Leicester City is the one-punch Conor McGregor knockout of the Premier League

Leicester City is a blast to watch, but their style of play is directly associated with English soccer in a way that is totally derogatory. When one thinks of an “English” style of play, they think of the basic principles behind what Leicester does. A 4-4-2 formation, two well-organized banks of four defenders, prioritizing shape over possession, playing direct balls to the strikers. It’s become synonymous with crap soccer, or everything that’s wrong with the sport in England.

The reason it’s associated with crap soccer, though, is down to what teams who play that way usually do with the ball when they get it. In the case of the style’s most famous practitioner, former Stoke City and current West Bromwich Albion manager Tony Pulis, has his players clear the ball to the flanks or to the head of a giant target man. Leicester doesn’t do that at all -- they attack on the ground, with speed and numbers. Teams that play this style also generally have no room for showboating, nutmegging stepover artists like Riyad Mahrez. There’s no one else in the Premier League like Leicester. They’re a new breed of the stereotypical “unwatchable, typical English team” that couldn’t be more entertaining.

There is no mental state for a player to be in more damaging than being afraid of screwing up, and it’s something the Foxes make opponents feel constantly. While Leicester is pretty short on top defensive talent and certainly don’t look as well-drilled as a Pulis side positionally, they’re almost as effective defensively because they’re able to inflict this mindset. You can play with no fear against a truly negative team because your mistakes are unlikely to lead to conceded goals. Against Leicester, they almost certainly will.

And that’s what makes Leicester so spectacular to watch. They’re not just in control when they don’t have the ball, but threatening. Watching them look for a chance to get stuck into a tackle or jump a passing lane so they can go box-to-box in an instant produces the same feeling of anticipation as a 50-pass Barcelona move. You’re waiting, waiting, waiting, knowing the decisive action is coming, knowing that the other team might be very screwed. Then the big moment happens -- a mesmerizing one-two combination in Barca’s case, a crunching N’Golo Kante tackle in Leicester’s -- and then the defense is panicked and scrambling. They don’t know what to do, they’re just flailing. They concede the goal. They look to the sky for guidance.

But there’s one big difference between the reaction to getting scored on by Barca and getting scored on by Leicester. Barcelona goals feel inevitable. There is no confusion on the defenders’ faces, because they know exactly why the ball is in the back of the net -- it’s because they’re playing against the most talented group of players the world has ever seen. They were always going to need some combination of the game of their lives and spectacular luck to keep a clean sheet.

When Leicester scores? All of the defenders have the same reaction.

“What the hell just happened?”

When you’re watching them backed up in their own half, organized, you’re anticipating them pouncing on a mistake and making it into a scoring chance instead of moaning about how dull they are. Leicester City is the one-punch Conor McGregor knockout to Barca or Bayern Munich’s steady Floyd Mayweather-like domination. Opponents look at them and see a fluke. They know they’re the better team. And then Leicester puts them on their ass.