Leicester City Goalkeeper, Danny Ward during the warm up. (AMA/Getty Images)
Leicester City have conceded a record 22 goals in their opening 7 games- the most any team has suffered in the english top flight since 1965. But how do the foxes resolve their defensive woes?
After Kasper Schmeichel joined French outfit, Nice, the club opted against dipping into the transfer market for a new number 1 and instead placed their trust in the Welsh international, Danny Ward. Brendan Rodgers previously spoke in the media that he had "two number 1's", but with the sub par performances Ward has displayed so far this season, it's hard to imagine the Welshman maintaining his position between the posts. That's where the young Dane, Daniel Iverson, deserves his opportunity. Iverson won the Preston North End player of the season after a stellar 21/22 campaign in the championship. He has received rave reviews from Preston fans with one fan saying "Best keeper I've seen at Deepdale in my 34 years going on. Ready made replacement for Schmeichel". @Alex33796845/Twitter
Daniel Iverson pictured in celebration (Athena pictures/Getty Images)
Iverson turned 25 during the summer which is still such a tender age for a Premier league goalkeeper, but, he is more the capable of stepping up into the big league after 4 loan spells away with Oldham, Rotherham, OH Leuven and most recently, Preston North End. Iverson was recently called up to the senior Denmark squad after his heroics last year and making the step up to number 1 at Leicester City is surely a natural progression. He could well be Kasper Schmeichel's successor at both International level and at club level, a goal he will certainly be striving for.
Rodgers has come under heavy criticism both in the media and from Leicester fans but the belief is that he will be in charge for the home fixture against east midlands rivals, Nottingham Forest on Monday night (3rd October). The international break would have allowed plenty of time for the Irishmen to make crucial decisions ahead of what could be a deciding match with his job potentially on the line. Set-pieces have again plagued Leicester City since the start of last season, having conceded 25 goals from set-pieces in the Premier League, the most of any side in this period. Rodgers appointed a new set-piece coach who came in this month, so you would anticipate this to be a focus in training sessions during the break.
After Wesley Fofana's departure to Chelsea in August, there was naturally a void in the centre of defence for the foxes. With Rodgers publicly criticising Caglar Soyuncu in the media, it was clear the Turkish international was not going to be part of his plans. The need for a centre back during the window was already crucial but the sale of Fofana forced the club into recruiting Wout Faes in a deal believed to be worth £15.3M from French side, Stade Reims. Faes, the Belgian international, made his debut for Leicester in a 6-2 defeat at the hands of Antonio Conte's Spurs side. You don't normally see a defender praised after conceding 6 goals however the reception on social media towards Faes was positive. Many fans were impressed with his composure on the ball and aggression in the duels. I myself was very wowed with his display and at just £15.3M, it could well turn out to be a shrewd bit of business for Leicester. Of course, it's very early days and it will take time to build up a strong relationship with his centre back partner, Jonny Evans, but the signs are there for what could be a much more solid defensive unit.
Wout Faes signs for Leicester City from Stade Reims (LCFC Website)
Leicester City have not struggled to score goals this season it must be said, with 10 goals scored in 7 games which puts them in joint 8th if there were to be a goals scored table. Put simply, if Rodgers can successfully address the leaky defence, the foxes should be able to put wins on the board with Forest (H), Bournemouth (A), Crystal Palace (H), Leeds United (H) and Wolves (A), being their next 5 fixtures. On paper, all very much winnable games but "on paper" means nothing in this league, especially after conceding a record 22 goals in their first 7 games... Rodgers has a lot of problems to solve over these next 8 days before their crunch tie at Home to Forest on Monday night.
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