Three positives and three negatives from Northampton's season opener at Leicester

The Foxes, predictably, monopolised possession at the King Power Stadium but that did not translate into a significant or sustained goal threat and in the end only Caleb Okoli’s scruffy 16th-minute header separated the sides.

Compared to some of the performances that were served up towards the end of last season, this was a big step in the right direction, even if it was far from perfect.

Here are three of the biggest positives...

Pressing and organisation

It was no surprise that Leicester completely dominated the ball. They racked up nearly 80 per cent possession and attempted almost three times as many passes, but that did not translate into many chances or even shots, managing just eight in the game and only four from inside the penalty box.

Some of this would have been a result of rustiness and incoherence in their first game under Russell Martin, but a lot of it was down to the pressing, organisation, discipline and hard work of the visitors, who looked a well-coached team. Cobblers pushed high from the first whistle and should have been rewarded immediately when Harvey Saunders had the goal at his mercy just 40 seconds in.

But that set the tone for the game. Town were very effective in the way they shut down passing lanes and forced Leicester to go wide or try ambitious balls over the top. It also led to moments where the men in white nicked the ball back in dangerous areas and had Leicester backpedaling.

New signings catch the eye

A number of individuals played well but two summer signings were among the pick - full-backs Janoi Donacien and James Maxwell. Former Premier League player Stephy Mavididi hardly got anything out of Donacien on Leicester’s left, and even on the few occasions the full-back was beaten, he showed impressive pace and timing in the tackle to recover.

But Maxwell was probably the star performer for the visitors. He did all of his defensive duties to a good level while also making some excellent runs down the left. He offered an outlet in attack and got into good crossing positions.

As for the others, Harvey Saunders’ intensity and energy was impressive, Matty Warhurst had one or two nice moments off the bench, and Lee Evans produced a couple of quality passes during his short cameo.

Glimpses of attacking fluidity

Cobblers did not create many chances in this game but that does not mean they didn’t get into some good positions. On numerous occasions they found themselves breaking in numbers and forcing Leicester back. Maxwell, Perkins, List and Saunders in particular linked well at different times down the left. It’s going to take time for partnerships to really blossom but the early signs were there.

As for the negatives...

Defensive set-pieces

Town conceded to two free-kicks in their final pre-season friendly so it was not ideal to start the campaign by giving away a soft goal from a corner. It’s still not clear how Okoli’s seemingly tame header managed to find its way into the net but it did and that was enough to win the game. Goalkeeper Zach Jeacock showed good intent to come for corners but his judgement was hit and miss and Leicester won a few first contacts. This is something that should improve as the season goes on - and it very much needs to given how important set-pieces are in League Two.

Attacking set-pieces

For obvious reasons Cobblers did not have a load of attacking set-pieces in this game but they did win five corners and a couple of free-kicks. However, they did not look especially dangerous from any of them, Guthrie's half chance aside. One of the issues was the delivery, which was not put into a dangerous area enough. Town could do with one of their remaining signings being someone who can take a good set-piece, although it’s worth mentioning that Lee Evans did put in a late corner which was one of the better deliveries in the game.

Lack of cutting edge

No-one would expect this to be resolved immediately given how much of a struggle it became last season, and generally there were encouraging moments. But decision-making, composure and quality in the final third meant promising situations fizzled out and in the end Cobblers only took four shots in the game. Again, in theory, the cohesion and fluidity of the team should only get better the more they play together, especially with more signings to come, not to mention having Logan Briggs and Matty Warhurst in the starting XI.

Summary

Overall, this was definitely an encouraging afternoon. Sure, it's only the first step and there's a long way to go as Cobblers begin the rebuilding process after last season, but the organisation and discipline of the side was a big improvement and that, if nothing else, is a start. League Two games are obviously not going to look like playing Leicester City away and Hogg’s side will be tested in different ways in the weeks to come, but this was a step in the right direction.