Leicester City battled to a shorthanded draw with Manchester United and then subsequently struggled in a loss to Watford and showed signs of fatigue after a busy run of matches. There were, however, a few players who still impressed despite the tired legs:

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Marc Albrighton: Albrighton took a while to get into form this season, but appears to be at his best once again. He provided a stellar match-saving assist in the dying moments of the Manchester United match. His cross into the box lofted beautifully over the defense and onto Harry Maguire’s foot for the equalizer. Against Watford, Albrighton provided another pinpoint cross from a similar area to Riyad Mahrez’s head for the opener. When he’s in form like this, his crosses are some of the deadliest weapons at City’s disposal.

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Wilfred Ndidi: Wilf had a tough match against Crystal Palace. A pair of ill-advised yellows saw him sent off early and sink the Foxes’ chances at a comeback. Realistically, however, they would have probably lost the match anyway given their poor form throughout, and it allowed him some rest after previously being ever-present. As a result he returned rejuvinated and in good form. Against Watford he was one of the only Foxes to put in consistent effort for the entire duration of the match. This resulted in a typically disruptive defensive perofrmance on his part. He tallied five clearances, four tackles, two interceptions, and one block in that game.

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Set-piece defending: This is a problem that looks like is not going away. It has been a significant pitfall for the Foxes since last season and is only getting worse over recent weeks. An inability to properly mark the right men or even clear the ball has resulted in several points dropped by City in this busy stretch of games. In the last two matches alone, poor set-piece defending has been responsible dropped points. With Morgan, Maguire, and Iborra’s size, though, there is hope for a change in the future.

Kasper Schmeichel: The Dane had a rough pair of matches this week. Against United, he was slow to react to Juan Mata’s free-kick goal that was potentially within his range. In fairness, he may have been unable to see the ball until it passed the wall, but he was planted formly in his spot which delayed his reaction. Against Watford, he allowed an even uglier goal. In fact, he was even credited with an own-goal as he allowed a square ball from a tight angle to bounce off his body and into his own net. From a keeper who is usually superhuman in his shot-stopping, these efforts are significantly below what is expected.

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