It was a sensational return to form for Leicester City and Jamie Vardy as they triumphed over Manchester City on Saturday. The match finished 4-2, but it was over within the first 20 minutes as the home side scored three first half goals. It was a great performance and a display that showed Leicester of old. They have been criticised for focusing on the Champions League, but they will know the importance of having a strong Christmas period to ensure they move away from relegation and their win over City provided the perfect start. Here are three things we learned.
City need to strengthen in January
They have one of the strongest squads in European football, but there are still clear weaknesses that need to be corrected during the next transfer window. City have a devastating attack, but their defence has been one of the worst in the league this season. They have conceded eight more goals than Chelsea and that will be a huge concern for Pep Guardiola. During his managerial career, Guardiola has never convinced as a defensive coach and that needs to change at City if he wants to take them to the next level.
The problem he has is the personnel available to him and he needs to strengthen the defence in January, especially in full back positions. They have a good selection of Premier League full backs, but none of them seem suited to the style of play that Guardiola is trying to coach. City should look to bring in younger full backs with more energy as the current crop are ageing and unable to learn new tricks late in their career. In an ideal world, they will also look to add a dominating centre back as they are struggling for organisation at the back. John Stones is an exciting talent, but he continues to make basic errors and City can’t carry him for much longer.