StriderHiryu

For "fun". I started it doing it earlier this season and have regretted it ever since

Honestly, it doesn't matter. They are unlikely to park the bus as much as Preston or Stoke so the player in question won't be relied upon that much to find space with passes. Either player will gone done for pace on the break. When you are 60 yards away from goal, unless you are Kyle Walker, you've lost the race as soon as the ball is turned over. Southampton were suicidal in that game. Look at the counter-attack conceded from one of their own corners in minute one. They are a good team, but are in bad form and we should be a class above. Maybe, maybe not. They have tons of young players. Jobe Bellingham is only 17. They have players with high potential and talent, but need to learn the senior game. Games like this are good for them win or loss because they need those sort of experiences. This is where players like Vardy, Kel, KDH, Ndidi, Winks, Coady, Vestergaard give us the edge. They are doing the Championship equivalent of when we blooded players like Maddison, Barnes, Fofana, etc in the Premier League. People unfairly bash Vestergaard for this in our setup. Only JJ might be able to get back in time if he was playing as the ball playing CB. You try getting back when 60 yards away from goal and the opponent has the run on you! Don't get me wrong, it's a structural fault of the way we play, but it's by design. Over the course of the season, we will (and already have) scored tons of goals because our team plays so high and everyone joins in building the play. But we will also concede goals because of it too.

Leicester City vs Sunderland Pre-Match Preview Sunderland are one of the more interesting teams to watch in the Championship, and I've had my eye on them all season given they made it to the play-offs last time round, losing to eventual winners Luton. They have a very interesting philosophy at the club, almost using our model but in a Championship version. IE lots of really promising up and comers who they develop and sell on for a lot of money, with an astute and experienced manager in Tony Mowbray. This makes them both exciting and prone to collapse in equal measure, they play good stuff but are really inconsistent. They play a mixture of 4141 and 4231, but sometimes even go 442. They even played Jobe Bellingham as a false 9 against Southampton where they won 5-0, which they might well try again. They play good stuff, playing out from the back and having a good possession style, they rank 3rd in terms of possession in the division so far. They are an interesting case where they have the top scorer in the division in Jack Clarke (left wing), but none of their strikers have scored yet. So a bit like Leicester, they really rely on their wide forwards and midfield players. They typically play two hard-working box-to-box players in Bellingham and Ekwah with Dan Neil (who was suspended against Stoke) as the sitter. I'll be interested to see what they do here, a lot of teams try to go man for man on Ricardo and Winks, but I feel like the youthful nature of their team might mean this could backfire, and we play could play around them. Jobe Bellingham is pretty good IMO. Obviously hard not to compare him to his brother; he's not as good at the same age but he is good. Will for sure be a Premier League palyer one day. Hard-working, technical, good on the ball and a great engine. What they might do, which I have seen them do a few times, is to play 442 and try to kill the opposition on the transition. The biggest warning I would give about this team (and Leeds) is they have players that can exploit a turnover and getting in behind, like on the weekend where Hermansen saved us. Their players are young, full of energy and are fast, and they were ruthless against Southampton at doing this, where they could have won by more. This is a team that I think could catch us on the break, but equally I think they won't be able to deal with 90 minutes of relentless pressure. With young players, they are more likely to lose concentration at the wrong moment and for it to cost them. So I think this will be another game where we have to work hard but eventually break them down. I think this will be an enjoyable game and will feel more like a Premier League game rather than a Championship one. They might be a bit more like Brentford in the way they play, in terms of trying to kill us on the transition.

Leicester City vs Sunderland Pre-Match Preview Sunderland are one of the more interesting teams to watch in the Championship, and I've had my eye on them all season given they made it to the play-offs last time round, losing to eventual winners Luton. They have a very interesting philosophy at the club, almost using our model but in a Championship version. IE lots of really promising up and comers who they develop and sell on for a lot of money, with an astute and experienced manager in Tony Mowbray. This makes them both exciting and prone to collapse in equal measure, they play good stuff but are really inconsistent. They play a mixture of 4141 and 4231, but sometimes even go 442. They even played Jobe Bellingham as a false 9 against Southampton where they won 5-0, which they might well try again. They play good stuff, playing out from the back and having a good possession style, they rank 3rd in terms of possession in the division so far. They are an interesting case where they have the top scorer in the division in Jack Clarke (left wing), but none of their strikers have scored yet. So a bit like Leicester, they really rely on their wide forwards and midfield players. They typically play two hard-working box-to-box players in Bellingham and Ekwah with Dan Neil (who was suspended against Stoke) as the sitter. I'll be interested to see what they do here, a lot of teams try to go man for man on Ricardo and Winks, but I feel like the youthful nature of their team might mean this could backfire, and we play could play around them. Jobe Bellingham is pretty good IMO. Obviously hard not to compare him to his brother; he's not as good at the same age but he is good. Will for sure be a Premier League palyer one day. Hard-working, technical, good on the ball and a great engine. What they might do, which I have seen them do a few times, is to play 442 and try to kill the opposition on the transition. The biggest warning I would give about this team (and Leeds) is they have players that can exploit a turnover and getting in behind, like on the weekend where Hermansen saved us. Their players are young, full of energy and are fast, and they were ruthless against Southampton at doing this, where they could have won by more. This is a team that I think could catch us on the break, but equally I think they won't be able to deal with 90 minutes of relentless pressure. With young players, they are more likely to lose concentration at the wrong moment and for it to cost them. So I think this will be another game where we have to work hard but eventually break them down. I think this will be an enjoyable game and will feel more like a Premier League game rather than a Championship one. They might be a bit more like Brentford in the way they play, in terms of trying to kill us on the transition.

The redemption arc continues!

^ Indicative of Fatawu's all-round play, these are some impressive stats for a 19 year old. Not unfair to say, though Mavididi had a really good game against Swansea. Very unlucky not to come away with a goal and an assist. Enzo spent time coaching them over the window and it showed.

My day is ruined!

I agree, but 1 goal, 1 assist in 5 starts and 3 sub appearances would be considered sub-par in the Premier League, and that's the level we will be at fairly shortly. There's no pressure on him whatsoever, though, this season is all about getting those games and developing as a person and player. It took Barnes a while before he became the player he did today, so I personally would not expect Fatawu to be at his best for quite a few seasons yet. We will have to be patient!

Doyle did this too when he was in the team.

Swansea City 1 - 3 Leicester City Post Match Swansea lined up 4231 as predicted. Swansea were pretty impressive IMO, they played out from the back, and the technical duo of Grimes and Patino meant they didn't just needlessly give it away. Jerry Yates and Jamal Lowe also posed a threat that not that many teams in the league have, some decent pace that can try to exploit the turnover on the transition. Yates was an interesting one to see given he was linked with us. He took up some good positions and found space effectively, but lacked a clinical edge and for me didn't link up play too well with the other Swansea players. He seems to be the type that is better off in a two up top than as the lone striker, though he can learn that role over time. Right from the off, our attack looked like it went up a level, this was the most creative we've looked maybe all season. Mavididi and Fatawu simplified their game with fewer touches, or waiting to beat just one man before playing the pass. This made them a lot more effective. Passing felt a lot more crisp and accurate than usual. To be expected as the team gets more used to playing with one another and having more time on the training ground. That said we were wasteful, we made the right final pass a few times and still left the goal gaping! 2 new patterns of play that we are seeing more of are: Vardy dropping really deep to pick up the ball, almost playing like a third pivot player when teams try to pick up Winks and Ricardo. Ricardo pushing up into midfield during the transition and marauding forward to take up the spaces that the attacking 8's vacate in behind. The 3rd goal a great example of that. This was the most sloppy we've been in defence for a while. The goal could have been defended better, Ricardo's brain fart that almost let to Lowe scoring, etc. But all these chances came from poor Leicester play as opposed to getting cut open. The extended highlights are well worth a rewatch, we were really good going forwards in this one:

Can David Nugent outdo StiderHiryu?! Let's find out!

Really worth watching the extended highlights. During the match I thought we were pretty good, but seeing it again, some of our play was delightful! Should have scored a lot more than 3 goals. Our attacking play is a lot snappier than in the first few games of the season, and our ability to go back-to-front with just a few passes is great. Maresca and Leicester will go far if he can get teams playing like this in less than 6 months.

He wasn't picked for their last round of games, so it's not impossible that will happen. What's the point of calling him up if he's only going to play 10-15 minutes of football across the tournament? They might think the same thing and think he's a player for the next cycle rather than this one. Admittedly, if he picks up form between now and then, that won't be their thinking! Believe it or not, his goal yesterday was his first ever senior goal in top level European football! That's why you could see the other players were so happy for him, and I think it must be a big relief for him too. Of all our players, he and Mavididi are the ones likely to "explode" and suddenly go on a run of games where he scores a lot and looks like world beaters. He's got pace, power, good technique and devastating change of pace. The one thing lacking was confidence, but as he gains that, he is likely to become one hell of a player. Just before his goal, Maresca was about to hook him, and of course he did just after he scored. During the game I also thought that Mavididi was a lot better than him, but having seen the extended highlights, I've changed my mind on that, he had a pretty strong game. Personally, I would still expect to be frustrated by a player like this for quite a few years yet. It's a tricky position to play and one that is known for inconsistency. But I'd be shocked if we don't sign him, he seems like a good player and a good guy!

Diego Maradona was totally one footed, but it didn't hold him back! 5 Goals, 4 assists in 12 games. The top ranked player statistically in the league. If we were a Premier League club, our transfer forum would be going crazy saying this is a player we should be looking to sign. What level can he get to? That we don't know yet, but he's clearly pretty good, and he has gone up a level since the first international break, the stats back him up on that. Despite all that, he's still got room for growth. Right at the start of the second half, he had a chance that someone like him could / should bury. But he still made the decisive play to setup Fatawu. But I think it should be noted that this season is the most attacking he's been used with us, so he's learning as he goes. That's why he's still a bit rough round the edges on certain things.

I felt he simplified his game today, and looked a lot better for it. For example, he focussed on beating one man and then playing a pass rather than trying to do too much. His play for that Vardy chance was top notch and I can't believe he didn't score that one ! Maresca has called him out for his lack of consistency, so let's see what his next few games are like. He was really good today, first half especially.

His ability to help build up play and act as an additional ball playing CB we already knew about. Today he showed his sweeper-keeper abilities: Vestergaard got done on the halfway line with the whole team pushed up, but he darted out of goal to clear with his feet. He dashed to his left, almost playing at left back to see a ball out of play. He chopped it horribly, but still his awareness was great in that situation. That class save after Ricardo made a horrible back pass. His all round game is superb. He's made one costly error in 12 games, that's way less than I thought he would make. For me, he is better than what I've seen of James Trafford who Burnely purchased for a lot more money.

2nd and 3rd goals show you just how simple football can be, and why patience is so important. Make a few passes and completely open up the opposition. Ricardo and Nacho forming quite the partnership in terms of assists to goals!

Surprised we didn't have a higher xG that 2.3, this was a game where it felt like we should have scored 5 or 6. Swansea were pretty decent, but it makes a pleasant change to know that even when we are 1 down, we are still most likely going to win the game.

It's funny, in terms of creativity, this has been an excellent performance. But overall I feel like we were quite sloppy at the back and a bit lethargic. I think Swansea have been more than decent, we just have a total joke of a squad at this level.

We have been wasteful today, no doubt about it.

So now we just need goals from: - Harry Winks - Yunus Akgun - Mads Hermansen So that all "haven't scored for Leicester before" players bag!

He is the best signing we've made since Fofana IMO

He’s simplified his game today and looks twice the player for doing it. The play for the Vardy chance was top class.

Swansea deserve a lot of respect! IMO this is one of the better teams we have played, despite being under the kosh, they try to play out from the back, they look a threat on the counter and are causing us some problems. Pre-match I said they were a technical team and it shows. Their manager has them setup quite well. Despite the score being 1-1, that's the most creative I've seen us be in the first half this season. Southampton for me don't count because of their suicidal high line. We could have a few more goals that half, Mavididi for me having a good game. Fatawu less so. Next goal is crucial for sure!