Leicester City v Bournemouth AFC post match thread 0 - 0

[The Doctor]

Schlupp thinks about his crosses? - We've all seen Schlupp and he's a pure instinct player, no thought goes into it.

[Benguin]

We were poor today. The back 4 mostly did okay and Drinky and Kante were defensively excellent in midfield. Are attack on the other hand lacked the flair we have become accustomed too.

I expect us to rest some players next week and come spurs away in the league be back to business as usual.

It's worth saying though that we now have 40 points and 18 games to spare! Whilst we have spent the majority of the season feeling invincible at the top, we have a very real possibility of playing in Europe next season whether that's the CL or the EL. Our priority now must be to express ourselves without pressure, the aim was to stay up this season, we've done that and now have 54 points left available. If we can get 40% of those or more we will end the season with 62+ points and play european football! 40%!!!!

[Guest Col city fan]

Might get shouted down for this, but it's no surprise to me whatsoever that we don't look as good going forward when Schlupp isn't playing. One of the most under-rated players on here for a long time is Jeff. His ability to burst forward is essential. Albrighton today looked very pedestrian.

[Izzy]

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.

There's no doubt were punching well above our weight. On the strength of what we've seen so far this season, I'd argue that Vardy, Mahrez and Kante are 'top 4 material' at present. Which just goes to prove how we're massively over performing right now. So either the rest of the squad keep exceeding expectations or we strengthen if we want to finish top 4. After last season, I can't even believe I'm typing this...

[Eastwellfox]

Am i missing something but had we won that game 3-0 then nobody would have been complaining about the performance. We pressed, hammered them in the 2nd half missed a pen, hit the post and played them off the park.

It could have been an easy win if we had got the rub of the green with the fine margins.

[cjslcfc]

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. 

 

a) would either start ahead of drinkwater/kante?

 

b) Mahrez is one of those for sure. I agree we could do with one more.

 

c) Again I agree one is necessary, two a luxury.

 

d) Right back, yes. I think Fuchs could be quite attacking.

 

So really you'd inject one winger and a striker into the starting lineup? Like everyone else is suggesting!

[Donut]

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

 

Watched the replay. Many times. Youve had a mare.

 

EDIT: A Complete mare.

[Guest Col city fan]

Am i missing something but had we won that game 3-0 then nobody would have been complaining about the performance. We pressed, hammered them in the 2nd half missed a pen, hit the post and played them off the park.

It could have been an easy win if we had got the rub of the green with the fine margins.

? Didn't Bournemouth miss 3 sitters in the first half? We could have easily gone in 3-1 down.

[Thracian]

Might get shouted down for this, but it's no surprise to me whatsoever that we don't look as good going forward when Schlupp isn't playing. One of the most under-rated players on here for a long time is Jeff. His ability to burst forward is essential. Albrighton today looked very pedestrian.

 

 

 

I'm not blind to his shortcomings which are almost comical at times but he tears defences apart for what he might do as much as what he does do. But he's no use to us injured. So we need a replacement, temporary or otherwise. Albrighton's okay but little more than a squad player to come off the bench on occasions.    

[harpendenfox]

? Didn't Bournemouth miss 3 sitters in the first half? We could have easily gone in 3-1 down.

Precisely. As Eastwell says, fine margins. Even championship winners have dips in form and whilst not at our best, we played reasonably well against a decent Bournemouth team. Wouldn't it be great if we could pick up another Riyad style gem from the French leagues though?

[WesMorganGod]

I warned everyone that this will be a very very difficult game, I knew it. Bournemouth are very good, much better than you guys think, they had some very good results recently and out played many teams. I knew it would be tough. To be honest when we played them early in the season we was lucky to get 1-1.  I'll take a point, but wanted 3.  

[harpendenfox]

Mahres lost us this game with his fcuking stop start run, never to take another one.

We need to sort ourselves out the fight is starting to go from the whole team.

Must be the most reactionary post of the lot. I know it was disappointing but we didn't actually lose

[Izzy]

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

Which five or six would you shred @@Thracian ?

[Frank to be]

Might get shouted down for this, but it's no surprise to me whatsoever that we don't look as good going forward when Schlupp isn't playing. One of the most under-rated players on here for a long time is Jeff. His ability to burst forward is essential. Albrighton today looked very pedestrian.

Schlupp at his unpredictable best might have been a good wildcard today but let's not pretend his attacking contribution is anywhere near consistent and regular enough for us to be sure he would have made an impact. On a day where several genuinely good football players had a bad game it's disingenuous to say Schlupp would have been any better.

We've actually put in our best performances of the season since schlupp was dropped and it's no coincidence that our defence looks ten times as strong as it did with him at left back.

[Guest Col city fan]

Schlupp at his unpredictable best might have been a good wildcard today but let's not pretend his attacking contribution is anywhere near consistent and regular enough for us to be sure he would have made an impact. On a day where several genuinely good football players had a bad game it's disingenuous to say Schlupp would have been any better.

We've actually put in our best performances of the season since schlupp was dropped and it's no coincidence that our defence looks ten times as strong as it did with him at left back.

We've not scored in the last three? How long has he been out for? Five?

[4everfox]

To be fair I don't think its right to moan at people who are passionate about something they love. The performance today wasn't terrible but when we have seen what we are truly capable of in previous matches its safe to say today's performance wasn't comparable and its hardly inappropriate to expect that level of performance week in week out. I'm not buying the whole "the players are tired" excuse. They are professional athletes who get paid silly money to play football which makes that excuse irrelevant in my opinion. My overall summary of the match today is that we weren't as bad as some will have you believe, but when you compare that performance to the Chelsea game for example then it was poor and any criticism is justified. All we as Leicester fans can do is judge our teams performance in comparison with other recent performances. Bournemouth are not Man City they are just Bournemouth and we have failed to beat them or even score against them at home. That's pretty bad to be honest. Negatives outweigh the positives today I'm afraid, there was too many poor individual performances and much work is ahead if we have any serious intentions to challenge for a European place. Our tactical approach to home matches needs to change in order to rack up as many points as possible considering who we have got to play away from home for the remainder of the season.

[inckley fox]

? Didn't Bournemouth miss 3 sitters in the first half? We could have easily gone in 3-1 down.

 

The first half looked even to me. They had two great chances, yes, but we got the ball into dangerous positions more frequently and also hit the post. On another occasion Ulloa was asleep in the box when Vardy flashed it across. I felt our dominance in the second half, on the other hand, was total. Even before the penalty.

 

There wasn't a great deal we did wrong in that second half, though the space created by their determination to watch Vardy and Mahrez largely fell to the left-sided players, and neither Albrighton nor Dyer ever looked like getting in behind their full backs, and I swear that Albrighton's delivery is singularly tailored for big, powerful target men.

 

On top of that, in many games this season we've bickered about Okazaki or De Laet or someone or other not being quite up to scratch, but in two of the past three games we've had - perhaps for the first time this season - an outstandingly lacklustre and spiritless individual performance: King against Liverpool, then Ulloa (and perhaps his replacement) today. I honestly believe that, for a side like Leicester which depends on being first to the second ball, pressing high, playing one-touch football, they can't get away fielding someone who clearly isn't doing their bit in any of those areas.

[sdb]

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. 

 

 

Alright Sven?

[The Doctor]

Watched the replay. Many times. Youve had a mare.

 

EDIT: A Complete mare.

Unless my stream was showing a completely different leicester vs bournemouth game, no I haven't. Francis scrapes the ball, he doesn't send it off to the side, he doesn't nudge it into a 50/50 battle with the keeper, he doesn't make it run away from Vardy at all. He does not move the ball away from Vardys feet at all.

[bovril]

How on Earth would Schlupp have helped against Bournemouth's 9-man defence?

[Thracian]

Am i missing something but had we won that game 3-0 then nobody would have been complaining about the performance. We pressed, hammered them in the 2nd half missed a pen, hit the post and played them off the park.

It could have been an easy win if we had got the rub of the green with the fine margins.

 

 

We didn't win 3-0. Or even 1-0. And the points discussed by many people highlight the reasons why.

Either we try to put them right now, while the window's open, or we try to make do and I don't think the latter will be sufficient given the strain that's already been apparent on the squad.

There's a parallel of a kind from the 60s when we were chasing a league and cup double but just didn't have the squad size to cope with injuries or fatigue in the end. 

[Eastwellfox]

? Didn't Bournemouth miss 3 sitters in the first half? We could have easily gone in 3-1 down.

The difference is that Bournemouth's chances were clear misses. Vardy's effort would have gone in had it been hit 2 inches to the right. Mahrez had his penalty saved and was on target. These are fine margins which could so easily have gone our way.

[Kinowe Soorie]

I fink we shud play chris woods

[Frank to be]

We've not scored in the last three? How long has he been out for? Five?

He came off at half time against Watford nine games ago and has played 22 minutes since. We hadn't scored by the time he came off against Watford and we went on to win. Since then we've beaten Newcastle and Swansea 3-0, Everton 3-2, Chelsea 2-1 and got creditable draws and Manchester's City and United. Jeff himself has contributed one goal and one assist.

Defensively, we conceded 19 goals in the 12 matches Schlupp started and 6 goals in the 8 games he hasn't, those games including Man Utd, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool and Man City.

Statistically at least it's difficult to make anything even approaching a compelling argument that we would be any better at either end of the pitch with Schlupp in the team.

[Donut]

Unless my stream was showing a completely different leicester vs bournemouth game, no I haven't. Francis scrapes the ball, he doesn't send it off to the side, he doesn't nudge it into a 50/50 battle with the keeper, he doesn't make it run away from Vardy at all. He does not move the ball away from Vardys feet at all.

 

Well you must have been watching a different game because the decision was absolutely crap and arguing with you is unbelieveably daft, as you actually believe what youre typing.