The ex-CSKA Moscow man has featured sparingly since joining the Foxes but he broadens Claudio Ranieri's horizons as the Italian seeks his third league win It was always going to be hard to follow up a first-ever league title, especially for a club with Leicester City's relatively modest means and history. There remains something of a sleight of hand element to that triumph, to the sight of Wes Morgan triumphant in blue, hoisting the Premier League trophy last May. Now with a seat at the table in the Champions League and a title to defend, the easy benign charm that made them the neutral’s favourite is gone. The Foxes have something to lose now, and the hounds are on the trail.
Little wonder then, that coach Claudio Ranieri sought to inject pace into the attack, notably acquiring Ahmed Musa for the purpose. That the Nigeria international has featured only sparingly since makes sense somewhat: there is not a large pool of players who have come into the English sunshine straight from the chill of Russia and immediately hit the ground running. The player himself acknowledged as much, telling The Guardian, “The Premier League is much faster than Russia – there is so much running here – but I think within a few games I will be able to adapt. Whenever the manager decides, I’ll be ready to play and give 100%.” This is all well and good, because Musa is more raw than your typical 23-year-old. He seems a victim of his own early success, in truth - winning the Golden Boot with Kano Pillars in 2010 marked his ticket, but made his strengths a bit too prominent to ignore.
When you’re flagged at such an early age as a footballer, managers are less likely to obsess over your weaknesses. The fact that his calling card is the same as main man Jamie Vardy’s has made it all the more difficult tactically to involve him. For one thing, Musa is a lot less assiduous in his defensive responsibilities and less useful in the build-up than Shinji Okazaki, with whom Vardy achieved a perfect synergy last season. Indeed, powerhouse forward Islam Slimani has already begun to put himself about; first taking Musa’s club transfer record, before then bumping him down to fourth-choice centre forward.
However, to simply replicate last season’s winning template holds no guarantees, as the champions found out to their peril against Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp’s swarm besieged Leicester, egged on by their newly enlarged home support, and for long passages in that game, Ranieri looked utterly derelict for thinking a midfield two could hold its own in a red gale. They may have bounced back admirably days after in the Champions League, but Club Brugges and a sadly waning Porto are hardly a stringent examination of their set-up. There are tougher tests to come, and surely the 64-year-old Italian has always been abundantly aware of what Musa brings to the table (as well as what he doesn’t), having courted him for six months. Were Leicester chugging along nicely, this would of course be a moot point. There is little point to fixing what is unbroken. However, the writing is on the wall for the flat 4-4-2, especially with the colossal N’Golo Kante no longer doing the work of two men.
There must be greater variety to the Foxes, and Musa’s versatility makes him a valuable asset.. Manchester United last Saturday for example, themselves in a mini-rut, was the sort of game for which the Nigeria vice-captain would have been eminently suited. He came on at half-time in their meeting in the Community Shield and turned the game with his fearless direct running. With Jose Mourinho’s side struggling for creativity centrally, and relying so overtly on set-pieces (three of their four goals came from corners), the Foxes could have done with a more direct outlet on the flanks to pin back the advancing Daley Blind and Antonio Valencia. The presence of Musa would therefore have also been an important defensive tool, keeping his full-back honest to a degree, which was one of the (admittedly many) areas where Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side made hay in the derby two weeks ago: by keeping Raheem Sterling and Nolito high and wide, the attacking impetus of the United full-backs was kept in check. It was no surprise that, when Demarai Gray (above) came on in the second period, he immediately proved the game's most dangerous player, scoring one and shifting the initiative back in the favour of the reigning champions.
It is precisely this sort of targeted, situation-specific thinking that will take Leicester to the next level. Ranieri’s side were a romantic toast last season, but now everyone takes them seriously. The presence of Musa gives them options they never had, and could be the answer to questions this squad is not used to answering.
