Good evening All,
Our "form" is pretty terrible at the minute. The Villa win (and it was a pretty decent performance) came at a very good time and stopped the rot, as it were.
I'd like to put some perspective in the mix with our current predicament and lack of bite!
The 1st half of this season was pretty phenomenal. We were in touching distance of Liverpool for some time and tooing and froing with Man City for the great part, only losing a couple or three games. Tonking Saints on their turf and gaining a massive goal difference in the process.
What's gone wrong?
Nothing!
You can't go wrong if it's not right in the first place. Strength in depth.
We had a very steady, well drilled, fit first team for the initial round of matches. Subsequently followed by absences of Vardy, N'didi (painfully long) and now Pereira. Bar the goal keeper and maybe Evans of the spine our 3 best, and most influential players. 3 BIG jigsaw peices.
We lost to Man City and Liverpool around xmas time, which was almost inevitable really from my point of view, definitely two teams better than us. But between the course of xmas and lockdown we failed to beat Villa, Norwich, Southampton, Wolves and Burnley. Now include Watford and Brighton to the list. All, but two of those we tonked previously.
The disruption of the team was enforced not deliberate. Granted Ihaenacho got a few goals in Vardys place, but we DO NOT have like for like replacements of our best players. Big teams can lose the odd player now and then because the rest of the team can carry them or the replacement offers something exceptional. N'didi was massively missed and totally underestimated. His return to fitness now requires Puel ball to help him out. There is no-one capable of filling that hole! The same goes for Vardy and Ricardo. No one else is good enough. The rest of the best 11 have one role that they can't carry poor players.
Rodgers is excellent in my opinion, to take us forward we need that little bit more quality on the bench.
A Balance View
posted on 28/6/20
comment by Keep_the_faith1 (U8129)
posted 27 seconds ago
When your best players are youngsters and you don’t have the option to rotate with top class experienced members, you have got to be playing them week in week out to get the best out of them.
Soyunchu is a good example of this. Think he’d not long turned 22 when we signed him and he looked ‘alright’ when coming in and out...now look at him
Tielemans 23
Barnes 22
Maddison 23
Chilwell 23
Ndidi 23
They’ve got to playing week in week out, in their best positions and with each other to build that relationship.
For me, we’ve lacked cohesion with our play and too many, what should be, instinctive passes are having to be overthought
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Spot on. Young players need consistently playing in the right position - not moved all over the place, dropped one game, in for the next, a different formation every game - it’s this confused tactical approach that saw Ranieri lose his job.
posted on 28/6/20
With regard to the fatigue debate -
Regular playing = consistency = cohesion = confidence = letting the ball work more = less work on The players = quicker recovery time = regular playing.
posted on 28/6/20
comment by Black Starr (U12353)
posted 7 minutes ago
comment by Keep_the_faith1 (U8129)
posted 27 seconds ago
When your best players are youngsters and you don’t have the option to rotate with top class experienced members, you have got to be playing them week in week out to get the best out of them.
Soyunchu is a good example of this. Think he’d not long turned 22 when we signed him and he looked ‘alright’ when coming in and out...now look at him
Tielemans 23
Barnes 22
Maddison 23
Chilwell 23
Ndidi 23
They’ve got to playing week in week out, in their best positions and with each other to build that relationship.
For me, we’ve lacked cohesion with our play and too many, what should be, instinctive passes are having to be overthought
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Spot on. Young players need consistently playing in the right position - not moved all over the place, dropped one game, in for the next, a different formation every game - it’s this confused tactical approach that saw Ranieri lose his job.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The only way to bring young players through slowly is to have a core, experienced 11 where you can do this - and I worry a little that Rodgers is affording our squad too much respect with regard to the amount of quality we have in it.
posted on 28/6/20
I think my issue with the OP is that one player shouldn't be the difference between 2 points per game (Champions League form) and 1 point per game (relegation dogfight form). Particularly not the team's right back when there's a decent if young replacement on the books. I think the problem is more that which has been mentioned above: There are a lot of young players in the squad who don't have the experience to not let poor form get them down. Unfortunately, missing out on the CL spots might have to be the failure that they learn from and vow never to let happen again.
posted on 28/6/20
comment by The_Dungeon_Master (U4830)
posted 1 hour, 30 minutes ago
I think my issue with the OP is that one player shouldn't be the difference between 2 points per game (Champions League form) and 1 point per game (relegation dogfight form). Particularly not the team's right back when there's a decent if young replacement on the books. I think the problem is more that which has been mentioned above: There are a lot of young players in the squad who don't have the experience to not let poor form get them down. Unfortunately, missing out on the CL spots might have to be the failure that they learn from and vow never to let happen again.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I’m sure that experience will massively Maddison and N’didi when they’re at their new respective top 4 clubs next season. Won’t necessarily benefit Leicester though
You’re also falling into that all to familiar trap of laying this failure at the players door. Young players need to be given a chance by playing consistently, in a tactical formation that gives them the best chance of success and being played in position as well.
The manager also needs to deal with a loss of confidence and form - and that includes finding different ways of approaching a game if Plan A is no longer working
Not saying this all sits with Rodgers - there are many factors at play, but ultimately he gets paid to be the man responsible - and he will be moved on if he can’t find the solution
posted on 28/6/20
massively benefit*
posted on 28/6/20
Maddison our today of the squad today, injured or dropped?
posted on 28/6/20
Dropped obviously
posted on 28/6/20
Injured. No chance he wouldn’t be on the 9-man bench if he was fit.
I agree with the line-up though.
posted on 28/6/20
Hopefully it’s minor - Agree even Rodgers isn’t stupid enough to drop him