73% of duels lost: Cooper has cause for concern after Leicester City star ‘really struggled’ against Aston Villa – opinion
Leicester City have now suffered back-to-back Premier League defeats following a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa at the King Power Stadium on Saturday.
Steve Cooper’s search for his first league win as Leicester City manager continues, with the team securing just one point from their first three Premier League matches.
As the season pauses for the first international break, Cooper has a chance to reflect on the initial weeks of the campaign and prepare for the upcoming fixtures, starting with an away game against Crystal Palace in two weeks.
Cooper made three changes to the team that lost 2-1 to Fulham last weekend as Leicester hosted Champions League side Aston Villa.
Oliver Skipp, Caleb Okoli, and Jordan Ayew were brought into the starting lineup, and the Foxes also shifted to a back four formation.
The introduction of Skipp allowed Wilfred Ndidi to be pushed further up the field into the advanced midfielder role he played under Enzo Maresca last season.
However, Ndidi had a disappointing performance.
Goals from Amadou Onana and Jhon Duran gave Aston Villa a 2-0 lead at the King Power Stadium.
A first Leicester goal for loanee Facundo Buonanotte in the 73rd minute gave the home fans some hope, but an equalizer was not forthcoming.
Ndidi, who usually performs reliably, struggled throughout his 89 minutes on the pitch.
Leicestershire Live rated Ndidi’s performance a four out of ten, the lowest of any player on the team.
They commented, “He pressed Tielemans well at times but really struggled on the ball in advanced areas, with his touch loose and attacks breaking down with him in possession. City can’t afford that.”
Analyzing Ndidi’s performance against Aston Villa, it’s clear that it was a tough day for him against players like Amadou Onana and Youri Tielemans.
Despite his usual role as a disruptor, Ndidi won only three out of 11 duels during the match, according to Sofascore.
Additionally, the 27-year-old failed to complete either of his dribbles, lost possession 16 times, committed two fouls, and was dribbled past twice, highlighting a concerning performance.
Cooper will hope this was just an off day for Ndidi and that he can return to form if he starts against Crystal Palace.
A midfield trio of Skipp, Ndidi, and Harry Winks has the potential to be solid, and Leicester will be counting on that stability moving forward.
