Leicester City (H) Post Match Thread

[mancity1]

Txiki isn't the only person involved with the transfers and it doesn't help that the targets aren't willing to sign for City in the first place or is beyond the price the club is willing to pay for the player. If that is the case then blame Khaldoon as well.

My comments related to all personnel.

They are all employees and they have to evolve and stay ahead of the pack in all facets of the operation.

If they do not then the team falls behind its competition.

Individually we have some quality in this team and its part of the reason we start favourite in the vast majority of games we play but its a team game and we are well short of where the owner wants us to be and I am sure the vast majority of supporters want us to be at present.

These impediments have to be worked through and good operators do it day in day out.

Not all players will be an instant hit and not all will end up improving the first team but if over a considerable period of time the team regresses on field then you have work through the reasons why and fix it.

We have been asleep at the wheel for at least 3 years by my reckoning now and yesterday was a timely reminder of that.

Its easy to say we won the titles going back two and three seasons ago are say all was rosy in the garden buts its when you are on top that you plan for tomorrow and we have not done that.

Plenty of talent becomes available each window at affordable prices otherwise activity would be limited.

Imagine if you could only sign free agents or delisted players as it primarily is in competitions like the AFL whose revenue cannot be redistributed to allow anything else at club level.

if we don't have the operators who can do the deals then we have to replace them with those that can.

 

[RayCTID]

My comments related to all personnel.

They are all employees and they have to evolve and stay ahead of the pack in all facets of the operation.

If they do not then the team falls behind its competition.

Individually we have some quality in this team and its part of the reason we start favourite in the vast majority of games we play but its a team game and we are well short of where the owner wants us to be and I am sure the vast majority of supporters want us to be at present.

These impediments have to be worked through and good operators do it day in day out.

Not all players will be an instant hit and not all will end up improving the first team but if over a considerable period of time the team regresses on field then you have work through the reasons why and fix it.

We have been asleep at the wheel for at least 3 years by my reckoning now and yesterday was a timely reminder of that.

Its easy to say we won the titles going back two and three seasons ago are say all was rosy in the garden buts its when you are on top that you plan for tomorrow and we have not done that.

Plenty of talent becomes available each window at affordable prices otherwise activity would be limited.

Imagine if you could only sign free agents or delisted players as it primarily is in competitions like the AFL whose revenue cannot be redistributed to allow anything else at club level.

if we don't have the operators who can do the deals then we have to replace them with those that can.

It doesn't help when the players get two lengthy injuries during their spell,targets are missed for various reasons and the rest doesn't meet certain criteria.

 

[mancity1]

Pep mentioned multiple time how anxious and nervous the players got.

2nd league game, we play at home, vs Leicester City, and players get extremely anxious/nervous even after dominating possession for 30 minutes and Leicester not creating any kind of chance until the first pen.

Something is fucking wrong with the mentality if seasoned pros get so nervous in a game like this.

Imagine how nervous they might have been vs Lyon where stakes were so much higher than in latest game. How nervous
Pep must have been t change his tactics completely for Lyon and have it backfired...

They should be fearless lions or sharks not nervous dogs.

They dont know what to do on the pitch , how to break down defences that dont give us easy chances, they absolutely dont know how to defend counters from to front, not mentioning at the back while midfield is bypassed pretty much like hot knife through the butter, this makes them anxious and nervous.
Opponents get a feeling for our anxious play and that makes them even more determined to punish us and they do it a lot.

This is a mentality thing that stems from our tactics imo. Very risky high line defence with wrong personnel and shit pressing with players not working hard enough or with players not enough pace. Recipe for a disaster really. Players get nervous middle of game. This is not a one off...

Honestly if things wont change tactically I expect more of the same losses, not losing 5-2, but losing with very same pattern in terms of issues on midfield, creating/converting clear chances and conceding 2 goals from every 3 shots conceded (that are on target) on average.

Putting Ruben Dias in CB can change it a bit and help a bit (unless he needs a full first season to adapt to new tactics, new country, new league, which happens to many of our signings) but it wont solve midfield issues and other off the ball issues, defending from the front etc.

Good assessment and Pep admitting the players have no confidence in his game plan / tactics.

You always have off days hopefully not too many but that was symptomatic of a number of issues of concern that shows players are frustrated and that what we currently have which is clearly not good enough anymore and have not been for a considerable period of time to be competitive for the title needs a major reset both from within and without.

 

[come-on-barney]

Definitely seems to be a mentality issue. Leicester defended deep and when they conceded they were there for the taking. Fern scores and that game is over. When we conceded the penalty we just seem to fall apart. The confidence drained away when they scored the second. Just no leadership out there. The most worrying for me was the lack of fight. Fern clearly not happy being substituted, which left us wide open. Injuries dictated, but we are playing square pegs again. Has there been anything concrete about why Stones did not play? I know some said having no fans would benefit us, but I think the opposite. I am okay with a transition season to get the team rebuilt, but we can’t afford to miss out on top four. Still very early days but could be more competitive this season with 6/7 clubs pushing on.

 

[Allianz]

Can anyone fill me in on this, I missed the game so I only watch the highlights.

WHY the subsitute #48 of MCFC his whole shirt on the botton got ripped. And Oliver didn't give us any penalty? ARG!

I saw at LC 5th goal (3rd penalty kick), I see Delap shirt was completely rip on the bottom. Who did it? Or how did it happen?

 

[roy.or.r]

Bernardos not getting picked because pep prefers to play his pets, gundogun, rodri and Mahrez. An off form Bernardo or Sane are much better than any of those.

So that’s on Pep. The poster has to make up his mind. Is it on Pep or the players?

 

[Henri Regnault]

Our attack is incredibly static. Perfect example is the one time mahrez had a break and a nice long pass to him, he didn’t hve the pace to beat his man, slowed up, and the thing went bust. We no longer use pace on the wings and it’s a huge problem.

Instead we tuck the wingers in and rely on navas-worthy crosses from mendy to 5 foot tall people. Anyone notice that mendy is almost always open to receive the ball? Maybe it’s because that’s what defenses want.

Most worrisome is that the dullness is rubbing off on the sharp tools we do possess. Kdb had sterling making a long run through the middle and didn’t release him. Safe ball to the wing instead, everyone then trots up and settles in. Leicester gets set. Empty possession ensues.

We’re losing the habit of a killer instinct. We don’t genuinely attack anymore. We used to look like sharks and predators routinely. Now we get a few 4-0 wins every couple months in relatively meaningless matches and people are sated just enough to ignore the new routine of static predictable passes across a mind-numbing umbrella arc sitting atop of the 18 yard box.

I really don’t think these players enjoy it and I don’t blame them.

Actually, we don't tuck the wingers in often enough in my opinion. Mahrez doesn't have the pace to stay out on the flank and his touch, dribbling, link-up play and eye for goal are all wasted out there.

When we have a team like Leicester or Lyon packed into their third defending with 11 men we USED to have bernardo drifting into the half-space to link up with De Bruyne on that right flank (this was the 100 pt season). Walker would overlap. Now Walker stays in the half-space, behind and towards the center of the pitch, and he's worthless there providing almost no forward passing. Mahrez stays on the flank and is also wasted since he doesn't have the pace to drop his shoulder. Our defense is shakey both with personnel and tactics but what is actually most startling to me is how worthless most of our possession is these days.

All too often we had Leicester wrapped up like an Anaconda and just wound up circulating the ball between the pivots and the back 4. Maybe Dias will offer enough that the fullbacks (Walker, in particular) can overlap again.

 

[Henri Regnault]

That is down to lack of on field leadership. A captain/team leader isn't just in charge of the coin toss

Alternatively, an interpretation is that this is on the manager, since his tactics and personnel management are directly responsible for the players' attitude in this case!

While I'm inclined to agree with you since our form really cratered without Kompany, it's worth noting that we also used to play in a far more consistent system that utilized the whole squad and played to the player's strengths. Any player can be a leader in an environment like that, and that's what we saw in 17/18 and 18/19 imo.

 

[Shirley]

Can anyone fill me in on this, I missed the game so I only watch the highlights.

WHY the subsitute #48 of MCFC his whole shirt on the botton got ripped. And Oliver didn't give us any penalty? ARG!

I saw at LC 5th goal (3rd penalty kick), I see Delap shirt was completely rip on the bottom. Who did it? Or how did it happen?

Unfortunately the shirt was Blue but if it was red I'm sure the commentators and media would have picked up on it.

It must have been one hell of a pull to rip a hole in like that.

 

[Allianz]

Unfortunately the shirt was Blue but if it was red I'm sure the commentators and media would have picked up on it.

It must have been one hell of a pull to rip a hole in like that.

I thought I was the only saw it or I was seeing things lol. Here I even take the screenshot.
I'm watching the replay right now and I'm still trying to see WHO or HOW his shirt got rip like this. Obviously he can't rip the back of his own shirt, must be some grabbing or pulling from LC player. It just didn't show in the match?

You see it right? I demand a da-mn penalty for MCFC.

eta: at 84 min, #48 his shirt still intact. Somehow at 87 min his shirt got rip like this, but I don't see it show in the match.