escape2victory

What about the Luton keeper Kaminski ? Been linked to him before and contract expiring. Solid experienced keeper to push Stolarczyk

Agree with much of this other than the CM options. I don’t want to keep failed prem players who can ‘do a job’ in the champ, to be in the same situation 12 months down the line. When we got promoted in 13/14, yes it was exciting as it was the first time in 10 years back in the prem but also as we had a core group of players untested in the Prem who we knew had a high ceiling and potential to do well in the prem, some more than others. (Schmeichel, Morgan, Drinkwater, James, Mahrez, Vardy) Compare that to last season and we got promoted with a core including Vestegaard, Faes, Justin, Winks, Ndidi with failed signings Soumare and Kristiansen joining the squad along with more failed prem players Skipp, Ayew and BDR. If and when we next get promoted, I want it to be with a core group of players who are young and hungry to prove themselves in the Prem and have that potential and unknown quality. Just makes it more fun and exciting rather than being promoted with winks and Ndidi again

The likes of Winks and Coady I’m sure can’t believe their luck. Struggling in their careers and then sign for Leicester on huge money, train in a state of the art facility, commute from wherever they want. Top & Vicahi had/has created a family culture at the club which served us well at the beginning , where players were treated well and performed on the pitch. The culture has gone so far the other way now, where Leicester is just a gravy train for players to pick up high wages and effectively take the piss out of Top and the club. Top is a fool though for allowing this decline to happen on his watch

It’s a poor group of players he is working with but he isn’t exactly the most innovative of managers I’ve seen, same old 4-2-3-1, same like for like subs around 60-70 mark. Mix it up a bit Ruud !!!

First half was decent, Winks, Soumare and El Khannouss were excellent in that first half, being brave on the ball and doing well in tight spaces. The goal just before half time seemed to kill us mentally and the second half was poor, didn’t carry any threat or have an out ball. Winks is such an important player for us, he is the only one really who can get on the ball and link the defence, midfield and attack.

Can I just say this tactic of having one full back bomb on and having a winger tucking in is rubbish. Didn’t work under cooper and isn’t working with RVN, just totally lopsided. If you want to build with a back 3, play a back 3 system ffs !

Seeing as he tweaked it today with the left back tucking in and the right back being more advanced, there is zero excuse not to start Ricardo now. Have Bounanotte & El Khannouss rotating the 10 position and Mavididi on the left. Harsh on Ndidi but we need more attacking players for home games likes Everton. Hermanson Ricardo Faes. Okoli. Kristiansen Winks. Skipp Buonanotte. El Khannouss. Mavididi Vardy

Cannons shite, Dyche thought it, Maresca thought it, Cooper thinks it !

I don’t agree with the signing but I suppose the club will be thinking we have mavericks on the wing in Mavididi and Fatawu, who can be match winners but can also easily drop a 3/10, and whilst we think they can step up to the PL, we aren’t 100%, so If we can dip them in and out with seasoned PL wingers in Ayew and BDR who will give a 7/10 when called upon and with Ayew can act as 3rd choice forward too, must be the angle the club is thinking. Still need a 10 to compete with Buonanotte and a striker

Presuming we get Zaha and Hlozek done in time. Would stick Hlozek straight in as we don’t have any other option. Mavididi and Fatawu deserve to start but if not doing it then Zaha and Buonanotte off the bench. Choudhury over Ndidi as can cover more of the pitch these days and neither can pass a ball anyway. Ideally a new left back/wing back as Kristiansen and Thomas are shite Hermanson Faes Vestergaard Okoli Ricardo Winks Choudhury Kristiansen Fatawu Hlozek Mavididi

Decent this. Will give us good wide options with Mavididi, De Cordova-Reid, Fatawu and Asprilla. Still need a striker, a creative midfielder and I’d like us to get a new left back as don’t rate our current options

I get building up when in possession in a back 3 and pushing one of the full backs forward, but he needs to re-think the personnel. Having Ricardo as the right CB is a huge waste and pushing Justin as the attacking full back is also a waste as he is a headless chicken in the oppositions third

Ahh I love 3 atb, probably for nostalgic reasons with O’Neills 90’s team. I think at times too much is made of formations. Generally most systems defend with 5 and attack with 5

Looked to me in the 1st half at least, was a 3-4-2-1 with Ricardo and Fatawu as wingbacks and Mavididi and McAteer as the 10’s. i like the system but the wingbacks are key and quite a specialist position that we don’t really have in the squad. Ricardo/De Cordova-Reid could do a job on the right but none of Fatawu/Kristiansen/Thomas are suited to the left wing back role Imo

Those saying it isn’t a priority position, it clearly is to suit the system Cooper wants to play (back 3). I’m all for a back 3 system. The success Wolves and Palace have had recently in the 3-4-3, shows it can work well in the PL. The key to it though is the wing backs and I’m not convinced we have the personnel yet to effectively carry it off. Ricardo (Yes), Justin (not good enough offensively and better as right sided CB), Kristiansen (not good enough imo)

Do feel a little bit for Vestergaard and Faes with the corners as the delivery doesn’t really give them a chance. It’s always the same pattern, don’t beat the first man with the first, then over compensate with the next and loft it aimlessly past the back post and then finally try a short corner which ends up with Justin on the corner of the box smashing it out of play for a goal kick. Rinse and repeat

The way he says ‘to be honest’ to begin every answer is really starting to irritate me !

Why on earth did he put KDH and Ndidi on opposite sides ? Our most attacking threats are KDH and Mavididi on the left and Ndidi and the winger on the right. Didn’t look balanced all night

Good explanation and I wasn’t aware of the FFP changes so that makes some sense but I still think we should have been more ruthless with some of them. Tielemans the prime one really, summer of 21 had just scored the winner in the FA cup final. His stock was high, 2 years left on his deal, should of sold him then if not prepared to sign a new deal, wouldn’t of been short of buying clubs that summer

Our transfer and contract strategy has been bonkers for ages. Spending approx £128m over the years on Tielemans, Soyuncu, Amartey, Praet, Ndidi, Iheanacho, Vestergaard, and letting them all run their contracts down and leave for free, awful strategy and been a soft touch on contracts for years. We need a proper sporting director dealing with this, Rudkin isn’t capable. I remember Pearson not being impressed with his promotion into role in 14/15

Some observations, the wingers need to go on the outside more rather than the safe option of cutting inside . In their defence, they can’t always go on the outside as the 8’s are constantly making runs wide looking for the ball down the line, which blocks the space for the winger. They need to mix up that tactic, hold their position at times and keep the winger isolated with the full back. A criticism of Enzo’s tactics is that they are so well drilled and machine like they struggle to adapt to in game situations and think on their feet at times. Also Justin needs time out of the team, not just been poor on the ball but his defending has been surprisingly poor. Their winger had the beating of him today and the Cov Japanese winger had his pants down too

Is just a brilliant footballer. Can put him anywhere on the pitch and he will do a job. Thought the injuries had finished him off but he is back to 2019 levels. Happy to keep him in the more advanced 8 role and Hamza inverted RB until Ndidi is back

To be fair he puts in a shift defensively but going forward I’m not having him at all. Needs to do so much more to influence and get into the game. Poor decision making and I question his mentality in big games

Really struggling to see how we win this one. I can see us getting our noses ahead 1-0 or 2-1 but from the evidence I’ve seen this season, I just can’t see us hanging on to a lead. If we are winning going into the last 10, no way we close the game out, unless we are 2 or 3 up which is highly unlikely. I think a draw with Leeds scoring a late equaliser in the best we can hope for, which wouldn’t be a bad result actually.

Yep. The keeper, defence, midfield 3 box 4 with Ndidi/Praet in there is perfectly fine. The issue is the wingers and strikers, lack of consistency and quality. Maybe getting Cannon and Yunus in that front 3 will make it click