Leicester City have had a solid start to life back in the Championship, picking up twelve points from a possible fifteen, but head coach Enzo Maresca believes one area still has room for improvement.
Despite the team’s four victories, the Foxes boast the joint-lowest goals tally in the top seven, level with underdogs Birmingham City on seven goals apiece. Centre-forward Tom Cannon was brought to the club on deadline day for a reported £7.5 million to further bolster the attacking department at the King Power Stadium.
Leicester City now have incredible depth up top with the likes of club legend Jamie Vardy, Kelechi Iheanacho, Patson Daka and Cannon all vying for starting spots in the team.
However, the former Premier League champions have not quite been firing on all fronts as one might expect from a team with such riches amongst the ranks. Head coach Maresca believes that his side are not taking the correct opportunities.
Speaking to club media after winning the Championship Manager of the Month award, Maresca said [quotes via Leicestershire Live]:
“There are many things to do, for sure, probably in the last third we need to improve and to add things.
“Our seven official game, they all show that we arrive quite easy in the last third, then probably because of the choice, or because we want to finish the action soon, probably we are wrong in some choices.
“But even there, when we arrive there, we need to be patient to find the right solution. It is something that, for sure, we are going to improve.”
Finishing or chances created?
Many might take Maresca’s comments to mean that his team are struggling to put chances away but this couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, according to FBref, Leicester City have registered an xG of 6.1 this season, scoring seven goals, meaning that the Foxes are actually outperforming their xG.
This works out at 1.22 xG per game which is quite low for a team looking to potentially lift the title at the end of the season and gain promotion back to the promised land of the Premier League. Maresca’s men are the eighth-lowest-ranked team in England’s second tier for xG this term.
Ipswich Town, on the other hand, who sit one place above Leicester City in the table, currently boast an xG tally of 9.6 and have scored 11 goals. Meanwhile, Norwich City lead the xG rankings with 10.4 and are the top goalscorers in the league with 14 already.
Writer’s View
In conclusion, Leicester City are scoring the chances they create, hence why the team are outperforming their xG. However, not enough opportunities are being created during games, hence why the side have scored half the goals that Norwich City have.
Perhaps this can be put down to the players still learning the system and gelling together after a rather hectic transfer window but Maresca is adamant for this aspect to improve over the course of the season.
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