Starting line up v Villa?

[lcfcsnow]

I'm a bit worried that Claudio is talking about a 4-2-3-1. He watched the first half at Bournemouth, right?

Isn't that just 4411 which we've used no end with a striker dropping back alongside the wingers.

[dmayne7]

Kingy regularly has matches where he does absolutely **** all, Drinkwater's been showing a lot more creativity anger better range of passing than King. King in his best matches so far in the Premiership has been better than Drinkwater usually is, but Drinkwater I think has potential to be much better than King is. He wasn't very good for most of the last match but other than that he's been great

 

Na.

 

Whilst Thrac has gone overboard, his point of the differences between the 2 is bang on. King is more capable of fulfilling different roles than Drinky. Drinky comes across as a flat track bully to me as when he has space, he's excellent and to be fair to him, he's work on the defensive side of the game but again, as Thrac said, the difference between the 2 when under-pressure is very pronounced. Drinky's game becomes nullified where as King is capable of still keeping things ticking along.

 

That said, I do really want to see Inler and Kante play in the middle but one of the boys with the shirt now should keep it, so may have to wait on that. 

[Corky]

Schmeichel

 

Morgan

Huth

Fuchs

 

Albrighton

Kante

Inler

Schlupp

 

Mahrez

 

Vardy

Okazaki

[benpicko]

Na.

 

Whilst Thrac has gone overboard, his point of the differences between the 2 is bang on. King is more capable of fulfilling different roles than Drinky. Drinky comes across as a flat track bully to me as when he has space, he's excellent and to be fair to him, he's work on the defensive side of the game but again, as Thrac said, the difference between the 2 when under-pressure is very pronounced. Drinky's game becomes nullified where as King is capable of still keeping things ticking along.

 

That said, I do really want to see Inler and Kante play in the middle but one of the boys with the shirt now should keep it, so may have to wait on that. 

 

I just don't think King is anything special at the moment and hasn't been for a while, and I know that's going to be as controversial as anything concerning Kingy but he's a tidy played and that's it, as you say he keeps everything ticking along. Drinkwater's shown himself much more likely to score, or create chances, or simply switch the play around with a single pass this season, and given his previous improvements I don't see why it's that much of a stretch to suggest that Drinkwater will be a better player in what he does than King is. And on top of that, I think he's improved his all around game as well, though he was horrendous for the first half against Bournemouth (King was invisible the entire match though). Same pass completion as King in the first 4 matches (82%), over double King's completed tackles, more chances completed, loads more forward passes. There are definitely matches more suited to King than Drinkwater, and King will always be one of my favourite players, but I think he'll be better than King

[Hack]

The very suggestion that Drinkwater should play ahead of King just baffles me. What does Kingy have to do?  Yes, I know the influence Huth had in turning us from serial losers to serial winners but Kingy returned at around the same time as Huth arrived and who in the whole of Europe has bettered our results since? 

 

King's problem to far too many watchers is that he's the antithesis of melodramatic. Apart from so many sublime goals over the years he's mostly so far under the radar he'd make stealth bombers seem more visible than the rising sun on a clear day in the desert.

 

But, while I entirely accept that Drinky's been an excellent servant, Kingy does things in places Drinky rarely sees. In some ways it's a pity Kingy's sacrificed his considerable goalscoring prowess to be of arguably greater service to the team but if City have ever got a good Premiership result, there's a fair chance Kingy was involved.

 

Drop him and the results will change, mark my words. Why? Because Kingy's the go-to. The one player who can pass the ball quickly and efficiently under the fiercest pressure and never lose his cool.

 

If everyone played like Kingy we'd hardly ever lose the ball. He's not  fleet of foot and he's no Danny Tiatto, much to the regret of so many City supporters but he wins and retains possession countless times and, if he's given the luxury of having passing options to be found then he's the only person in the City squad I'd back to find them. Others find them sometimes, if they're given the time. Kingy finds em whatever.

 

Pressure's not a problem to him because he's never inclined to elaborate in the first place. One and two-touch football could have been invented for the guy.

I like King very much and is clearly under rated, but he has not played better than Drinkwater so far this season and I thought he was actually poor against Bournemouth.  I would have Kante as the first CM picked after what we have seen so far.  I doubt Claudio will change the midfield completely so Kante in for King.  Did King play for Wales in the last week? 

[benpicko]

I like King very much and is clearly under rated, but he has not played better than Drinkwater so far this season and I thought he was actually poor against Bournemouth.  I would have Kante as the first CM picked after what we have seen so far.  I doubt Claudio will change the midfield completely so Kante in for King.  Did King play for Wales in the last week? 

 

Yes he did and in the first match I watched he was actually nearly completely invisible, though to be fair he was playing in a position he's not really used to

[benpicko]

Doesn't look like we will go back to the back 3 any time soon from tbh:

 

 

“He’s (Marc Albrighton) in very good condition,” Ranieri said. “The new role is good for him because when you play with three at the back, he has to run all of the wing and that is hard. 

 

“We play 4-2-3-1 so he can think to attack, of course to defend too. His quality is very high. He’s important for us like Mahrez.”