Plymouth Argyle got their first league win of the season at the weekend, and it was a hugely encouraging victory to boot.
Tom Cleverley’s Pilgrims faced one of the toughest possible tests at this early stage of the season. They took on Bradford City, the only League One side to boast a 100% record from their opening two games of the campaign. Whilst it wasn’t an encounter full of chances, Argyle had the edge, won the key moments, and secured the win through two excellent left-footed finishes from Julio Pleguezuelo and Harvey White.
It was timely. Not only does it lift Argyle out of the relegation zone (as much as that’s relevant in August), it also provides a boost in confidence heading into two away games in the space of a few days. A trip to Doncaster Rovers will come at the weekend, but that’s preceded by Tuesday night’s visit to Leicester City, champions of the land just a decade ago and FA Cup winners in 2021.
Leicester are now in the third tier for just the second season in their existence, and naturally this was one many looked out for when the fixture list was released back in June. In theory, Leicester’s illustrious recent past should make this one of the most difficult games of the season. Will it be? Let’s delve in.
Style of play
When a club changes its head coach over the summer, it can occasionally be difficult to pinpoint their exact style in the first few games of the campaign. This is not one of those occasions. Russell Martin has shown throughout his managerial career that he has clear and distinct preferences, and he’s showing no sign that he intends to change his ways.
In all situations they will pass, pass and pass some more.
Leicester are going to try and keep the ball. In all situations they will pass, pass and pass some more, hoping that extreme patience will eventually allow them to create openings. Yes, it’s early, but the Foxes’ average possession of 72.6% is easily the highest in League One. Additionally, five of the league’s top ten players for passes completed per 90 minutes all play for Leicester.
That desire to keep possession starts right from the back. Martin lines up with a back four but, as weird as it sounds, that can look like a back five when Leicester have the ball. That’s because the goalkeeper is expected to step up and offer a passing option, with Martin believing the ‘keeper’s presence in attacking moves allows his team to consistently have an extra man. 36-year-old Alex McCarthy has struggled with the role, which perhaps explains why Jakub Stolarczyk started Saturday’s draw in Milton Keynes.
The centre backs will be expected to follow that pattern, with Martin requiring them to pass short rather than lumping it downfield or playing long balls into the channels. Harry Souttar seems a likely starter, provided he hasn’t been sold before kick-off. Alongside him, Caleb Okoli will probably get the nod if fit, with Luke Thomas switching from his familiar left back role if he isn’t.
The full backs – Thomas or Christian McFarlane on the left and Jayden Joseph or Olabade Aluko on the right – will of course be expected to follow that passing game. However, they can do so from a more advanced position, with both known to invert regularly.
It can lead to them forming a bank of three alongside a deep-lying midfielder. Oliver Skipp would usually play that role, but his red card against Burton Albion means he’s suspended here. Therefore, expect to see either Hamza Choudhury (though he too is linked with a move away late in the window) or Louis Page playing from the start on Tuesday night.
Martin’s shape on paper is a 4-3-3, allowing for two creative attacking midfielders to sit ahead of the single pivot. Academy graduate Sammy Braybrooke has played every minute there in the league so far this season, with other options including Liam Cullen and former Argyle loanee Bobby De Cordova-Reid. Conor Chaplin, however, is unlikely to be available, given he went off injured in the first half on Saturday.
Finally, there’s the front three. Wes Burns appears to have the edge over Brighton and Hove Albion loanee Harry Howell on the right, whilst it’s a straight fight to start on the left between Will Alves and Tommy Watson, another borrowed from Brighton. If Martin wants to line up with a focal point up front (and he probably should), Admir Bristric is likely to lead the line. If not, we may well see De Cordova-Reid taking on this role.
It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see the Greens’ possession figure come in below 25%.
Argyle know exactly what to expect. They need to be prepared to work hard without the ball, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see the Greens’ possession figure come in below 25%. Given what we know about this team, and the away wins they’ve secured in the past, they won’t mind that in the slightest.
Strengths
When assessing what makes Leicester strong, and the reason why many had them as League One title favourites before a ball was kicked, we should take some time to appreciate the individual quality in their ranks. With Tuesday’s game also coinciding with the transfer deadline, Leicester’s squad may have altered by the time you’re reading this. However, there will still be incredible strength in their ranks this season regardless.
Souttar played every minute in Australia’s run to the round of 32 at this summer’s World Cup.
Let’s start at the back and work our way forward. In the heart of defence, Souttar is a player I’ve often admired. He was the subject of a £15 million transfer when he joined the Foxes back in 2023. Arguably, he hasn’t been quite the same player since rupturing his Achilles tendon on loan at Sheffield United, he still played every minute in Australia’s run to the round of 32 at this summer’s World Cup. He’s clearly too good for League One.
Then there’s the quality in midfield. Skipp, bought for £20 million just two years ago, may be suspended, but it’s not as if Choudhury is an inadequate replacement. The tough-tackling Bangladesh international featured in the successful FA Cup final in 2021, has over 50 Premier League appearances to his name, and played in the top flight as recently as 2024. If he is indeed the man chosen to feature on Tuesday, Argyle should expect a difficult evening.
For me though, Leicester’s individual quality is most apparent in attack. The Foxes have an embarrassment of riches in the forward areas which is surely the envy of every other manager in the division.
Despite his numerous loan spells at Home Park now being over a decade old, Argyle fans know all about De Cordova-Reid. His total of Premier League appearances dwarfs Choudhury’s, with the Jamaica international playing over 150 games in the top flight. Across his career, De Cordova-Reid has a total of 102 goal contributions (65 goals, 37 assists) in England’s top two tiers. It seems remarkable that he may not even start on Tuesday.
Another player with absurd quality for this level is Burns. He played Premier League football as recently as 2025, with his run in Ipswich Town’s team that year only ended by a serious knee injury. Nonetheless, he returned to the fold, and barely four months ago scored a crucial goal against Southampton as the Tractor Boys won promotion back to the top flight. Now, Burns is back in the third tier.
Watson is another player with experience of scoring key goals for teams chasing promotion to the Premier League. It was he who scored a last-minute winner for Sunderland in the Championship play-off final at the end of 2024/25. That was his last act for Sunderland before moving to Brighton for £10 million. In normal circumstances (by which I mean dealing with a club without an absurdly large budget), the fact he’s spending the season in the third tier would be seen as astonishing. In many ways, it still is.
All of this is before I even mention Wout Faes, who played for Monaco last season, and Stephy Mavididi, two more players who are far too good for League One. Both are still on the books at Leicester, but Martin hasn’t been playing them, with the expectation that both will be sold by Tuesday’s deadline. However, he hasn’t ruled out one or both staying either; if acceptable offers aren’t forthcoming, the game against Argyle could be the ideal opportunity to reintegrate them into the side.
Leicester have the biggest budget in the league, and on paper their squad is by far the strongest. It’d probably take a generational clown to fail to win promotion working with these abundant resources. Which brings us onto…
Weaknesses
It’s possible that Russell Martin is a generational clown. And no, I don’t mean that about the man himself. I admire him for his charitable work, and he’s clearly batting above his average on a personal level. As a football manager though, I think there’s a reasonable argument that the game has evolved beyond his methods.
Some managers are unfairly accused of not having a plan B, but for Martin that is a completely reasonable criticism.
It’s one thing to have courage in your convictions, and it’s an admirable trait in many circumstances. In Martin’s case though, it can quickly become damaging stubbornness. Some managers are unfairly accused of not having a plan B, but for Martin that is a completely reasonable criticism.
Take his Leicester team as a good example. They’ve completed more passes than anyone, they keep the ball with lovely little triangles between their goalkeeper and centre backs, and often have their opponents chasing shadows for the vast majority of the game. They’ve also scored just twice in 270 minutes of third-tier football.
And it’s not as if Leicester can claim that underlying data is in their favour, and that things are set to turn around in time. Sure, their 3.6 xG is above their number of total goals, but it still only ranks 11th in League One. Additionally, only two teams in the league – Burton and AFC Wimbledon – have had fewer Opta-defined big chances than Leicester’s three. For a team with such talent on the books, it isn’t nearly good enough.
There is a fine line between playing thrilling “tiki taka” style football and being dull and impotent. Right now, Leicester fall firmly into the latter category. The club’s goal will be for the team to gel over time, and eventually see Martin’s methods pay dividends; he’s undeniably had some success in the past. In the immediate future though, it could be a good time to play the Foxes.
Leicester’s attacking issues are compounded by problems at the back. They’re clearly instructed to invite the opposition to press and play around them, and at the moment there are teething issues. Leicester have already made five mistakes leading directly to shots across their first three league games. If that rate continues, they’ll end up making around 77 such mistakes across a 46-game season. For context, Argyle made 23 in the league last year.
Football goes through phases, and there’s every chance Martin will have success in the future, but at the moment it looks like the sport has left his style behind.
Martin will have absolutely no desire to make a change, and that stubbornness has cost him in the past. His refusal to adapt his style of play led to his Southampton side looking completely out of place in the Premier League, and he predictably lost his job. Meanwhile, his 123-day spell in charge of Rangers in Scotland was an unmitigated disaster. Football goes through phases, and there’s every chance Martin will have success in the future, but at the moment it looks like the sport has left his style behind.
However it works out for Martin long-term, Argyle know their job in the immediate future. They’ve played teams like Leicester before and won, so they know they can soak up pressure and pounce on any mistakes. Do that, and they’ll give themselves every chance of securing what would be another famous victory against the Foxes.
Prediction
I have two very distinct schools of thought on this game, and they are in direct competition with each other. On one hand, Leicester have so much quality in their ranks that they will surely thrash someone in this league eventually, and it could well be Argyle. Alternatively, Martin’s style of play feels tailor-made for this Argyle side to take advantage of and win.
Ultimately, I’m torn between a 3-0 victory for the hosts and a 1-0 triumph for the travelling Green Army. And in these circumstances, why not let delirium and optimism come out on top?
Leicester City 0-1 Plymouth Argyle
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