How Leicester City could look if Marti Cifuentes is appointed - 3 changes are likely | OneFootball

Marti Cifuentes has emerged as a shock favourite in the race to become Leicester City's next manager.

Marti Cifuentes has emerged as a shock favourite in the race to become Leicester City's next manager.

The former QPR boss left Loftus Road by mutual consent earlier in the off-season, and is the latest name to be strongly linked to the vacant hot seat at the King Power Stadium.

Ex-Burnley and Everton manager Sean Dyche, Sheffield Wednesday's Danny Rohl, and former Wolverhampton Wanderers head coach Gary O'Neil have all been tied to the role, but Cifuentes is now the name that looks the most likely to sign on the dotted line.

If the Spaniard does join the Foxes, supporters could expect to see some tactical tweaks from the style employed by Ruud van Nistelrooy in his doomed spell in charge.

Marti Cifuentes could bring back Enzo Maresca style

No contact has yet been made to QPR for Cifuentes, according to The Independent, while TalkSPORT have reported that the Catalonia-born football coach is in prime position to take up the vacancy at Leicester.

If he does join the Foxes, then a tweak in the team's style of play would be expected. It would return Leicester to a system similar to that current Chelsea boss Maresca enforced when he was at the helm.

At QPR, Cifuentes usually deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation, with a focus on short passes and dominating the pace of a game being at the centre of his designs. He struggled to achieve that with the London-based side at times, with their possession statistics by no means standing out.

But, with a top team, who will have a squad much better than others in the division, he has the chance to embed that. The style will fall back in line with what Meresca became known for, showcasing the headline-grabbing 'modern' format of playing the game in a not-direct way.

Leicester City could dominate the ball again

The importance Cifuentes places on possession will allow Leicester to dominate the ball once again, something that they understandably lacked in their relegation from the Premier League under van Nistelrooy.

The Foxes averaged 45.3% possession during the most recent term, according to Fotmob data, with that ranking as the fifth lowest in the top-flight.

QPR averaged a similar 46.6% in the 2024/25 term, ranking as the 17th-highest, again according to Fotmob. There is an expectation that players who are at the top end of their level, Cifuentes would be able to push these numbers up to the levels he managed in roles on continental Europe.

QPR reign shows flexibility in approach

What Cifuentes shows in being able to shift his style to suit the team he has at his disposal is a flexibility. That approach would likely carry over to Leicester, with the 43-year-old being able to alter his plans based upon the squad he sees in front of him.

That would be similar to van Nistelrooy, who altered the Foxes system when the opponents demanded it, for example offering a more solid defence when facing the top teams in the Premier League.