This Leicester City team needs leaders - it’s time to turn to Conor Coady
Whether it's a temporary blip or not, there are things that need some attention in this Leicester City side. At the full whistle against QPR, a couple of the more senior players and Enzo were straight off down the tunnel. Likely frustration at the third league loss in a row and maybe due to the pockets of boos. It's a period where we need our leaders to be loud and present though. To show some calm and resilience. A time for a couple of players in the squad to step up.
When we signed Conor Coady in the summer, it was a deal that made a lot of sense to most Leicester fans. I certainly assumed we were looking at our new captain. Restoring some much needed leadership to take over from the metaphorical rats that had fled the sinking ship of relegation. Signing players to lead and shaking up the captaincy list were much needed.
A lot of people outside of Leicester looked at the money Coady cost and his age and raised question marks. He hadn't exactly lit the world on fire at Everton either. So far, they're probably thinking they're still right. Knowing the impact of losing your real leaders though had me caring a little less about the cost and maybe even the minutes he's played so far (given central defenders have finally not been an issue this year). This feels like a crucial time for him and the experience he brings.
Little did any of us predict that it would take until March to be talking about Coady possibly coming in and making that on-pitch impact. Suffering an injury in pre-season when you've never really been injured? Welcome to Leicester, Conor. At the time, this seemed like a big blow, but we didn't really miss him in the first half of the season.
He's clearly been a positive influence off the pitch. The younger players like Callum Doyle and Ben Nelson have been quick to credit working with him and when he does speak to the media, he's energetic, passionate and confident. A type of infectious energy and confidence. It's exactly what you want to hear as a fan. He's struggled to impose himself in the starting lineup though. And with possible March madness looming, we need action on the pitch, not talk off it. No matter how much his interviews may make us smile.
When Coady was back and fit from injury, he faced a tough order to get ahead of the Leicester comeback story of the year in Jannik Vestergaard who formed a formidable partnership alongside Wout Faes. Coady’s first couple of outings in a Leicester shirt were rusty at best and at worst, implied he may not be capable of fitting into our usual formation. Then came the Bournemouth FA Cup game. His best performance in a Leicester shirt so far.
He didn't captain the side but paying close attention to him he certainly took charge regardless. He was vocal, involved in a lot of the play and in one rather heroic moment, seemed to have the power of foresight, sensing an incoming stray pass and launching forward to intercept a teammate’s mistake. Against Premier League opposition too.
This looked more like the Coady we thought we'd signed. The type of player we need to see us through a rocky patch? Maybe. He certainly conjures images of being a presence in the dressing room, a little like Jamie Vardy, who won’t stay quiet if things need to be said.
With Ricardo Pereira out injured until next month, Leicester City are going to need somebody else to step into the leader role his absence creates. Whether that's while donning the captain’s armband or just by taking the team by the reins on the pitch, it doesn't matter.
Perhaps it's easy to forget when we were breezing past opposition earlier in the season, the ages of some of the squad are pretty young. Or how green they are in terms of seeing out a title race and pressure. There are still some scars in the squad too. I fully believe a few are still haunted by the Brendan Rodgers era of nearly making the Champions League not once but twice only to end those seasons with a whimper - plus last year's collapse.
That fragility has to creep back in when we’re faltering a little. While Enzo Maresca seems like a great man manager, we can't overlook that a lot of this is new to him too, certainly being the leading man in charge of it all. While he’s still learning, having experienced heads around him can only be a benefit.
Coady comes with a wealth of experience in the Championship too, and crucially, what it takes to get out of it. While his first forrays in the division were in midfield, it was in the 2017/18 season when he moved into the Wolves back-line full time, having had a successful stint at right-back, he turned his hand to central defence and became the club captain. He only missed one game that season.
Wolves were promoted that year and Coady was a key figure in their side. The West Midlands club sealed the Championship title and Coady was named in the team of the year. While it’s not necessarily what we’re looking for, he stepped up to take, and score, a penalty for them that season too in the game that sealed their ascendance. A sign of leadership and showing no fear.
Ask Wolves fans what they liked about him and it wasn’t just his defensive attributes or how natural a fit he looked in the captaincy role. They’ll refer you back to his ability to pass out and the range of passing. It makes even more sense why he was identified for this Leicester City side and why we could turn to him now.
They weren’t the only ones too, albeit 2020 was a very different time but Jamie Carragher had incredibly lofty comparisons for him, stating “Conor Coady has also done brilliantly for Wolves; he has not missed a minute this season and is probably as good as anyone alongside Van Dijk in terms of passing from the back” (This writer also spies Caglar Soyuncu being named in the same paragraph. Sigh). This preceded Jurgen Klopp suggesting Liverpool would consider re-signing him too.
Coady feels like the natural choice to come in at Sunderland. It's another three game week and while Nelson didn't do a lot wrong against QPR - his only crime is being young and still learning - Coady could help steady the ship. An older head to provide the missing calm that Vestergaard brings by being so dominant and just dealing with it all. Coady has had to be very patient and wait for his chance and he certainly took it in the FA Cup.
Against QPR, we struggled to make an impact in the final third. The regular accusations of us trying to walk it in were harder to argue against. We lacked the cutting through balls that Vestergaard likes to try. Coady played a few of those himself at Bournemouth. They didn't all work but it was at least encouraging.
The question will be once Saturday rolls around, is Vestergaard going to get straight back in? The reality is probably an overwhelming yes given a need to keep the side fresh and how good he has been. Coady has yet to play back to back 90 minutes for a start. Getting through the full 120 minutes at Bournemouth was vital - now we need to see him building on it and some consistency.
I do wonder if there's an argument for playing Vestergaard and Coady together again, a la Bournemouth. Wout Faes hasn't really done anything wrong to merit being dropped but he does seem the least calm in key moments. Maybe it's just the own goals that work against him. Either way, we aren't keeping a lot of clean sheets of late so maybe it is time to try something a little different as Maresca alluded to post-match.
Coady has been a captain, a leader for a while now. We need his expertise at motivating a side and leading from the back. We’ve heard him talk about his belief and confidence in this team. Having him on the pitch to help reinforce that could be key.
This game week feels a huge one, and March in general will be pretty key again. Time for Conor Coady to show us what we hoped we were getting when we signed him.
