Rick Passmoor's Leicester City: Formation, style of play and key players
Tactical deep dives on all 12 Barclays Women's Super League sides from The Cutback and Football Manager
The Cutback has partnered with Football Manager to deliver a series of articles that go deeper on the tactics and gameplay of the world’s leading football management simulation game.
This year, women’s football features in Football Manager for the very first time, so to get fans ready for a brand new experience, The Cutback has put together the ultimate insights on FM26. Find out about the secrets of building FM26, dive into the tactical details of all 12 Barclays Women’s Super League sides and hear about the next gen talent that will feature in the game.
The next team to be profiled in this deep dives series is Leicester City.
Formation
Leicester City’s summer was turbulent. Amandine Miquel was dismissed just before the new campaign kicked off and Rick Passmoor stepped in, initially as interim coach, before being named on a permanent basis in October.
Further complexity came from a frantic deadline day that delivered experience in Emily van Egmond and Rosella Ayane, plus two younger additions, Olivia McLoughlin, all joining with minimal lead‑time to integrate.
Structurally, Passmoor has alternated between a 4‑2‑3‑1 and a 5-4-1. Up front, Noemie Mouchon has been deployed as a traditional centre forward, while behind her Hannah Cain often pushes forward from the midfield to operate as an advanced forward, occupying centre‑backs and adding attacking depth.
Shannon O’Brien is also used as an attacking midfielder, though Jutta Rantala, who had only just returned from a long-term injury before unfortunately undergoing surgery in November last year, is usually the long-term starter in this slot. Rantala offers the side’s highest technical ceiling and the ability to knit moves at the edge of the box.
The double pivot of Van Egmond and Sam Tierney is designed for physical presence: Van Egmond as a box‑to‑box midfielder covering large distances and breaking lines.
In possession: Under Passmoor, Leicester favour a more direct and vertical approach. The attacking midfielder is the key reference between the lines, receiving on the half‑turn and refining actions around the edge of the area. Progression typically starts wide, especially against high-pressing teams like Manchester United. The wing‑backs are tasked with receiving from the central defenders or goalkeeper and carrying play up the flanks, supported inside by the midfielders, offering options for quick give-and-go combinations.
In their direct counter-attack style of play, offensive transitions are vital, both for creating scoring opportunities and for easing the defensive line’s workload, allowing the team to catch their breath. Leicester approaches these moments with intent and structure, pushing forward with multiple players. Their main strategies involve either playing direct balls in behind to the forwards, taking advantage of their speed and ability to drive toward goal, or relying on one striker to hold up play and crash the box late, enabling teammates, particularly the other striker and the attacking midfielder/box-to-box, to join the attack effectively.
Out of possession: Last season Leicester relied on a compact 4‑4‑2 mid‑block, engaging in little pressing and largely content to protect central areas. This year, under Passmoor, the approach has shifted in a more counter‑intuitive direction: without the ball they show a much more positive posture, pressing higher and often adopting near man‑oriented references. Even in a difficult fixture like the away opener against Manchester United, the team committed to pushing lines up the pitch. The pressing involves the whole side. The strike pair initiate pressure on United’s centre‑backs, while the midfield step aggressively to follow their direct opponents, tracking the pivots deep into United’s half. Behind them, the defensive line also holds extremely high, often level with the midfield, creating a bold compactness across the middle third. The intent is clear: to use Leicester’s physicality to win the ball high and generate immediate attacking opportunities. In moments, this plan worked, with players like Cain, Van Egmond and Tierney forcing turnovers in dangerous areas.
The downside, however, was visible in Manchester: once United bypassed the first press, Leicester were left with large gaps behind their wingbacks and between midfield and defence. This exposure led to multiple negative transitions, with United exploiting space directly for goals and chances. Given these risks, it would not be surprising to see a recalibration of this defensive phase in the coming matches and the introduction of a more structured out of possession shape, perhaps blending their new aggressive posture with elements of last season’s more conservative block.
Key players:
Jutta Rantala – Rantala is Leicester’s most technical player and their main source of creativity. Playing between the lines, she adds fluency in the final third through short combinations, disguised passes and quick tempo changes. Her quality on the ball offers solutions when space is tight, while her sharp finishing and set-piece ability bring a direct goal threat. As the player most capable of unlocking compact defences, her return is vital, and Leicester’s chances of survival will depend heavily on her influence in key attacking moments. In November, she underwent surgery for a knee injury.
Emily Van Egmond – Van Egmond’s experience and leadership anchor the rebuild. She supplies vertical carries, covers vast spaces, and times late box entries to support the front line. Her mix of work rate and good football IQ stabilises a double pivot still developing chemistry, and provides her teammates with constant passing options. As a box‑to‑box, she has to link phases, raise the team’s physical threshold in central areas, and cover for teammates while being aggressive in pressing and counter-pressing. A difficult role that only someone with quality and experience can fulfil, her performances will be key in maximising points for Leicester.