Our style of play

[foxfanazer]

Good points Desertfox

[Guest Col city fan]

Hate to say it but I don't think it's a team playing 442 against us problem I think it's a case of playing 442 against us when we have King in for Drinkwater. I love King but he is as much use as a nuns tits in a 442. We have one of the best CM midfielders in the league if not the best at the moment in Kante and to be out played through the middle shows how poor he was against Liverpool. We need to sacrifice Okazaki or ulloa and have 3cm if king is to start. I think we would have got a draw if drinkwater had played.

Agree.

Nothing wrong with a 4-4-2 IF you have the players to play it. Box to box mids must have great engines.. or you get over-run.

[Babylon]

Is this the same Drinkwater who last season almost everyone was saying shouldn't play.

Now he's actually got a chance to play, he's one of our most important players.

He played a lot lost season, he wasn't as his best. It's not unknown for young players to take time to adjust... Not everything has to do with bloody Cambiasso, because we know where these comments lead.

[desertfox2]

He played a lot lost season, he wasn't as his best. It's not unknown for young players to take time to adjust... Not everything has to do with bloody Cambiasso, because we know where these comments lead.

Exactly not the first player to take time to adapt to a new league just ask Vardy. This season he has played well enough that we suffer when he's out. He's made himself undroppable as James did last year

[Babylon]

I was going to post in the Chilwell thread after reading this quote but thought I'd start it as a new thread. Looks like one of the reasons we're losing our best prospect is down to style of play.

But is anyone concerned that as each game passes we seem to have got too drawn into the counter attack approach to games? Against Liverpool we were constantly rushing passes throughout the match and hoofing the ball up field at pretty much every opportunity, hoping to get lucky and reach one of our players.

Earlier in the season and at the back end of last season, we weren't anywhere near as direct as we are now. As great as it is when it works we need Vardy available and firing for the full 90 to make it work.

Even Claudio has said in interviews, we only have one way of playing. So if Vardy isn't available, it's not going to give the players much confidence as the manager has already admitted we pretty much can't play any other way.

It's hardly a shock that we've looked more counter attacking against the better teams in the league who are better at keeping the ball. It was no different against Spurs earlier in the season for instance.

When we play the lower teams again then we'll not be feeding off scraps so much and will play a bit more football.

We certainly need to work on possession football a bit. If only to relieve pressure on ourselves sometimes, so we don't return the ball straight back to the oppo.

[desertfox2]

It's hardly a shock that we've looked more counter attacking against the better teams in the league who are better at keeping the ball. It was no different against Spurs earlier in the season for instance.

When we play the lower teams again then we'll not be feeding off scraps so much and will play a bit more football.

We certainly need to work on possession football a bit. If only to relieve pressure on ourselves sometimes, so we don't return the ball straight back to the oppo.

This but with an added it's even more important where we are losing the ball than how much. If we are giving possession away in the final 3rd that's ok it's normal as we are attacking middle of the pitch worrying defensive 3rd then we are focked

[Captain...]

We can't shit ourselves over one bad result, Liverpool pressed us and rushed us all across the pitch, we had no time on the ball anywhere on the pitch and we had no time or space to pick a pass and had to go long.

Man City won't press us like that and those teams that do press us won't do it as well as Liverpool, this is the Klopp way and he got it working perfectly against us. I don't think Drinkwater or 100% fit Vardy would have made a difference.

[NotTheMarketLeader]

we're top of the premier league. if some kid left back would rather play for huddersfield then he can suck the shit out of my arse for all i care.

Charmed I'm sure

[Arriba Los Zorros]

I agree with the original post, we are in danger of becoming counter attacking experts rather than just an attacking team. Counter attacking has worked well for us, but we also used to score goals by just flooding players forward even when the opposition were defending and I don't see us doing this much any more. Ranieri has to coach a bit of possession play as well

[Captain...]

I agree with the original post, we are in danger of becoming counter attacking experts rather than just an attacking team. Counter attacking has worked well for us, but we also used to score goals by just flooding players forward even when the opposition were defending and I don't see us doing this much any more. Ranieri has to coach a bit of possession play as well

Based on one poor game? We aren't a counter attacking team we are a pressing and fast attacking team look back a whole week to the Everton game where we pressed them high up the pitch Albrighton won the ball and we scored our third.

[dedlock]

We can't shit ourselves over one bad result, Liverpool pressed us and rushed us all across the pitch, we had no time on the ball anywhere on the pitch and we had no time or space to pick a pass and had to go long.

Man City won't press us like that and those teams that do press us won't do it as well as Liverpool, this is the Klopp way and he got it working perfectly against us. I don't think Drinkwater or 100% fit Vardy would have made a difference.

Klopp's tactics nullified our style of play. Liverpool executed their pressing game very well.

 

Our style of play has evolved as the season has progressed but few other teams have countered our game as Liverpool did.

[WesMorganGod]

Watching the Liverpool game made me think that a signing like Charlie Austin wouldn't be a bad idea after all. Granted, he doesn't suit our fast counter attacking style, but there will be times when we need to do something different to snatch a win or a point. On Boxing Day, I think Austin coming off the bench with 20 mins left would have gave us more of a chance

 

Exactly, Austin would be a great signing for us, he actually has a very good goal scoring record in every division he has played in and he will offer us something different. He is far better than Ulloa and Okazaki in my opinion. Even as a stater he would do brilliant for us, I am certain about that. we should sign him in january.. I'm confident it will be a good singing for us 

[lcfcsnow]

We seem to be becoming more direct as each game passes.

Thracian is right when he says we've taken attacking options away to strengthen the defence.

If we're not careful the season is going to slip away. We must increase our attacking options again if we don't teams aren't going to be scared anymore and chances are we'll start losing games.

[Arriba Los Zorros]

We seem to be becoming more direct as each game passes.

Thracian is right when he says we've taken attacking options away to strengthen the defence.

If we're not careful the season is going to slip away. We must increase our attacking options again if we don't teams aren't going to be scared anymore and chances are we'll start losing games.

Yep, all the good football played under Pearson has become long balls and sporadic counter attacks, no good against any team that defends

[Guest Col city fan]

That first half today was dreadful I'm afraid. Having Ulloa in the side meant we kept lumping it up to him and have I got this wrong, or does he win fook all in the air? He looked the proverbial cart horse and playing him made us more direct. I don't like that. I never did under Nigel, I certainly don't under Ranieri.

[Great Boos Up]

That first half today was dreadful I'm afraid. Having Ulloa in the side meant we kept lumping it up to him and have I got this wrong, or does he win fook all in the air? He looked the proverbial cart horse and playing him made us more direct. I don't like that. I never did under Nigel, I certainly don't under Ranieri.

Because we score by ball into the space not by winning the second ball. When we have won the second ball it's not possession but back to ball into space.

It's been the movement and willingness to go for those spaces that has put us through on goal. 

So by my reasoning we would need two next to Ulloa.

[4everfox]

Today it seemed like we were hoofing the ball forward and if we didn't lose the ball we were passing sideways, then backwards and then back to Schmeichel to try it again. It appears that teams have figured out how to nullify our fast paced counter attacking threat and this is our answer to a plan B. We wont win many more at home if this is what we have got to offer.

[Buzzell]

Stop the longball bullcrap. Keep the ball down and let's convert back to the quick counter attacking football that we've witnessed majority of this season.

[st albans fox]

Today was a big insight into what we face for many of our home games from now on. teams will sit back and invite us to get through them. They will play it around, knowing that our 2v 3 in the middle will allow them to find an extra man and keep us on the move.

We haven't been comfortable at home in a game since the opening day. whilst the better sides are expected to keep the ball and give us few chances, the lesser ones are now going to 'park the bus' and challenge us to find a way through. and once they have drawn us up the pitch to try and press and pinch the ball, they may well have the ability to play it around our press and make a few good chances as bmouth did today.

Palace - we made the most of their only defensive lapse

Watford - again they were punished for their defensive error

Villa - we were 2 down

So our home form hasn't been anything particularly great although we have a good return of points.

Away from home, we can play on the counter and the better teams we will face in the remainder of the campaign will probably give us a better opportunity to do this. Spurs next week will offer a good pointer for how we may fare over the next few months. At our place, it was acceptable for some of these to be very disciplined and hold their lines to prevent us breaking behind them. That's not going to happen in their home fixtures (yanited apart where LVG will do what he sees fit to get the win)

So we have to find a way to get wins at home without relying on the opposition to gift us a goal. That may be via some new additions to the squad or it may be via a formation change. having the personnel on the pitch to play the quick break game when you are camped in the opposition half isn't necessarily going to work as we saw today. We might have been better playing deeper second half and trying to draw them out to leave some space behind. Against 10 men, the way to play is to get around the back. That's why RDL came on and CR was pretty annoyed that we were too slow to work the ball to him and give him and Riyad the chance to double up on their left back.

Claudio really needs to earn his money now. He's had it easy so far!

[Arriba Los Zorros]

Today was a big insight into what we face for many of our home games from now on. teams will sit back and invite us to get through them. They will play it around, knowing that our 2v 3 in the middle will allow them to find an extra man and keep us on the move.

We haven't been comfortable at home in a game since the opening day. whilst the better sides are expected to keep the ball and give us few chances, the lesser ones are now going to 'park the bus' and challenge us to find a way through. and once they have drawn us up the pitch to try and press and pinch the ball, they may well have the ability to play it around our press and make a few good chances as bmouth did today.

Palace - we made the most of their only defensive lapse

Watford - again they were punished for their defensive error

Villa - we were 2 down

So our home form hasn't been anything particularly great although we have a good return of points.

Away from home, we can play on the counter and the better teams we will face in the remainder of the campaign will probably give us a better opportunity to do this. Spurs next week will offer a good pointer for how we may fare over the next few months. At our place, it was acceptable for some of these to be very disciplined and hold their lines to prevent us breaking behind them. That's not going to happen in their home fixtures (yanited apart where LVG will do what he sees fit to get the win)

So we have to find a way to get wins at home without relying on the opposition to gift us a goal. That may be via some new additions to the squad or it may be via a formation change. having the personnel on the pitch to play the quick break game when you are camped in the opposition half isn't necessarily going to work as we saw today. We might have been better playing deeper second half and trying to draw them out to leave some space behind. Against 10 men, the way to play is to get around the back. That's why RDL came on and CR was pretty annoyed that we were too slow to work the ball to him and give him and Riyad the chance to double up on their left back.

Claudio really needs to earn his money now. He's had it easy so far!

Totally agree with all this. We're clearly better away - we've not played like title or even top 4 contenders at home, but have been clinical, helped by a great support.

 

We MUST find a way of winning apart from counter attacking that works against the more defensive sides, we were able to do this with slick passing at the start of the season so we clearly have the players to do so - long ball hoofball is not the answer Ranieri!!

 

We don't want to become 'away specialists' like a team like Palace, only impressive when the other team commits men forward and rarely winning in front of their own fans....