Cue the defence slating. Arsenal post match thread.

[foxinsox]

DeLaet wasn't that bad yesterday, but he could only be said to be the best defender because the remainder of the back 3 were shocking.

Fuchs at LB and Albrighton on R Wing would shore things up considerably. Kante and DD deserve the midfield, and Mahrez would be better on the left as Fuchs would be behind him, or in the hole.

Either that or play Benny or Was as RB. They have both done it in the past.

[Leicester_Numan]

Got to say I thought Arsenal were brilliant, but we were so unlucky to go in behind at half time... could have easily be winning at that point and then it becomes a different game.

I thought we played well and shouldn't be too down or be calling for major changes. Our approach will win us more games than not and we should continue in this vain

This.

We shouldn't have been losing at halftime. Their second goal shouldn't have happened because Pawson should have blown for the fouls on Okazaki and Vardy. We were arguably the better side first half, certainly the more dangerous team and going in at halftime at least on level terms, it's a totally different game. The substitution at halftime wouldn't have happened, a substitution that destroyed our attacking game and the first in-game change that Ranieri has got wrong. But at 2-1 down, we were chasing an equaliser but without the attacking power to get one and leaving even bigger gaps for Arsenal to exploit. Once they got their third, it became a completely different game again, we were never coming back from 2 goals down against a team of their quality.

It's a good example though of how one wrong call from a referee, can affect the whole game if it goes against you which it usually does against the big teams.

Having said that, I think we still would have lost in the end but not by that kind of scoreline.

On the plus side, 2 good goals and a great performance from Vardy. He's really looking like an England striker now and good performances from Drinkwater and Kante again.

[The Doctor]

This.

We shouldn't have been losing at halftime. Their second goal shouldn't have happened because Pawson should have blown for the fouls on Okazaki and Vardy. We were arguably the better side first half, certainly the more dangerous team and going in at halftime at least on level terms, it's a totally different game. The substitution at halftime wouldn't have happened, a substitution that destroyed our attacking game and the first in-game change that Ranieri has got wrong. But at 2-1 down, we were chasing an equaliser but without the attacking power to get one and leaving even bigger gaps for Arsenal to exploit. Once they got their third, it became a completely different game again, we were never coming back from 2 goals down against a team of their quality.

It's a good example though of how one wrong call from a referee, can affect the whole game if it goes against you which it usually does against the big teams.

Having said that, I think we still would have lost in the end but not by that kind of scoreline.

On the plus side, 2 good goals and a great performance from Vardy. He's really looking like an England striker now and good performances from Drinkwater and Kante again.

I'm not so sure we would, if he gets that passage of play right there's only one option, koscielny being sent off, which would likely have meant the withdrawal of Sanchez, who'd been a passenger up to that point.

[st albans fox]

Are going back to that again? why would he be sent off? Cech was getting the ball first so it wasn't a goal scoring opportunity EVEN if you accept it was a foul (which most probably wouldn't - it happens all the time : see krama push Cech after he saves his late effort on the line. ). it should have been a free kick for arteta's trip but again, they rarely get given. we weren't two up because of our poor finishing. We should cut the blame game and look at ourselves.

We lost, move on and make sure we don't lose next week

[FerrisBueller]

DD has really grabbed the CM spot by the balls, he looks so calm on the ball at the moment. Massive fan of Kante, regardless of the occasional soft pass. Defensively, we definitely need to go for a back 4 against teams like Arsenal that play the quick passing game.

At the end of the day, it was Arsenal who are still consistently a top 6 team.

[Babylon]

Still frustrated by that game and how we defended as a team. No point in singling out the defence really, yes they were poor but so was the support they received. Naive is the word that constantly springs to mind when I think of the performance.

[dorsetboy]

They looked they saw de laet it's the weak link and they saw how slow huth and Morgan are cue spam long balls to Walcott and it worked I'm afraid if Claudio does not change this then every team will play this way against us from now on

[Dickov22]

They looked they saw de laet it's the weak link and they saw how slow huth and Morgan are cue spam long balls to Walcott and it worked I'm afraid if Claudio does not change this then every team will play this way against us from now on

WES MORGAN IS NOT SLOW. When will you all realise this??!!!! Huth is slow, Wes isn't

[Callabinho]

Kante is increadible. Anyone to suggest otherwise is a numpty.

[Dickov22]

Kante is increadible. Anyone to suggest otherwise is a numpty.

Incredible in the tackle, the energy, winning the ball back time and time again. However, gives the ball away a lot too. If he can develop in that area he'll be one hell of a player.

[RonnieTodger]

This De Laet bashing is really boring now. As many have said, he was our best defender. He did fall asleep for Walcott to be slipped through, but in fairness he came back and made a superb tackle. Jeff Schlupp was absolutely woeful. I can't remember a time he kept the ball. 

[kingcarr21]

WES MORGAN IS NOT SLOW. When will you all realise this??!!!! Huth is slow, Wes isn't

Agree 100%. Huth is by far the slower of the 2 and Wes can shift when he needs to.

 

I thought saturdays game was even more obvious that Schluup's best position is either LW with Fuchs behind him or LWB with a back 3. His defensive skills just arent upto scratch. Thought overall De Laet played alright. Going to a back 3 would work but i also think a solid back 4 with Fuchs instead of Schluup would make a big improvement. Schluup just doesnt hold position well. He played Arsenal onside a few times.

 

Thing is i do like Schluup and if we insist on playing him LB then im not too worried as im sure with experience he will improve his defensive game. Going forward he is always a threat.

[Babylon]

We have serious problems if De Laet was out best defender Saturday. They targeted that side again, ball after ball slid into the space between De Laet and Huth.

 

The De Laet, Mahrez and Huth trio were the biggest problem. Mahrez didn't cover his man which dragged De Laet out and left lots of space between him and Huth for balls to be slid into. De Laet should have been much closer to Huth restricting the space and making them go wide and cross.

 

If you look at the passes that created a chance, the best ones including all the goals came from that side with balls being slid forwards behind the defence down that side. Every single pass that created a missed chance on the other side had to be played backwards / crossed.

 

I do have some sympathy as if they ever tried to play someone offside Schlupp was playing them on by about three metres on the other side of the pitch.

 

 

 

I wouldn't say any of them were "best", Wes seemed about the least shit.

 

 

[goose2010]

Absolutely crazy that since October 2011 we have only lost by 3 goal in the league 3 times! Millwall / Brighton / Arsenal.

[The Doctor]

They looked they saw de laet it's the weak link and they saw how slow huth and Morgan are cue spam long balls to Walcott and it worked I'm afraid if Claudio does not change this then every team will play this way against us from now on

It wasn't de laet that was the problem though - schlupp was beyond dozy and must have played them onside when the rest of the defence had stepped up well for two, possibly three.

[The Doctor]

Are going back to that again? why would he be sent off? Cech was getting the ball first so it wasn't a goal scoring opportunity EVEN if you accept it was a foul (which most probably wouldn't - it happens all the time : see krama push Cech after he saves his late effort on the line. ). it should have been a free kick for arteta's trip but again, they rarely get given. we weren't two up because of our poor finishing. We should cut the blame game and look at ourselves.

We lost, move on and make sure we don't lose next week

It's a professional foul and if you're suggesting a rugby tackle is in anyway not a foul then there's not a conversation worth having, because there's an unsolvable disagreement on the very basics.

[ViewFromTheBox]

We are still the team everyone's talking about, and it's been a memorable season already. Yes, the defence needs tightening up, but there are still some goods stats to be proud of...

 

[inckley fox]

We have serious problems if De Laet was out best defender Saturday. They targeted that side again, ball after ball slid into the space between De Laet and Huth.

 

The De Laet, Mahrez and Huth trio were the biggest problem. Mahrez didn't cover his man which dragged De Laet out and left lots of space between him and Huth for balls to be slid into. De Laet should have been much closer to Huth restricting the space and making them go wide and cross.

 

If you look at the passes that created a chance, the best ones including all the goals came from that side with balls being slid forwards behind the defence down that side. Every single pass that created a missed chance on the other side had to be played backwards / crossed.

 

I do have some sympathy as if they ever tried to play someone offside Schlupp was playing them on by about three metres on the other side of the pitch.

 

Screen Shot 2015-09-28 at 10.56.55.png

 

 

I wouldn't say any of them were "best", Wes seemed about the least shit.

 

I see your point, but De Laet was also caught out more than once by being too close to Huth, allowing them to get straight in round the back. And, on other occasions, he was caught out of position not because Mahrez had lost his man, but because he'd just decided to bomb forward of his own accord. The trick might be to get Mahrez off the wing before anything else, and perhaps to ask Drinkwater to help out on the right in the same way Kante keeps cropping up on the left to fix Jeff's problems. And, while we're at it, if Fuchs were to get the nod on the left, I'm sure he'd offer the two CBs a lot more support than Jeff does, which might mean RDL won't get caught in no man's land so often between the central defensive and right back slots, and will be able to finally focus on, well, being a right back.

[Guest Col city fan]

Still frustrated by that game and how we defended as a team. No point in singling out the defence really, yes they were poor but so was the support they received. Naive is the word that constantly springs to mind when I think of the performance.

The usual Babylon sense...

Spot on

[Callabinho]

This De Laet bashing is really boring now. As many have said, he was our best defender. He did fall asleep for Walcott to be slipped through, but in fairness he came back and made a superb tackle. Jeff Schlupp was absolutely

woeful. I can't remember a time he kept the ball.

He wasn't at all. His passing was idiotic and positioning horrifying. His anticipation of play is awful.

[RonnieTodger]

He wasn't at all. His passing was idiotic and positioning horrifying. His anticipation of play is awful.

 

I didn't say he played well, but to suggest Schlupp, Morgan or Huth were better is ludicrous. 

[leicesterseddon]

On one level, it's really refreshing to see us go after teams like Arsenal and try to beat them on their own terms. It was certainly an entertaining game, and beats angling for a bore draw. 

 

However, on a pragmatic level I think most people are now waking up to the fact that the kind of gung-ho approach we used so effectively to extricate ourselves from relegation towards the end of last season might not be the best ambition over the long run.

 

In particular, Ranieri needs to take a good look at the team and think about how to stop us conceding so many goals. For me, that will mean changes at the back - but it's also a wider question and we need to be thinking about whether our midfield and the way we play could be improved. 

 

That said, he's a smart man with lots of experience so he'll know this is the problem. He's still learning what our best side is, and this will take time. 

 

For me, however, there are a few things we could do in the short-term to remedy the situation:

 

1. Move Mahrez off the wing and into the centre

2. Bring in Fuchs to add solidity and experience at the back

3. Recognise that Schlupp's long-term future is as a winger, and start to coach/play him appropriately

 

On the formation, I wouldn't mind us keeping to 4-4-2 against the big teams, or even playing 4-5-1 (although not at home). 

 

The thing is, it's been great watching such good football over the past few months, but Saturday was a reminder that watching your team concede 5 is an awful feeling.

 

Watching another side smash through us may have been "entertaining" in one sense but it's also completely miserable. 

[Thracian]

That's the defensive lineup I advocated during the Week. You definitely need to use your experienced defenders against the big clubs to have a chance. Arsenal were finding space too easily in and around our box.

 

 

But Huth and Morgan are experienced. They are also the footballing equivalent of oil tankers when it comes to turning and chasing nippy attackers running in-between them.

 

The problem Arsenal posed is having so many such players who could also play the accurate and imaginative one-twos which are so important and which, together with pace, are the master keys to success at Premiership level.

 

Fortunately not many teams have such riches but our dilemna is to evolve a more mobile and efficient defence without sacrificing the rapid counter-attacking style which is the reason we're so dangerous going forward...and it doesn't look easy to cover all bases from what I've seen of our squad so far...for all the ideas that have been muted.

 

But to retain our pace while improving our defence it's hard to see further than 3-5-2 or even 4-5-1 if we can select the personnel to play it properly.

 

Why? Because we need more than two central midfielders, we need to retain width and because 4-4-2 leaves us far too vulnerable unless we subdue almost all our movement and ambition.

[dorsetboy]

But Huth and Morgan are experienced. They are also the footballing equivalent of oil tankers when it comes to turning and chasing nippy attackers running in-between them.

 

The problem Arsenal posed is having so many such players who could also play the accurate and imaginative one-twos which are so important and which, together with pace, are the master keys to success at Premiership level.

 

Fortunately not many teams have such riches but our dilemna is to evolve a more mobile and efficient defence without sacrificing the rapid counter-attacking style which is the reason we're so dangerous going forward...and it doesn't look easy to cover all bases from what I've seen of our squad so far...for all the ideas that have been muted.

 

But to retain our pace while improving our defence it's hard to see further than 3-5-2 or even 4-5-1 if we can select the personnel to play it properly.

 

Why? Because we need more than two central midfielders, we need to retain width and because 4-4-2 leaves us far too vulnerable unless we subdue almost all our movement and ambition.

Agree with what you said excellent post what do you think about a 4-3-3 with mahrez playing as a cam in front of kante and Drinkwater with dyer on the rw and albrighton on the lw with vardy up top ?

[Fox 4 Life]

Looks like no changes anytime soon

Claudio Ranieri said he does not blame his back four for Leicester City's heavy home defeat to Arsenal.

The City boss said the Gunners deserved the credit for their attacking play as they emphatically ended his side's unbeaten start to the season with a Ranieri explained his rationale behind his selections and for leaving Austria captain Christian Fuchs completely out of the squad, despite his impressive performance in the Capital One Cup win over West Ham six days ago.

"No, I am not upset because it wasn't our mistakes, it was great quality from (Arsenal)," said Ranieri.

"I left out Fuchs because (Jeff) Schlupp is playing well, and I chose one defender who can make rotation with the other defenders.

"If I take Fuchs and Ritchie De Laet gets injured, what can I do on the right? There is nobody.

"Danny Simpson can play in all four positions."

City are the joint top goalscorers after seven games in the Premier League on 15 with West Ham, while Jamie Vardy's double against Arsenal took his tally for the season to six.

But City have also now conceded 14 goals, and only Sunderland have let in more this season.

Ranieri admitted he may have to set his side, who travel to newly-promoted Norwich on Saturday, to be tougher to break down in future.

But he does not want to sacrifice City's attacking intent.

"I will have to watch the match, but I could do," he said.

"When you try (to put) into the mind of the players, this kind of players, my tactics, I don't think it is right to say 'hey, be careful.'

"I said to them at half-time, I change Shinji [Okazaki), a tactical change, and put another midfielder to try get some control in the middle, so we don't give them many chances, and then I wanted to reopen the match in the last 20 minutes.

"But they scored the third goal and it was finished. It was very difficult after that."

Read more at http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Leicester-City-defence-blame-Arsenal-defeat-says/story-27882567-detail/story.html#o6ALApRDUyaIC0Kw.99