Leicester City are through to the next round of the Carabao Cup after defeating League Two side Walsall on penalties,
It was not an easy game for the Foxes, though. While Leicester dominated possession, Walsall had the better chances. They had two excellent opportunities to score but couldn’t convert, with Danny Ward making a fantastic save for one of the chances. Leicester came to life in the final 30 minutes but failed to break down a resolute Walsall defence, who were cheered on loudly by their home supporters.
Ward was Leicester’s hero in the penalty shootout, saving all three of Walsall’s spot kicks and sparing the Foxes from an embarrassing defeat. Ultimately, it’s never a good look when your goalkeeper is the man of the match in a fixture against a team in a much lower division. Let’s take a look at the numbers.
Shots on target
Following a disappointing attacking display against Everton last week, there was hope that the fans would be treated to a much better performance against Walsall, a League Two side. However, that was not the case. Embarrassingly, the Foxes registered just two shots on target in the entire game. And this was from a team with a front four of Odsonne Edouard, Bobby Decordova-Reid, Facundo Buonanotte and Abdul Fatawu–all of whom have Premier League experience.
Only Fatawu showed the impetus to take on the fullbacks, and it took the Ghanaian 60 minutes to do so as well. It was another timid and dull performance by Leicester, who must change things if they want Premier League survival.
Touches in the penalty area
Leicester managed 27 touches in the opposition box. Walsall’s 17, while lower, is still high enough to raise questions about Leicester’s backline. Despite having less than 30% possession of the ball, the Saddlers managed to penetrate the box that many times. In comparison, Leicester’s league average for touches in the opposition box is 14.8.
While nothing should be taken away from Walsall’s spirited display, a Premier League team like Leicester cannot struggle both offensively and defensively in such a manner against a League Two opponent.
