Five At The Back Suiting Simpson

Alongside skipper Wes Morgan, Huth and Upson add considerable experience to the City side. That, coupled with Mark Schwarzer in goal and Paul Konchesky on the left side have given Simpson great encouragement as he looks to build on some impressive displays himself. 

First employed in the narrow 2-1 defeat away at Arsenal, and again in the 2-2 draw with Everton, the system could well come into play again when City attempt to take points from the league champions. 

“It’s worked out without us working too much on it,” Simpson told Foxes Player. “The players that we’ve got seem to have taken to it pretty well. 

“Obviously in the Arsenal game we played pretty well, and the Everton game too. I think it’s working out well. I think we’ve got the experience of the three players that have come in alongside Wes [Morgan] – Matty [Upson], Rob [Huth] and Schwarz (Mark Schwarzer). 

“Then me and Konch (Paul Koncheksy) will run and put in 100% for the team. That’s not so much as a wing back, because we’ve had Riyad [Mahrez] and Jeff [Schlupp] playing, then Nuge (David Nugent) and Vards (Jamie Vardy) too doing the attacking bits. I think it’s worked pretty well.” 

The experienced right-back joined the Foxes in the summer from fellow promoted side Queens Park Rangers, and after having to be patient in the first half of the season, seems to have seized his chance in the side over recent weeks. 

And with the added defensive numbers, he’s delighted to have been able to showcase a more attacking edge to his game. 

He said: “If I’m honest, I always look at the clips afterwards, and my average position is a lot higher with five at the back, so I’ve had more opportunities to join in and get crosses in because we’ve got that added protection behind us. 

“When you’ve got four at the back, you’ve got to do your defensive duties first, but we’ve been able to push on more.”