Leicester pre-match thread (29/12/2015)

[Blue Coop]

My head says Leicester are exactly the type of side we've been struggling against this season - hard working, high energy, quick forwards. It could be a really tough evening. My heart says the Arsenal loss to Southampton will give us a much needed boost and we're about to embark on a run that will see us finally return some decent points (win a couple on the bounce this season and you're flying).

We are a stronger side no doubt about it, but I think our formation is absolutely key because of the way they play - I do not want to see Yaya in a midfield two, and I would like to see Sterling start to add some width rather than Delph on the wing, which just blows my mind.

Hart; Sagna, Otamendi, Mangala, Clichy; Fernandinho, Delph; KDB, Silva, Sterling; Aguero.

I suspect we'll actually see Yaya in for Delph in the same formation above.

 

[prestonibbo_mcfc]

I think that this is when the games will catch up with Leicester. They looked really lethargic against the dippers.
I'm just hoping they weren't saving themselves for Tuesday's cup final.
Just want us to be at the races from minute 1 and we should have too much for them.

 

[bod the blue1969]

My head says Leicester are exactly the type of side we've been struggling against this season - hard working, high energy, quick forwards. It could be a really tough evening. My heart says the Arsenal loss to Southampton will give us a much needed boost and we're about to embark on a run that will see us finally return some decent points (win a couple on the bounce this season and you're flying).

We are a stronger side no doubt about it, but I think our formation is absolutely key because of the way they play - I do not want to see Yaya in a midfield two, and I would like to see Sterling start to add some width rather than Delph on the wing, which just blows my mind.

Hart; Sagna, Otamendi, Mangala, Clichy; Fernandinho, Delph; KDB, Silva, Sterling; Aguero.

I suspect we'll actually see Yaya in for Delph in the same formation above.

I'd go for same team but have yaya in for sterling, (but on the 1condition he comes No where near our own half ,let him run free around the attacking 1/3rd &cause mayhem to the opposition after all he's made a living scoring from 20/30 yds out in the last 5seasons(as the last2games have proven)!! Bring sterling on for last 20/25 mins if we're chasing a point/win

 

[Brendan110_0]

Quick question, do you think the MCFC players will be shitting it or Leicester? They've been running on fumes recently and had many refs helping them (plucky underdogs FA cup style). That only gets you so far, wouldn't surprise me to see them lose the next 6 games before pulling out of the dive to settle below Liverpool/Spurs/Manure etc.

 

[Champions2012!]

Quick question, do you think the MCFC players will be shitting it or Leicester? They've been running on fumes recently and had many refs helping them (plucky underdogs FA cup style). That only gets you so far, wouldn't surprise me to see them lose the next 6 games before pulling out of the dive to settle below Liverpool/Spurs/Manure etc.

Players seem to shit themselves at any English ground that isn't the Etihad. Need to be way stronger mentally we're Manchester City ffs

 

[ballinio]

Laugh all you want mate, your idea of turn up, tell them we're Manchester City Football club (soon to be just Manchester City) and expect them to yield is laughable to me too.

They've won the amount of games they have this season, and are top of the table based on teams going at them and them hitting teams on the break with pace. They're more than capable of doing that against our non-existent defence. To think they won't do the same to us simply because we're Manchester City is just daft. What have you seen recently to make you think they wouldn't be capable of scoring multiple times against us? And then you only need to look at our away record to see how unlikely it is we can rely on outscoring a team away from home right now. (we've scored 8 goals in 8 games away from home this season in the league and 5 of them came in the first two games)

It's not about going to Leicester in fear or as underdogs or playing negatively, i've suggested none of those things, it's about adapting our game to counter their strengths and weaknesses. We did it against Sevilla and hammered them with some of the best football we've played all season, i'd like to see a bit of tactical nous from pellegrini for a change, the "gung ho" approach he's applied to literally every game this season bar Sevilla and United hasn't seen us do terribly well against decent sides this season has it?

You don't have to go directly for the throat to tear teams apart. Drop 10 yards deeper, limit the space for Vardy to run into and have an extra man in midfield to limit Mahrez's influence and help match kante's athleticism (he'd run rings around a two man midfield with Yaya involved) then force Leicester out a bit and use the pace of Sterling Navas and KDB to isolate and exploit a very well drilled but otherwise rather average defence.



In our away league games we've kept 5 clean sheets from 8 games so far this season, conceding 8 goals in total, half of which were against spurs. As i mentioned above, we've also scored just 8 goals in those games. The defence is a problem, i'm not doubting that, but those stats show it's not the sole problem. Scoring goals particularly away from home is a big problem for us this season, and i believe a lot of that is due to not having control over the midfield and playing into the hands of teams by going all out attack which is also leaving us vulnerable at the back. And to top it off, it's an all out attack that isn't actually attacking very well.

Correct, we go for them all out & we'll lose. We need a sensible tactical strategy just as you explained but under Pellegrini I just know it won't happen.

 

[Bluep*ss]

I am more confident about this game than I was when we played Arsenal. So the nailed on starters are = Hart Sagna Otto Mangler ?Molotov \Clichy
ferny 1 Yaya - ? kdb Merlin Sterling.
I see I have printed Molotov instead of Kolorov. If only ! Kolorov does give us more attacking option than Clichy.- who seems by-passed too easily.
Now I want a 3 in midfield - so is it Delph?. Pellers will no doubt go for a 2 - so Bony will get the nod.
We scraped through last year with a scuffed shot from Lampard. I am going for a dazzling City (Manc) display 3-1, to go level on points with Leicester.- above them on goal difference.
Do not know who Arsenal are playing.?

 

[kaz7]

I am more confident about this game than I was when we played Arsenal. So the nailed on starters are = Hart Sagna Otto Mangler ?Molotov \Clichy
ferny 1 Yaya - ? kdb Merlin Sterling.
I see I have printed Molotov instead of Kolorov. If only ! Kolorov does give us more attacking option than Clichy.- who seems by-passed too easily.
Now I want a 3 in midfield - so is it Delph?. Pellers will no doubt go for a 2 - so Bony will get the nod.
We scraped through last year with a scuffed shot from Lampard. I am going for a dazzling City (Manc) display 3-1, to go level on points with Leicester.- above them on goal difference.
Do not know who Arsenal are playing.?

Arses are home to Bournemouth

 

[venkatssv]

I'd like to see us play this smart. Their fans are getting a bit giddy and will be demanding a response after their defeat today, They'll have some big pressure on them. With that in mind, i'd love us to play like an away team, sit deeper, give them the ball so they come out and play and then counter them hard with pace. Effectively do a Leicester on Leicester. Then we can Bring on Silva and Kun and control the game once we're ahead.

Setting up something like this.

-------------------Hart

Sagna--Otamendi--Mangala--Clichy

---------Delph--Yaya--Dinho

Navas------------------------------KDB

---------------Sterling


Don't for one second think that's what we'll do though.

More than likely line up with the same team as today with Clichy in for Kolarov, and Aguero in for Bony.

Agree with u...we should do that occasionally against big teams (atm Leicester are) ...in a competitive league like this 3 points is most imp no matter how we get it..

 

[super_city_si]

no way on earth we will keep a clean sheet against these. We'll probably struggle to keep them to two so means we have to score and score plenty. Hope Aguero is ok and have Sterling, Silva, De Bruyne behind him.