What changed for Leicester in their win over Liverpool

Gary Neville explains how Leicester switched from a struggling side to one reminiscent of last season's title winners in the victory over Liverpool...

"It's all about mentality and ability and players will decide whether they want to play or whether they don't. They've decided tonight they want to play," said Gary Neville on Monday Night Football.
Leicester were a team transformed against Liverpool. Just four days after Claudio Ranieri was sacked, the defending Premier League champions - who started the night in the relegation zone - produced a performance reminiscent of the high-intensity displays which powered them to the title last season.The Foxes had lost their last five in the Premier League but, under the management of interim boss Craig Shakespeare, scored their first goal in 637 minutes of
top-flight football with a trademark move, as Marc Albrighton released Jamie Vardy to net for the first time in the Premier League since December 10.

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Danny Drinkwater made it two on 39 minutes with a stunning volley to underline Leicester's superiority, before Vardy capped a fine Leicester move to put them three clear on the hour mark. Philippe Coutinho's response was nothing more than a consolation.
So what changed for Leicester? Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville told Monday Night Football there were a combination of factors at play, including Liverpool's tactics benefiting Vardy.
"They just worked harder. It's as simple as that," Neville said.

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"Liverpool played right into Vardy's hands. What teams have done all season, in terms of denying him space behind, going deep, Liverpool split the full-backs and left a very slow centre-back on the left-hand side in Lucas Leiva exposed and he actually had the space to run into. It was poor by Liverpool, because they forgot how teams played against Leicester this season.
"Tactically, there's no doubt Leicester got back into shape. I also mentioned two or three weeks ago that I felt Jamie Vardy needed to get back to being a non-league centre forward. You're not asking for rocket science from these lads.

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"But the best quality they've got is their endeavour, their work ethic, their passion, their fierce spirit for the game they've shown in the last 18 months. It has deserted them in the last three or four months. Part of it has been down to confidence, they've had sandbags in their legs because of the weight of it, part of it is because there's definitely been something going on with the manager behind the scenes, there is no smoke without fire.
"My view on it was that was a completely different level of performance. Our eyes don't lie. In the Manchester United match the other week, the spirit of those Leicester players, they were walking around the pitch. They never once at any point in that game tonight walked. They were at it all night, every single one of them."
However, Neville pointed out that change in Leicester's intensity was not necessarily inspired by caretaker boss Shakespeare but by the players' desire to make it happen.
"I don't understand this switching on the tap, the idea that one day you can work hard, the next day you don't," he said. "I do get the confidence thing, I do get the idea of being weighed down but I don't get the idea of this huge shift we've seen in the last three days.

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"Shakespeare is not a magician, he's not been able to do that in two or three days. He may be able to influence them over a long period of time but no coach can do anything in three days that can make your players do that.
"That's the players. The players have made that decision tonight, with huge encouragement from a Liverpool team who exposed themselves like you shouldn't do against Leicester."