SixtiesFox

Felt a bit lonely in the 'Points Required...' thread so I thought I'd join you all here. Despite a quite awful run of form, we are miraculously still in the box seat. Our fate will, therefore, be determined by our results, not those of the chasing pack. Crucially, our recent demise has coincided with Vardy's injury-influenced goal drought. For me, our destiny hangs on the fitness of our talisman over the next 10 games.

Despite a quite awful run of form, we are miraculously still in the box seat. Our fate will, therefore, be determined by our results, not those of the chasing pack. Crucially, our recent demise has coincided with Vardy's injury-influenced goal drought. For me, our destiny hangs on the fitness of our talisman over the next 10 games.

Forget this sideways and backwards low-risk approach we need to take the game to the opposition. Get up the field in numbers, with and without the ball. Rodgers must inspire some energy and fight to shake the lethargy that has infected the team. We need to play every game from here on in like it's a cup tie. We engineered the great escape when the odds were almost insurmountable so surely a more positive approach now should yield the 15 points we still need to take us to the promised land!

Could be his last appearance for us I'm afraid. Bags of talent but his decision making is awful.

What we witnessed tonight was a team totally devoid of confidence and lacking squad depth. Digging out a win was crucial. Follow up with a win against Villa with Vardy back on the score sheet and this could be a crucial turning point in our season. When we were on our run we were playing way above ourselves. Likewise, our recent results and performances have been way below what we are capable of. Champions League qualification and and FA cup double still on. Come on lads!

Worrying to say the least. Far too negative. No energy or urgency. Second half we need to show some ambition and go for it. We must get players further up the field to support Iheanacho.

Incredibly we still have an 8 point gap to 6th. Realistically 5 wins and a draw (65 points) should see us over the line, as Chelsea will have to significantly improve their form to overtake us and, in addition, 2 of the chasers will need to win 8 of their remaining 10 games (highly unlikely) to reach 66 points in order to push us out of the top 5! Although our own form has to improve, it doesn't have to do so dramatically as 4 wins 3 draws and 3 defeats (15 points from 10 games), 1.5 points per game, mid-table form, is all we need.

Incredibly we still have an 8 point gap to 6th. Realistically 5 wins and a draw (65 points) should see us over the line, as Chelsea will have to significantly improve their form to overtake us and, in addition, 2 of the chasers will need to win 8 of their remaining 10 games (highly unlikely) to reach 66 points in order to push us out of the top 5! The biggest concern has to be our own form but although this clearly has to improve, it doesn't have to do so dramatically as 4 wins 3 draws and 3 defeats (15 points from 10 games), 1.5 points per game, mid-table form, is all we need. If this proves to be beyond us then we will have blown the biggest opportunity to achieve Champions League football and take our club to the next level that we are ever likely to get.

I fear 5 wins from our remaining 10 games will now be the minimum requirement for a top 5 finish but even this might be beyond us unless we have a major upturn in form. We have opened the door to the chasing pack and our Champions League dream could be just that.

Vardy missing the penalty was the turning point against Burnley. At least Fuchs knows how to defend when not played out of position. How many more goals can we afford as a result of poor defending from Chilwell?

Worrying on so many levels. Where was the urgency? Where are the leaders on the field? Has Rodger's lost the plot? Perez still being played out of position. Maddison playing too far back to impact the game. Chilwell, a defensive liability, needs to be dropped. Only a major turnaround in form will now see us over the line but we have given the chasing pack more than a chink of light and they'll be smelling blood. It is not overstating the case that the next 9 games will shape the future of this club for years to come. Hold on to your hats boys we're in for a bumpy ride!

Hard to fathom why Praet was substituted against Man City. Maybe Tielemans' 40 million price tag is influencing Rodgers' decisions. Praet's performances against Man City and in other games when called upon have been impressive.

18 and we'll be safe in third. Although Norwich is not a must win, if we fail to win it that target will be much harder to achieve. The chasers will smell blood and our lack of mental strength could become a real factor.

Can't blame him for the goal but, as the MOTD analysis revealed, he didn't get tight enough to Mahrez throughout the game. Once Mahrez has the ball under control in space he can become unplayable. Chilwell is a talented young player but he has much to learn. Becoming the first choice England left back so early in his career has raised expectations to levels he is currently unable to live up to. The question for the club will be do we cash in while his stock is unrealistically high or hold on to him hoping that he hasn't plateaued with a view to developing him further?

Although toenail decisions are infuriating, until the rules are changed they will continue to be judged by slide-rule technology. Some you win (at Wolves) some you lose ( v Man cIty yesterday). Handballs and penalties are subject to interpretation by faceless officials in a studio. How De Bruyne and Emerson got away with their interventions yesterday and Praet didn't I have no idea. However, had the incidents been reversed I somehow doubt the outcomes would have been the same. Add to that Emerson's brutal takeout of Barnes at the Etihad and Mane's antics at Anfield and you have to shake your head. Heaven (or the VAR gods) forbid the likes of Leicester and Sheff U invade that exclusive little club!

Tough one to assess. First half we more than matched them and, but for a poor/unlucky finish from Vardy and a blatant penalty not given, we could/should have been two up at halftime. Second half our game plan went out of the window, in large part because we lost Nacho. Barnes is not a like-for-like replacement and we were completely outplayed as a result. Could Rodgers have changed things? Perhaps, perhaps not. For me, I think it's less a case of a lack of tactical nous on his part, more an indication that we have a threadbare squad that will need substantial reinforcement if we do make the CL next season.

Two blatant hand balls against us - the one against Villa and the one today. The first cost us an appearance in a cup final let's hope the latest injustice doesn't cost us a result today!

Even with a loss today, we're 10 points clear of 5th. Man U can pull to within 9 with a win tomorrow. Win today and start booking our European tour. Nacho to win it. Just hope he doesn't score a hat trick or they'll be activating that buy-back clause!

Brilliant! Well done Ladies!

Playing Matty James would be akin to what Villa did to Drinky; throwing him to the wolves. Can't see Rodgers doing it. This game is a free hit re our CL aspirations so experiment by changing the system. Ricey's lineup seems solid to me. Play with a bit more intensity, move the ball quicker and have Iheanacho up front to support Vardy.

As has been pointed out, referees don't call it, in part because many players are masters at it. Our players are a pretty honest bunch who try and win tackles fairly and when they don't the foul is usually obvious and they get booked and sometimes sent off. Wolves rarely get a player sent off but check how many times teams they are playing against go down to 10 men. Is it just coincidence? As I said, the dark arts are part of the game and we need to adjust to it if we are going to mix it with the big boys. Waiting for our refs to call it is like pissing in the wind I'm afraid.

Wolves showed how important this aspect of the game is. They constantly impeded our players in the midfield area restricting our creative players' ability to develop attacking situations. At worst they conceded free kicks in non-threatening areas and for the most part they avoided bookings. Ironically, we fouled less but received more cautions and a sending off that could have cost us the game. Liverpool and Man City are masters at disrupting moves at source and a Villa defender even admitted that this was a key strategy they employed in the League Cup semi-finals, as they knew that if they allowed us to 'play' they would almost certainly have lost the tie. Why haven't we learned to counter and replicate this tactic? Is it down to Rodger's philosophy (is he a purist?) or is it a personnel issue? And if it's the latter, who should we be targeting to address this in the summer transfer window? If we want to mix it with the big boys, surely we must add this dimension to our game.

I seem to remember a stat about Vardy's conversion rate when he was knocking them in for fun being off the charts and therefore unlikely to be sustainable. This partly explains the drop off along with the fact that I don't think he has returned to full fitness since his injury. Due to the other points being made in recent posts he is also becoming increasingly isolated. Too many square pegs in round holes around him - Perez in particular. We have become stale and we've been worked out. Time to change the system. I'd like to see Nacho brought in alongside him. This could become an explosive partnership and reignite us for the final push.

I think Rodgers is playing the longer game. With 12 games left we don't need to pull up any trees in terms of performance, just do enough to get the job done and qualify for the Champions League. The current squad has overachieved but we are where we are because our results have merited our lofty league position. However, this squad cannot continue to punch above it's weight. The club didn't panic during the January transfer window preferring to wait and capture prime targets in the summer. I believe this strategy will be proved correct as we'll be able to entice a higher calibre of player with the promise of Champions League football. With better players added and the potential for improvement in our young squad our performances will improve significantly as they must if we are to rise to the greater challenges that lie ahead. It might be a bit of a crawl to the finish line this season but the club is planning ahead, playing the longer game, and we, as fans must be patient. This is a results business and last night's point was far more important than the performance.

Poor performance save for some heroic defending at the end but a great result. Our lack of experience against a top side showed yet again. Qualification for the Champions League will enable the club to bring in more quality players with experience and this will afford Rodgers the opportunity to take us to the next level. We are in pole position and the current squad should have enough to get us over the line but substantial reinforcements will be needed in order to mix it with the big boys at home and in Europe on a regular basis.