It’s been a sensational season for Leicester City so far, who are threatening to break records on their quest to return to the Premier League.
Enzo Maresca arrived in the summer and the expert tactician instantly sprinkled his total footballing philosophy onto the rest of the Championship.
It’s a philosophy that has dragged Leicester into pole position to return to the top flight with a squad of players who have been revolutionised since the Italian’s arrival.
The defensive trio of Mads Hermansen, Wout Faes and Jannik Vestergaard have formed the backbone of their strong defence.
Harry Winks and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall have performed out of their skin in midfield while the likes of Abdul Fatawu and Stephy Mavididi have struck fear into Championship defences.
It’s been a season of improvement for Leicester but there are a few players who have failed to follow that trend.
Here are three players who need to improve for the Foxes in 2024…
Cesare Casadei
Cesare Casadei arrived on loan from Chelsea in the summer on the back of an exceptional performance at the U20 World Cup.
The Italian youngster was in blistering form during that tournament and ended it as the top scorer with an impressive seven goals from midfield.
Arriving at the King Power when his stock was its highest, big things were expected from the 20-year-old, but it hasn’t gone as he would have hoped so far.
The £7k-a-week flop has struggled to dislodge any of Wilfried Ndidi, Winks and Dewsbury-Hall this term and has spent the majority of his time occupying the substitutes bench.
Indeed, he’s only started in six of his 17 Championship outings and hasn’t shown enough quality to suggest he was worth acquiring.
If he is to earn a regular spot in the first team, he must improve upon his performance levels in 2024.
Conor Coady
When Conor Coady was acquired from Premier League side Wolves in the summer, many were shocked that he chose to drop down a level, as they thought he could still play top-flight football.
On the evidence of his season so far, they were wrong about the 30-year-old.
Although an injury hampered the beginning of his campaign, he’s since struggled to break into Maresca’s plans.
This is largely down to the unbreakable partnership that Faes and Vestergaard have built, but also the fact that Maresca has used a four-at-the-back system.
Coady has played his best football in the middle of a back three, almost as a Libero, who strides out from defence with the ball and sprays passes short or long.
With Maresca continuing to play his variation of a 4-3-3, the former Everton star will find it difficult to dislodge his current defensive pairing.
And considering they shelled out £7.5 million for him, he’s proven to be a real waste so far and needs to step up his game to repay that price tag in 2024.
Kelechi Iheanacho
Kelechi Iheanacho was regarded as one of the best strikers at Championship level when Leicester were relegated.
However, he’s only returned five goals in 18 appearances and a disappointing total of 10 across the calendar year.
For someone who possesses such pedigree and quality, those are disappointing numbers that Iheanacho must improve upon in 2024.
After losing his place in the team to Patson Daka following illness, the Nigerian – who is unavailable when his nation goes to the Africa Cup of Nations in January – must step it up to win his place back and prove his quality.