Leicester City (H) Post Match Thread

Sane is faster, can dribble better, is not a one-trick pony - can go wide or cut inside, he can play wide left, wide right and centre and most importantly is never selfish.

Mahrez's game is better suited and is technically the better player. Again pace is Sane's only stand out feature
 
Yesterday felt like watching a game from last season unfortunately, but with magnified issues.

Personally, there are two key problems at the moment;

1 - A ridiculous injury list that any team would struggle with. Regardless of the scoffing from the 'experts' of Sky etc, having 7 first team players out will have an effect. Yet another back four who had never played together yesterday.

2 - No pre-season. The international break is a massive hindrance, coming two weeks after the CL tournament ended. A vast majority of our early season opponents have had an element of pre-season.

I'm disappointed with how our transfer business has slowed, but I expect we've had difficulty offloading the likes of Otamendi whilst trying to bring in these other new players. Had we got into home grown squad issues etc, then we'll be taking even more of a hit. On top of that, financial planning is probably impossible, especially as it looks like no match day income for the whole season now.


Before criticising Guardiola and the players, I think we need to be aware of just how often we face incredibly defensive set ups that go beyond parking the bus and resemble playground football.

Leicester have only employed that 5-4-1 system twice since the start of last season. Both times it's been against us. I'll be interested to see whether they use it against Liverpool. Or whether a number of the other teams that often adopt a bespoke 5 at the back against City also now use it against Liverpool.

There's an increasing number of teams using a back 5, supported by a flat 4 in front or even a flat 5 at times in front.

This leaves us in a position where we have to play almost perfect football at an incredible pace to break through - it's exhausting. Either that or a moment of individual quality like Mahrez's goal yesterday - which came from a set piece.

If City want to score, we need to be able to commit high numbers forward, this has been the case for a number of years. Teams will either have so many players in defensive positions it's impossible to play through, or when the ball goes out wide, collapse around the ball and try to win it back.

We did start yesterday by trying to switch into Mendy when building on the right, but it didn't yield much.

The other attack we liked is KDB getting into the penalty area and driving a flat cross in. But with a centre back covering the front post and our forwards tightly marked, again you need absolute perfection.

So when we circulate the ball, you're trying to open gaps in a 10 man defensive unit using a maximum of 8 players - Neville began to criticise Leicester ahead of their equaliser as it had become laughable just how deep they were sitting.

Maybe we should just circulate the ball endlessly in front of these teams and see what actually happens.


However, yet again we've missed a key chance (Fernandinho header from incredible KDB cross) and then been punished by errors. Mahrez has the chance to flatten Barnes (twice Leicester just bundled KDB over when we had a counter attack, but remember this is only 'tactical' when City do it). Garcia backs off and then Walker is stupid to touch Vardy. Although it's not a surprise this error happens in the 37th minute - we had begun to tire ahead of HT. Leicester still hadn't created a single open play shot ahead of this.

Second goal is well played, but what the hell are Garcia & Mendy doing? Mendy positioning is awful and as for Garcia, he's caught out and never catches up with Vardy. Had he been switched on ahead of the run, he may get a block or cut the ball out.

Subbing Fernadinho off was a mistake in hindsight, but given the packed penalty area and compressed Leicester lines, getting KDB into a deeper position and Delap offering a constant presence for the central defenders was logical at the time.

Garcia done by Vardy again, who just put himself there and waited.

At 3-1 it's game over and we looked tired. No surprise another stupid error and the usual wonder goal too.


Let's hope the Dias deal is sorted quickly. It's still early enough in the season to sort these problems. We'll be a different team with our top lads back and a consistent back four hopefully.

It would be good to have a back 5 option ourselves, with two strikers hopefully providing enough movement to unsettle these teams and a freer role for KDB. Ake & Dias gives us this option.
 
Mahrez's game is better suited and is technically the better player. Again pace is Sane's only stand out feature
as they say football is a game of opinions, but I'd much rather pay to watch Sane any day than a selfish one-trick pony.
 
as they say football is a game of opinions, but I'd much rather pay to watch Sane any day than a selfish one-trick pony.
Also by replacing Sane with Mahrez, we now are forced to play Sterling down the left, he's more effective down the right. Also it was terrific to watch Sane and Sterling interchange positions during the course of the game and terrified teams no end. We've lost that now.
 
One trick pony? Yeah ok.
yes all he can do is trap a long ball, cut inside and take a shot. Occasionally, as it did yesterday, it might go in. Doesn't track back, cannot tackle and cannot make an obvious pass
 
as they say football is a game of opinions, but I'd much rather pay to watch Sane any day than a selfish one-trick pony.

If Mahrez is a one trick pony what does that make Sane? There had been games where Sane was less effective than Mahrez
 

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