Leicester City Fan View: Vicente Iborra and Adrien Silva are key

Travelling to the would-be Champions, you know you’re going to have to surprise them. Claude Puel tried several things at Manchester City designed to give Leicester City a fighting chance. Twice the game plan was quickly dismantled and it became somewhat of a horror show. A 5-1 loss is never ideal, but when it’s against Pep Guardiola’s assembled superstars, it’s no cause for a meltdown either.

Brace tactics, but ones that don’t pay off against Manchester City

The subject of quite how to stop Guardiola’s side is one only a couple of teams have managed. Going in entirely defensive seems to only delay the inevitable, and doesn’t make for a great game. Playing our usual attacking football looks like an opportunity for Manchester City to run riot. Puel’s approach was to try a different formation.

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Switching to three at the back with two wing-backs looked interesting. Thanks to a very early Raheem Sterling tap-in, we’ll never know if it could have worked. Given the goal, it’s easy to say it didn’t, but this isn’t the first game we’ve struggled in the opening few minutes. It’s just one in which we were instantly punished. Puel’s ambitious tactics straight out the window, we quickly reverted to a more familiar shape.

This move almost instantly brought us more into the game. It wasn’t ideal with Marc Albrighton therefore operating as a makeshift right-back, but we were able to press more and open up service to Jamie Vardy again. Against such formidable opposition, there is only so much that can be expected. To be level at the halfway mark, Vardy scoring against yet another top six side, was pleasing given the start.

Claude Puel’s confusing substitutions

Quite what happened at half-time will be analysed for days to come. Puel surprised fans by making a half-time change. The decision to bring on a true right-back in Danny Simpson seemed logical. Albrighton will throw his all into a position, but the step up here was tough. Surprisingly, it wasn’t he who made way, though.

Adrien Silva, part of a midfield trio, raised a few eyebrows when he was sacrificed. Yes, it wasn’t Silva’s finest 45, but several key moments showed we needed him. James, too, had struggled and taking a member of the trio away did not help things. While the change resulted in no formation tweaks, it was a move that hindered us. Conceding four goals thereafter, one coming almost immediately, is no coincidence.

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Puel has got a lot of things right in his short time so far. His decisions in this game will not be remembered as one of those. He was hoping we could retain possession more with the changes, probably hoping for more defensive stability. Neither happened. Instead, Manchester City ran riot. Sergio Aguero is a one-man goal machine. Had it have been against any other club, I’d have enjoyed the masterclass a lot. Instead, this will go down as a what might have been.

Why Vicente Iborra has to start playing more

It was the type of game crying out for Vicente Iborra. He and Silva have a good partnership and both have looked convincing alongside Wilfred Ndidi. It would have been my choice for the starting trio. I mean no disrespect to Matty James. It’s brilliant to have him back, having overcome a lot, but I don’t believe he offers us more than Iborra, with his experience and Europa League successes. Yet the Spaniard remained on the bench again.

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If the Foxes are to keep progressing and fight for a top-seven spot, Iborra looks to be one of the key figures that could help us realise this. Silva too. Both were bought in to give us some extra quality, class and that European experience that both have. Yes, factors outside of the manager’s control delayed Silva’s start, but with both available and fit, we have to start utilising them more. Against the big sides, you have to feel they’re both invaluable.

Kasper Schmeichel had a day to forget, generally uncharacteristic for him, but I wonder if our struggle in midfield didn’t help? Whereas we’ve looked to play out from the back more recently, less hit-and-hope forward, we ended up reverting to more of this – particularly when it then didn’t pan out, it cost us. Some of his distribution was woeful.

Both Iborra and Silva want to play it on the ground, both are calm influences and posses great vision. Iborra offers a more physical presence than the Portugal international, with Ndidi there to intercept and cover the back-line. On paper, this is the trio you want trying to stop Manchester City.

Puel’s focus needs to be on the FA Cup

The 5th round tie on Friday looks rather favourable for Leicester City. It’s been a very long time since we had a good cup run to cheer and after a difficult couple of weeks in the league, is just the kind of pick-me-up we all need. Puel can make amends with a strong line-up and a convincing performance. There’s an opportunity here for the taking, one Leicester City should not be throwing away.