In a superb season for Leicester City so far, there have been some standout performers. Jamie Vardy is the Premier League’s joint-top goalscorer, James Maddison has been the chief creator, Wilfried Ndidi has held things together in midfield and Caglar Soyuncu has become a fan favourite at the heart of the defence.
Ricardo Pereira is a Top Premier League Defender
Underrated
Yet there is another player at the club who, perhaps unexpectedly, has outshone them all. Ricardo Pereira has been a model of consistency not only this season, but since he joined Leicester from FC Porto for £22m in the summer of 2018. He does not draw the myriad of plaudits of his fellow team-mates or other players in the Premier League but the stats show that he is right up there with the best and Brendan Rodgers knows it.
“I’ve got a brilliant player. He’s so low maintenance. The intensity he plays the game, that’s how he trains,” said the Leicester boss after Pereira’s winner sealed a 1-0 win over Birmingham in the FA Cup. “He always wants to get better, he wants to learn, his defending has got better, and then going forward he’s such a threat, whether that’s his crossing or looking to come in behind.
“He showed his power in his jump for the goal, it was a great header. He’s jumping against a centre-half from a standing jump. It was a great ball by Marc (Albrighton) to keep it in play and it was a great header to win the game. He’s up there with the really top right-backs at this level, and he’s consistently been first class.”
Pereira has proven to be a particularly effective weapon when it comes to Leciester’s attacks. His relentless runs down the right flank have been imperative in giving Rodgers’ side width and an extra option going forward. His presence has also provided space for the likes of Vardy, Maddison and Ayoze Perez due to opposition teams now paying particular attention on nullifying the right-back’s influence.
It was telling when West Ham manager David Moyes played two left-backs in Arthur Masuaku and Aaron Cresswell in order to weaken the threat of Pereira during their 4-1 defeat to the Foxes at the King Power Stadium in January. It didn’t matter, the Portuguese still dominated, scoring one and assisting another. On current form, he is a hard man to stop.
Since his arrival, Pereira has played more minutes in the league for Leicester than any other outfield player and it is easy to see why. He is a menace going forward. Of defenders to have played more than ten games in the league this season – only Matt Doherty and Virgil Van Dijk (both four) have scored more goals.
In addition, Pereira has created 14 big chances since the start of the 2018/19 campaign – a stat bettered only by Liverpool duo Trent Alexander-Arnold (26), Andy Robertson (24) and Everton left-back Lucas Digne (20) when it comes to Premier League defenders. In the same time frame, Pereira has also completed the most dribbles (174) of any defender in the top flight.
The 26-year-old has become a dream for Leicester but a nightmare for opposition sides as his pace, athleticism, trickery and skill on the ball continues to have a crucial influence in the way the Foxes want to play their attacking football. And with the superb Ndidi shielding of the defence with his tireless work off the ball, Pereira has had more of a license than ever to influence matches in attack.
Yet what makes Pereira so impressive is that he is not one-dimensional – he is an excellent defender too. After initial difficulties in adapting to the Premier League’s notorious physicality, the right-back has now become a reliable defensive performer.
His consistency, along with fellow defenders Soyuncu, Jonny Evans and Ben Chilwell, has been crucial to Leicester, despite a recent wobble, having one of the best defensive records in the Premier League this season – only Liverpool and Sheffield United have conceded fewer goals.
Pereira’s defensive numbers tell the story. No Premier League player has made more successful tackles than him (117) this season, with the next best being Manchester United’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka on 91. What’s more, among defenders in the top flight, the Portugal international ranks first for total passes blocked (31), joint-first for last-man tackles (3) and seventh for interceptions (47).
When it comes to front foot defending, Pereira is ideal for how Rodgers wants his team to defend. A feature of Leicester’s work off the ball has been an emphasis on winning possession high up the field and while the likes of Vardy, Maddison, Perez and Harvey Barnes produce relentless energy when it comes to pressing off the ball, Pereira’s preference to win back possession high up the field helps Leicester suffocate teams, especially those who opt to play out from the back.
Pereira’s consistent excellence is certainly not undervalued at The King Power Stadium. He won the club’s player of the season award for 2018/19 and will no doubt be a strong contender to win it again this season. Curiously though, he has only won seven caps for his country and is rarely talked about when it comes to the best defenders in Europe or even the Premier League. Perhaps longevity is required first before such a judgment is made.
With Leicester on track to qualify for the Champions League this season, there is a good chance that we will see Pereira come up against Europe’s best and seeing whether he can sustain his superb form will be interesting viewing. One thing is for sure, however. Pereira’s performances prove that he is now one of the finest Premier League defenders around.
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