively, the team was often threatened by the opposition's quick attacking and defensive transitions, with Northshire using the width of the pitch to attack, with Iestyn Hughes coming close to a breakthrough with a number of openings in his defensive area in the right half. In the end, Leicester City lost 1:2 to their opponents after making mistakes on set pieces.
Despite the loss, the energy and positive pressing attitude of the young players in the second half deserves recognition. Right back Iestyn Hughes made a couple of defensive lapses, but excelled on the attacking end with several attempts at a direct ball, intercepting a pass on the sideline in the 84th minute, crossing the middle of the field and then sending a long pass to Iheanacho, who was wide open just outside the penalty area, showing the youngster's vision of passing, even though the shot hit the post.
This was only the first of the pre-season friendlies and Rodgers tried numerous players, many of whom are yet to adjust to their best form. However, the details of the game showed Leicester City's tactical shortcomings, including high possession but lack of goal threat, and set-piece defense problems, which Rodgers need to solve as soon as possible.
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