Wilfred Ndidi: The vital force at the middle of Rodgers’ revamped Leicester City

Leicester City currently stand at second in the Premier League table thanks to the dominant contributions from emerging players like Wilfred Ndidi. 

Leicester City’s sudden re-emergence into the Premier League title race this season shouldn’t be been seen as a surprise, but the fruits of smart planning, scouting and development.

After their unprecedented league title run during the 2015-16 season, Leicester’s board sought to re-tool the team from top to bottom. Knowing that the historic title would cause many key players to depart and others to fade out in the seasons following the league triumph, the board aimed to use newly acquired club resources – including prize money from their Champions League appearance – to create a competitive team capable of avoiding relegation for years to come. Their plan also centered on signing young, promising prospects for the future.

In essence, the board focused on preventing the team from becoming the next one-hit wonder that gradually faded away over time.

It is safe to say that the master plan worked. Out of the 13 players that have made at least 10 league appearances  for second-place Leicester City this season, nine of them were signed since the 2015-16 campaign. The current squad is filled with bright, young players capable of contributing for many other top sides in Europe.

Among the array of youngsters shining in Leicester’s squad is Wilfred Ndidi.

Ndidi signed with the club during the 2016-17 winter transfer window. Since then, the 23-year-old talent has blossomed into one of the most potent defensive midfielders in the Premier League. Under manager Brendan Rodgers, the Nigerian international has improved in all aspects of his game. Not only is Ndidi quickly establishing himself as a fan favorite within the club, but his play this season is deserving of even more recognition than he has already received, catching the attention of coaches and scouts across Europe.

Positional and defending prowess as a lone central defensive midfielder

In baseball, there is a statistical metric called wins above replacement (WAR), which calculates a player’s worth to his team and also determines how more value he provides compared to a replacement-level talent. In short, it is a fair and reliable stat for analyzing a player’s offensive and defensive contributions.

If there was a statistic like WAR for world football, Wilfred Ndidi would certainly rank among the best in all of Europe when it comes to defensive contributions. Leicester would not be where they are in the league table without his consistent defensive work.

Statistically, Ndidi is having a career year in league play. According to WhoScored, he ranks first in tackles per game (4.5) and second in interceptions per game (2.9). He is also recording 2.3 clearances per game – a moderate rate for a central defensive midfielder. He has won 6.0 ground duels per game at a 58.0% success rate, which is a career high. According to Wyscout, he leads the league in total defensive duels won with 180.

As illustrated by his player radar, Ndidi is doing it all and more from the defensive side of the ball for Leicester.

But for a player like Ndidi, stats do not paint the entire picture of his dynamic season.

Under Rodgers this season, Leicester have set up in a 4-1-4-1 formation, with Ndidi slotted in as the lone central defensive midfielder. He positions himself right behind the midfield line of four when in possession and sets up alongside them when Leicester are in their defensive shape. However, not all midfielders in this formation have the same role and responsibilities.

For Ndidi, he has excelled in two of his primary tasks on the pitch: positioning and defending.

Positioning is a basic yet vital component of play for a central defensive midfielder in any formation. The player in this role has responsibilities, both distributing possession and defending, that rely on good positioning. A central defensive midfielder must also be extremely cautious when on the ball because one minor mistake can jeopardize the team’s positional structure and put the defense in a vulnerable situation.

Ndidi has even more of an audacious responsibility because of how he orchestrates and connects play in Rodgers’ 4-1-4-1 setup. Not only is he the lone player in his line, but he is also the main link from defense to attack. It is not like a 4-2-3-1 formation where both midfielders in the double pivot setup work together to both assist in the build-up and drop to defend. Even in the popular 4-3-3 formation, the central defensive midfielder is accompanied by two midfielders alongside him. For Ndidi, he is all by himself in 4-1-4-1 line.

Even with the heavy workload, Ndidi has prevailed time and time again in holding his line, which is one reason why Leicester excel at quick build-up sequences.

When Leicester maintain possession deep in their defensive third, the Nigerian international has the recognition to drop into open pockets of space and provide passing lanes to either the two center-backs or the goalkeeper. It not only takes pressure off of the ball carrier in the defensive third, but it also makes it tougher for opponents to trigger a high press. In situations where the ball carrier cannot build from the back or is struggling to find a trailing fullback, Ndidi will be waiting somewhere in Leicester’s own half to receive the ball.

Notice Ndidi’s positioning here. Leicester are not facing any pressing threat from Aston Villa. Thus, Ndidi is able to drop into open space and provide a clear passing option for center back Caglar Soyuncu. As the ball is passed off to Jonny Evans, Ndidi will switch over to the opposite half-space and position himself ready to receive an immediate pass if needed. It is a simple but fundamental area of play that Rodgers has placed an emphasis on.

Since he is the lone midfielder in his line, Ndidi is free to roam out of his central position at will to offer those passing lanes. If right-back Ricardo Pereira is under pressure in a 2v1 situation on the right flank, Ndidi will hustle to the area and quickly glide into open space to provide a passing option. The same goes for Ben Chilwell on the left flank or for any of the four midfielders through the center portion of the pitch.

Ndidi’s only limitation with positioning is off-ball runs when Leicester firmly control possession, something his job doesn’t ask him to do often. Due to his hefty defensive responsibilities, Ndidi rarely ever triggers movements into the final third because it would leave a multitude of space in behind for opposing forwards to occupy.

Now, onto his defending, which is arguably the most robust aspect of his midfield play.

There are not many central defensive midfielders in Europe today that play with the same high intensity as Ndidi. His constant motor on the pitch along with his work rate is unlike any defensive midfielder in the Premier League – except maybe N’golo Kante, the midfield engine that helped drive Leicester City’s 2015-16 title. Ndidi is the prototypical workhorse talent that any manager would want to have in their club.

One of Ndidi’s main strengths as a central defensive midfielder is to win back possession for the Foxes’ dynamic attacking unit. He has a knack for executing timely challenges and anticipating just when to hone in for a ball-winning play. More importantly, Ndidi is not necessarily reckless or careless with his challenges but rather is simply precise with them – a key reason for why he leads the league in tackles won.

For example, see here how Ndidi is able to cleanly win possession after challenging the Newcastle ball carrier. He halts the opponent’s progression up field into the final third, springs into action and begins to fight for the ball. After poking the ball away, Ndidi is able to immediately recover possession and set his sights on a quick transition.

Every defensive midfielder has their own repertoire when it comes to winning back the ball. Some like to get stuck in physically and leave their feet, while are more cautious and wait until the exact moment to pounce on an opportunity to recover the ball. Ndidi has shown the ability to be the best of both worlds.

As shown here, Ndidi can use his quick decision-making to recover possession in the opponent’s own half without having to make a crunching tackle.

Overall, what makes Ndidi stand out as a central defensive midfielder is his tenacity and work rate to be everywhere on the pitch; he seems to have an unlimited range. From the flanks to the center of the park, Ndidi veers towards the ball carrier wherever he may be.

He has the awareness and instincts to also survey surrounding areas on the pitch and recognize when his presence is needed to halt an opponent’s build-up play. More importantly, the 23-year-old is capable of coming to the aid of the backline and moving into space when an opponent beats Leicester’s pressing setup.

In short, his play style strongly resembles that of a safety in American football – a ball watching, zonal defender with a relentless aim on disrupting play of the opponent.

For instance, see here how Ndidi continually moves to challenge the space surrounding the Watford ball carriers. Despite missing out on the initial challenge, he continues to see out the play by cutting down the space for Gerard Deulofeu on the flank and subsequently wins the ball back by forcing the turnover.

And here, Ndidi shows his range as he patiently recovers possession and moves the ball to cut out a burgeoning movement.

While Ndidi is an exceptional defender, his on-ball abilities are adequate for his role. As mentioned, not all midfielders in Rodgers’ 4-1-4-1 formation have the same duties and responsibilities. When in possession, Ndidi is not as involved in the build-up of play to the final third and facilitation of goal-scoring chances. According to Wyscout, Ndidi is averaging a low 0.52 passes to the box per 90 and, according to Understat, he is averaging just 0.94 shots per 90 and 0.69 key passes per 90.

Instead, the 23-year-old’s main focus revolves around anchoring play from the middle third and keeping the ball in the opponent’s own half. His minimal contributions in this area of play result in more on-ball tasks for Jamie Vardy and the other four midfielders. He wins the ball back from the other team and gets it to the attackers in front of him.

Ndidi’s on-ball play is focused on receiving the ball and passing it off within seconds. He is not one whom the team can rely on to dribble past multiple players or make deep runs into space – other players like James Madison have hefty responsibilities in this component of play. Instead, his focus shifts towards being the main safety blanket for a team – a player whom teammates can go to when facing a press or in need of a switch in play. Ndidi anchors possessional play from his lone line by remaining in the center portion of the pitch and coordinating play to either the fullbacks or open midfielders in between the opponent’s lines.

What else he can add to his game

As illustrated by his success this season, Ndidi does not have any major red flags as a central defensive midfielder, which is impressive for a 23-year-old. He’s showing that he can already do the job with the best of them in the Premier League. However, there are a couple areas of improvement and things he can add to his game.

For one, Ndidi may look to improve his passing range, becoming more incisive rather than just a connector. He is currently averaging 2.8 long balls per game at a 55% success rate, which is an ample mark for a central defensive midfielder. But with a more efficient rate coupled with a higher volume of completed long balls, Ndidi could very well add an extra element to Leicester’s build-up.

He could take a page from some of the league’s other top central midfielders like Rodri, Jorginho and Fabinho’s, as they all are averaging at least 3.5 long balls per game at a minimum rate of 60% in league play this season. That trio of midfielders all complement their team’s progression to the final third as well as doing defensive work and connecting play.

Ndidi could also look to be even more efficient in winning ground duels along with being more assertive in shielding the ball away from an incoming team press, but both of these skills – which he has shown to some degree already – will likely develop with experience.

Wilfred Ndidi’s success in the Premier League to this point has shown that he has all the talent and feel for the game to be a top player. Ndidi has solidly stepped into arguably the world’s toughest league and exemplified what it means to be an all-around force as a central defensive midfielder. And he’s done it at just 23. On his current trajectory, the Nigerian international will certainly continue to blossom for this revamped Leicester City and be a target of even bigger clubs.