So it's become clear in recent interviews that Mahrez did have options this summer but chose to stay at Leicester.
http://m.leicestermercury.co.uk/leicester-city-winger-riyad-mahrez-is-determined-to-show-he-is-not-a-one-season-wonder/story-29794165-detail/story.html
He was clearly happy enough to stay and give it another year. Fair play to him for that and for not forcing a move as so many players do these days.
But will it turn out for the best, as his form at the start of the season has been, at best, mixed. The only game he's really influenced the outcome was Brugge in the champions league and he's been pretty inneffectual in the league (bar the odd moment).
But where is the player of the year? Where is the man who was able to make defenders drop off, panic before turning them inside out. Where is the player that would find a yard when there was only a millimetre to be had?
Has he:
- given up now he's won the league?
- had his head turned and not putting it in?
- lost a bit of confidence?
- just simply struggled to adapt to having teams do a job on him
- or simply suffering from the team adjusting to losing Kante?
I would love to believe it's purely that the team aren't quite as fluid as last year, but it feels a little more to me.
How do we get the best out of him?
- drop him?
- switch him to the left?
- play him in the hole?
I know it's controversial but I'd give him a rest. Play Gray for a game and see if he's yet ready to step up. Get a bit of hunger back in to Mahrez and then get him revved up again. Hopefully then we'all get him back to his best.
I hope he does return to form soon otherwise we'"" just have a disappointing year and will have lost about £15m from his asking price when he leaves at the end of the season!
Answers on a postcard. How do we solve a problem like Mahrez?
Why is Mahrez Struggling?
posted on 11/10/16
comment by Billy The Yidd (U3924)
posted 6 minutes ago
One season wonder
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LOL, still a TITLE Winner, how many $puds can say that!
posted on 11/10/16
comment by Cantona 7 (U11258)
posted 3 hours, 1 minute ago
Bet he is regretting not moving on. Bet Vardy is... hoe he rejected Arsenal
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Can't see why, just as much chance to win the title again with Leicester as there is with Arsenal, Leicester on the rise, Arsenal in terminal decline but with the odd dead cat bounce.
posted on 11/10/16
Vardy probs knew he weren't good enough for Arsenal, that's why he didn't leave. He'd get shown up super bad there and end up being sold after a season.
posted on 12/10/16
The one thing Mahrez isn't, is a one season wonder.
Which makes his form all the more baffling.
posted on 12/10/16
I'd put it down to the whole team not performing the way we did last season not just Mahrez.
He is getting doubled and tripled up on most of the time so it's probably time we played him through the middle where doubling or tripling up isn't going to be possible. Playing in him a free role is going to make him a lot more dangerous.
posted on 12/10/16
The Champions League is definitely a distraction, our players have savid their best performances for that. I hope Claudio can get us playing like we did last season or I will start to worry. A win at Chelsea would be a good start!
posted on 12/10/16
comment by True Blue (U9486)
posted 13 hours, 14 minutes ago
comment by Cantona 7 (U11258)
posted 3 hours, 1 minute ago
Bet he is regretting not moving on. Bet Vardy is... hoe he rejected Arsenal
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Can't see why, just as much chance to win the title again with Leicester as there is with Arsenal, Leicester on the rise, Arsenal in terminal decline but with the odd dead cat bounce.
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You've conquered Everest. It's only downhill from here for you lot. If anything, Arsenal are in stagnation, not decline. Arsenal are also a much bigger and prestigious club.
posted on 12/10/16
Mersey
I would like to see Mahrez playing in the Shinji role behind Vardy or Slimani with Gray given Mahrez's wide role for a game or two.
Lets just see how it looks and see if putting RM in that more central role will open up the pitch for him, OR if he is wtill doubled up on in the 10 role then it may create spaces out wide for Albrighton and Gray to take advantage.
I wouldnt drop him but I would try to utilise him in another role, I wonder if CR will give this some thought in a 5 man midfield for the Chelsea game this weekend?
posted on 12/10/16
Surprised by this article. I think Mahrez has been one of our better performers this year. If it was about Vardy I would understand.
posted on 12/10/16
He has produced occasionally but he hasn't yet reached the heights of last season, at least not attacking-wise. This has manifested mostly as him looking to take too many touches and playing too slowly.
I think there could be many reasons for this:
- Opposition teams are very wary of him and Vardy, and are treating them with a lot more respect and focus than last season.
- Concentrating on defensive duties, which he has done well at times.
- The whole team is playing slower so far, as though trying to go through a slower build-up with more possession, and this may be effecting how and where he gets the ball. Whether this is intentional/is the right approach/will continue remains to be seen.
- Trying to adapt his style of play to this style instead of having a worried defence that he can more easily take advantage of.
- Wondering whether he should have gone in the summer.
- Feeling the pressure of hitting the ground running and then getting mentally frustrated when he hasn't.
- Being off-form and trying to force the issue.
- Struggling to get motivated for this year after what happened last year. (Life going on after happy ever after.)
I don't think just moving him into the middle is necessarily going to solve the problem considering that Ranieri was keen to play him on the right for most of last season, only occasionally giving him a central role to change things up and scupper a rigid opposition game plan. Also I'm not sure that we play the right formation for it, particularly if we continue looking to play both Vardy and Slimani up front. However, it may represent a new challenge in the short term - a change being as good as a rest, as it were.
Given Gray's recent outings and the fact that he's in a bit of scoring form right now, I'd definitely like to see him given a start in the league in at least one of the next two fixtures. Whether that's for Mahrez depends on the tactics. Against Chelsea I'd quite like to see both of them wide in a 4-5-1.