Leicester City v Bournemouth AFC post match thread 0 - 0

[johnny the fox]

Fvcking hell. Wanted to quote all the knee-jerkers but there's just too many to put in one post.

 

Honestly can't believe some of the comments I'm reading right now...

 

Get a grip!

 

   

Sorry mate, you have no chance of getting a grip of all the bellends ..

[cjslcfc]

Go on...quote the bastard knee jerkers into shame!!!

 

Apparently there's a quote limit. Then tried to delete some of them and couldn't get it below the limit.

 

You get the picture

[Thracian]

Three games without a goal, a missed penalty, stacks of chances squandered and the worst outfield performance by anyone I've ever seen in a City shirt in 57 years.

 

i'd like to say we played well and in some respects we did.

 

Even Ranieri, the so-called master tactician was fine in his commitment to winning the game but wanting in his directing of how to do it.

 

Let's start with the worst aspect. Dyer.

 

I've no idea what he was wearing for boots but he couldn't stand up, couldn't pass (apart from one bent effort) was careless beyond defending and had no appetite for competing. Bad? He was so bad he'd be on the bus back to Swansea if I were his boss.

 

First half we should have settled the game with three or four excellent chances but when Vardy earned a penalty with typical effort and determination in the second half why the hell didn't he get up and take it?

 

Penalties are the responsibility of centre-forwards in my view not people with fancy run-ups which risk them being unable to generate the power necessary to beat a goalkeeper going the right way.

 

Penalties need to be hit hard, high or low and into one corner or another. It shouldn't be difficult for a professional as I'm sure Matt LeTissier would confirm but we made it harder by giving the goalkeeper more chance than he should have.

 

That said both Vardy, Mahrez and one or two others fahioned quite enough chances for us to win the game before we slipped into stupidity mode in the last 30 minutes by lifting almost every final pass into the air and into a situation where we had no aerial players of any goalscoring consequence

 

With Bournemouth down to 10 men the trick was to spread them apart with runners to the wide areas and work through the centre with one-two's on the floor.

 

Not only didn't we do that, we didn't try and left the best player we have for that kind of football on the bench for all that it wouldn't have mattered who'd tried it, there would have been a far greater chance of breaching the visitors defence than otherwise.

 

Even a few low, hard crosses might have achieved more than the bread and butter crosses we delivered but, for heaven's sake, if you must use crosses, put some specialist headers of the ball on hand to receive them. Otherwise don't bother. It's just gesture football.

 

Once again Kante was star man but instead of using him as our anchor and centralised action man, so others could create things around him, Drinkwater seemed to be as no more than a different style of Kante and although most of his feeding was steady enough  we really needed someone on the edge of the box and in the heat of the kitchen presenting a real threat with wall passes and shots.

 

Think about it. How many times did we shoot from outside the box and give ourselves chance of a rocket goal or a deflection. Hardly ever and there were various opportunities of which Shinji attempted one that opened the eyes for all that it disappointed in the end.

 

Today showed how badly we need more attitude. Ranieri showed his desire to win the match by bringing on Shinji and the pacey DeLaet He also meant well introducing Dyer too but I'd seen enough long ago and today only confirmed it in my eyes. The bloke was awful.  

 

But in making those changes Ranieri should have cut out the endless crosses - especially when it was so damn clear they were landing on barren ground. It wasn't even bad delivery in many cases. Just the hopelessness of imagining the Bournemouth goalkeeper or defenders would get there first.

 

It always strikes me as strange for us to water the pitch when it's been pissing down with rain for days but while Dyer was clearly the most affected in that he couldn't seem to stand up at all, a good few promising situations were lost by poor first touch control - so noticeable in the first half - by balls running away from people and by getting seemingly stuck between the feet of Morgan who seemed happier to pass backwards than forwards today for some reason.

 

Nevertheless another clean sheet was commendable for all that Bournemouth hardly presented any great danger for most of the match and especially when down to 10 men.

 

We might even have got another penalty when Vardy was clearly pushed but we'd squandered quite enough by then and couldn't expect any more help off the official.

 

All in all it was a 0-0 we should have won by four or five and two points completely wasted and totally unconvincing in some quarters. 

 

The afternoon was lifted by a £300 bet that came up, but I'd sooner have had three points.             

 

Reinforcements needed and quickly. But at least we've got 40 points which is that monkey off the shoulder.    

[Thracian]

Watford have been impressive

The fookers have scored from set piece, awful defending

 

 

 

Haha, cashed out on a seven team accumulator with Watford winning 1-0. Scant compensation for today's result though.    

[cjslcfc]

If we'd have won today would people still be clamouring for new signings??

 

For me, regardless of the result today, we need 2 or 3 more players to lift the quality throughout the squad and take the pressure off players like Vardy and Mahrez.

 

Had we won today I'd still be saying the same. 

 

Today may help to show we need a little more depth but didn't we know that anyway?!

[Gerard]

Remember everyone desperately wanting to see Dyer? suppose we need to desperately see Kramaric now... THERES A REASON THEYRE NOT STARTING! Jesus

 

There were people saying Dyer should be our first signing this window for £6m. 

 

Not good enough for us, we don't need to be blowing good money on squad players who are the finished article.

 

Ulloa & Okazaki also not good enough. We need to get in a partner for Vardy and a left midfielder/attacker who can beat people and score a few goals.

[TheUltimateWinner]

We seem tired, I don't think it's just us though. Look across the league, only one game had goals at half time.

[katieakita]

Perhaps the problem is people read about this City team up near the top of the table having spent hundreds of millions getting in the position to challenge and thick we are the City they are talking about, personally thought we would build on 14th from last year and hope to challenge for a top 10 spot. We are 2nd having spent less than Villa and Newcastle so lets be realistic.

 

In defence of those going into panic mode lets agree on something hand on heart I can say that is the worst performance I have ever seen from a Leicester City side sitting joint top of the premier league halfway through a season against a well drilled side. I would love it if my team won trophy after trophy but i wasn't born in Barcelona (and they have off days as well)

[foxinsox]

Positives:

40 points with 18 games to go. Even at a slower pace than so far, say 1.5 points per game, 67 points should see us into European football.

Another clean sheet

Back 5 very solid again. I thought Simpson a contender for MOTM, something that I never thought possible!

Kante and Drinkwater back to a great partnership.

Bounemouth are a good side, we did better than ManU or Chelsea against them, but they never had a real shot

Negatives:

No goal in 3, though several good chances.

Mahrez had his worst game of the season. I hate that stuttering run up. Stop it. Switching him centrally didn't work before.

Ulloa was awful. He is not the player of last season, and he has had chances. Get rid.

Dyer was awful, lost the ball far too much. Time for our new winger to join the bench. Better still get Schlupp back in.

Vardy still carrying that groin strain he picked up against Man U. He needs a week off, possibly longer.

Bournemouth copied Liverpool, and played a tough pressing game. Others will have noticed too. We need a bit more variety in our play.

What were they doing watering the pitch before kickoff? It has been pisiing down for weeks. The suface was too slippery for a pacy game.

Still in second place and likely to be attractive to incoming players at least.

[Donut]

Really? It was nailed on. Came in from behind, took out Vardy, didn't win the ball - got a touch but not enough to even change the trajectory of the ball. It was as cut and dry as you can get.

 

Did win the ball, did change its trajectory, great tackle, youve had a mare.

[Great Boos Up]

I remember raising the point that Dyer was too short and would be knocked of the ball but was reassured he was "like lightning".

I could see that he was frustrated by his performance but Fuchs covered his arse brilliantly.

Albrighton was also getting frustrated hence the card. Claudio saw sense in taking him off. 

My point being that against a good football side our full backs had a great game supported by Huth and Was.

Again Kante was immense box to box, and Drinky quietly solid.

A clean sheet and perhaps a bit of tinkering or a signing would give us back the edge. And an edge (usually it's Mahrez) is what we lacked today. I'm not over the moon at the moment but when I look at the at the table I'm still gobsmacked.

Still 40 points, onwards and upwards.

[Guest Col city fan]

If we'd have won today would people still be clamouring for new signings??

For me, regardless of the result today, we need 2 or 3 more players to lift the quality throughout the squad and take the pressure off players like Vardy and Mahrez.

Had we won today I'd still be saying the same.

Today may help to show we need a little more depth but didn't we know that anyway?!

Yes. It's clear we need to strengthen in key positions.

[possiblygeorge]

So Claudio wants an extra 40 points. Talk about baby steps. Couldn't he be a bit more realistic and say "reach 60 points first, then we'll set it to 75" or whatever.

 

Let's be honest, 80 is a bit too much.

[The Doctor]

Did win the ball, did change its trajectory, great tackle, youve had a mare.

 

Watch the replay, it doesn't move away at all. 

[Leicesterpool]

Today was such an frustrating draw, how that game remained goalless is beyond me. Both teams had bags of chances to score a couple, including that bloody pen. Overall credit to Bournemouth they came to do their job which was probably come away with at least something, they frustrated us and didn't give us any time on the ball. We on the other hand I thought looked rather slower than usual, at times it seemed like too many players were waiting for the ball to come to them instead of going to it. I think quite a few players are due a rest, some have played in every game this season and in my opinion in this next game against Spurs in the cup has come at the right time. Give a couple of lads a rest and allow some to come in and have some game time.

 

Was it a pen and sending off? from my angle yes, it was a clear one no question. Should Mahrez have took it? He's scored all of them this season, but to that point he was already having a poor game and the last thing you wanna do is give a penalty to a player that is out of touch today and confidence being down. 

 

We should not panic it's been an amazing so far but signs here and there that things need to be freshened up and with the transfer window being open it's just perfect, striker needed is a cert now!

 

Also has the pitch got smaller? Seemed to have changed since I was last there.

[Frank to be]

He also meant well introducing Dyer too but I'd seen enough long ago and today only confirmed it in my eyes. The bloke was awful.  

 

Really?

 

He's so positive and seems to see the pictures around him. Very dangerous, has to be marked and that means space for others. Has the ability to deliver a final pass as well.  

 

I guess everyone's an expert in hindsight

[UPinCarolina]

So Claudio wants an extra 40 points. Talk about baby steps. Couldn't he be a bit more realistic and say "reach 60 points first, then we'll set it to 75" or whatever.

Let's be honest, 80 is a bit too much.

I'll follow that man to the Moon.

[Thracian]

If we'd have won today would people still be clamouring for new signings??

 

For me, regardless of the result today, we need 2 or 3 more players to lift the quality throughout the squad and take the pressure off players like Vardy and Mahrez.

 

Had we won today I'd still be saying the same. 

 

Today may help to show we need a little more depth but didn't we know that anyway?!

 

 

Yes, you think "two or three", I think up to six. Nothing new. Today just provided emphasis.     

[cjslcfc]

Yes, you think "two or three", I think up to six. Nothing new. Today just provided emphasis.     

 

I'm interested in who/what positions?

[Izzy]

Yes. It's clear we need to strengthen in key positions.

I've given Shinji and Ulloa the benefit of the doubt all season but I think it's time to admit that neither of them are really top 4 material. If we've got genuine ambitions of CL football next season, we really do need a quality player in to support Vardy and bag a few goals. It's not as if we can blame fatigue for either of them as they've both been in and out and not played every week. I'm not sure what the answer is, but hopefully Steve Walsh has got it all in hand....

[Thracian]

The penalty was debatable, obviously. The question is whether there was sufficient contact from the defender to bring Vardy down before he touched the ball, and it seems Vardy was on his way to deck before the Bournemouth guy got his foot on it. Harsh, especially when you consider it would have been deemed a great challenge some years back, but not as clear-cut a refereeing error as some made out. We missed the pen regardless, and almost certainly should have had another penalty near the end, so it's hard for Bournemouth to claim too much bad luck.

 

I'm not too panic-stricken about Vardy and Mahrez struggling for goals. They need a rest and this was always bound to happen. What's worrying is that the second striker (be it Okazaki or Ulloa) and the other attacking midfielders (Albrighton, Dyer) have failed to chip in. For two games running, on three separate occasions, we've missed out on a goal because one of the aforementioned has failed to commit himself when the ball's been whipped across goal. So if we need a clue as to where the investment is needed, it probably lies there. But the truth is that if we were ever going to finish top four, or even six, others would have to step up, especially as sides close down our two star men more and create more space for others. Dyer, for instance, had plenty of chances to make something happen today but it never worked out for him. This will have to change, depending on how lofty our aims are.

 

I thought it was a reasonable display overall, especially second half, and it didn't seem to me that we were 'never going to score'. There were excellent chances. If we want to look for a reason for the 'goal drought' I'd say we had the same problem in the first half that we've had for the past three matches - a very costly one - which is that we were carrying one guy who didn't do the closing down, or putting in full-blooded challenges for 50-50s, or the quick one-touch football which our success has been based on, and subsequently helped take the wind out of our sails. Against Liverpool it was King, Inler against Man City, today it was Ulloa. It's a real lesson in how one very weak link can steal the momentum away from you. You're always under pressure if it's 0-0 at half time against weaker opposition.

 

 

 

The penalty looked nailed on for me and the later one too when he was blatantly pushed. But the ref had helped us plenty. Yes, the penalty we did get should have been retaken but we'll rarely get that lucky.     

[The Doctor]

I've given Shinji and Ulloa the benefit of the doubt all season but I think it's time to admit that neither of them are really top 4 material. If we've got genuine ambitions of CL football next season, we really do need a quality player in to support Vardy and bag a few goals. It's not as if we can blame fatigue for either of them as they've both been in and out and not played every week. I'm not sure what the answer is, but hopefully Steve Walsh has got it all in hand....

 

How much of our squad is top 4 material? They're both reasonable options for a midtable side (even if Ulloa is busy doing his Steve Howard impression), which is realistically what we are.

[Guest Col city fan]

I've given Shinji and Ulloa the benefit of the doubt all season but I think it's time to admit that neither of them are really top 4 material. If we've got genuine ambitions of CL football next season, we really do need a quality player in to support Vardy and bag a few goals. It's not as if we can blame fatigue for either of them as they've both been in and out and not played every week. I'm not sure what the answer is, but hopefully Steve Walsh has got it all in hand....

If you REALLY think about mate, you're right. I've never really knocked Ulloa, due to his work rate and his goals last season. He was scoring when Vardy couldn't hit a barn door. And Shinji is a trier. But to consider either as top strikers at a club with real Champions League aspirations....? Nah..not on your nelly.

[Thracian]

I'm interested in who/what positions?

 

 

 

I've already listed them somewhere but they'll stand repetition:

 

a) One and preferably two goalscoring central midfielders.

 

b) Two fast, elusive goalscoring wingers who think about their crosses. Schlupp's no good to us injured and no-one else fits the bill. 

 

c)  Two specialist strikers.

 

d) One attacking full-back.   

 

I'd also try to shed five or six players from the current squad. 

[inckley fox]

Positives:

40 points with 18 games to go. Even at a slower pace than so far, say 1.5 points per game, 67 points should see us into European football.

Another clean sheet

Back 5 very solid again. I thought Simpson a contender for MOTM, something that I never thought possible!

Kante and Drinkwater back to a great partnership.

Bounemouth are a good side, we did better than ManU or Chelsea against them, but they never had a real shot

Negatives:

No goal in 3, though several good chances.

Mahrez had his worst game of the season. I hate that stuttering run up. Stop it. Switching him centrally didn't work before.

Ulloa was awful. He is not the player of last season, and he has had chances. Get rid.

Dyer was awful, lost the ball far too much. Time for our new winger to join the bench. Better still get Schlupp back in.

Vardy still carrying that groin strain he picked up against Man U. He needs a week off, possibly longer.

Bournemouth copied Liverpool, and played a tough pressing game. Others will have noticed too. We need a bit more variety in our play.

What were they doing watering the pitch before kickoff? It has been pisiing down for weeks. The suface was too slippery for a pacy game.

Still in second place and likely to be attractive to incoming players at least.

 

Loads of good points. As Ranieri said, we have stuff we need to fix now. He coped well enough the last time questions were asked, let's hope he does the same this time around.

 

Yes, they had studied Liverpool's approach to playing us, but I don't think we've been 'sussed' at all. Overall we were the better team, frequently looked dangerous and should have won. We don't look like a side that can't get goals, we've just gone through a few dodgy games and have to hope it doesn't lead to a loss of confidence in front of goal.

 

The major problem facing us now was also the major problem when we were on our run - that as sides focus their energies on our two star men, other players need to step up. The only difference is that there's a greater need now for this to happen now than there was back then. The players will know it too. I'm sure Drinkwater, Albrighton, Okazaki, Dyer, Ulloa are desperate to hit a streak of form in front of goal, even more so after today's game, just as I'm sure Mahrez and Vardy will be working overtime to get back on track.

 

There are a few 'problem areas' establishing themselves in the line-up - the second striker, the 'other winger', maybe even the right back slot - and depending on our ambitions we'll have to deal with one/all of them either earlier or later, especially if no-one can share the goalscoring burden with Mahrez and Vardy. But it's still as good a base as we've had to build on in 16 years. It's hard to feel too down.