Four things Leicester City must do in final five games to beat Leeds and Ipswich to promotion

Two months ago, few would have thought Leicester City would be desperate for points in their final five games to clinch promotion. But here they are.

As Enzo Maresca has been saying, all that has gone before must now be put to one side. Contemplating a run of five defeats in nine matches is not going to help City get the points they need.

However, those losses do inform City where they could get better so that they claim the victories to keep them above Ipswich and Leeds and clinch a place in the Premier League. Here are four things we’d like to see City and Maresca do over the next few weeks.

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Attack with more intuition

Maresca's idea is a good one. City would not have 88 points from 41 matches if the manager's gameplan was a dud. It allows City to control possession, therefore restricting chances for the opposition, and gets them on the ball in dangerous areas.

It’s the system they’ve been playing all season and train every day, it’s the style Maresca is committed to. There won’t be sweeping changes to it now, nor should there be.

However, that doesn't mean it can’t be tweaked in places. Maresca’s gameplan is to attack with patience, lessening the chance of possession being given up and therefore reducing the threat the opposition have on the counter.

But it would be great to see City attack with more intuition at times. On Tuesday, City’s best chance of the first half came from a Millwall corner. Yunus Akgun could have slowed the game down and waited for everybody to get back into position, but instead he switched the play to Stephy Mavididi, a one-two was played with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, and a better touch from the winger would have led to a shot one-on-one.

At Birmingham in December, City attacked that way too, showing off the blistering pace and quality their attacking players have to score two terrific breakaway goals. City have to pick their moments when playing that way, but that they are capable of it.

It seems restrictive to force them to slow it down when there are opportunities to go at speed. The players need to be trusted to pick the right moments to go for it.

Keep Dewsbury-Hall and Ndidi in their positions

There is no harm in experimenting with players in different positions in a bid to correct so-so form. But Maresca has tried multiple times to play with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall on the right of the attacking midfielders and Wilfred Ndidi on the left, and it just reduces their effectiveness.

Two of the best aspects of City’s play this season have been Dewsbury-Hall’s surges forward and exchanges with Mavididi on the left, as well as Ndidi’s underlapping runs and clipped crosses from the right. Swapping them over means those positives are nullified. They need to stay where they’re best.

Use the squad for a jolt of energy

After this Friday’s game, City schedule eases and they only have one two-match week between now and the end of the season. That reduces the need for rotation in the 11.

However, this is a squad game and City have 25 players who can make an impact at Championship level. Maresca needs to use them.

Recently, he has. Not in rotating, as he perhaps should have done at Millwall, but at least in bringing on substitutes. Yunus set up the winner against Birmingham, while Dennis Praet and Abdul Fatawu came off the bench to create the clearest chances at the Den.

Maresca has said players are tired as they come to the end of the season. So let the starters give it their all for an hour and then get fresh faces on.

Go two up top if City are trailing

Maresca’s never going to start that way, but throwing both Kelechi Iheanacho and Patson Daka up front for the final few minutes against Millwall did make a difference for City. It caused confusion in a tiring defence and allowed City to create better chances.

If City are behind, there’s no harm in going for broke. They have nothing to lose. Get two strikers on and try to cause havoc. It may lead to another goal for the opposition but it also may lead to an equaliser, earning the point that could be the difference between going up and facing the play-offs.

What do you want to see City do over the final five games? Let us know in the comments section below.