May be a little knee-jerk, but....

[Charl91]

[Controversial opinion incoming]

 

....when did we become a "long ball" team?

 

I'm not sure if I'm remembering with blue-tinted specs on, but at the start of the season, while still direct, I remember us playing much more fast pace/quick passing football, and pressing high up the pitch.

 

I feel that at some point (I want to say the Liverpool game, but I can't remember exactly when), we've switched to sitting much deeper and trying to hoof the ball up long to our tiny strikers, Vardy and Okazaki. Which while it works occasionally, a lot of the time it just comes straight back at us and puts us under pressure again. I understood it when we played some of the "bigger" teams, but it seemed to me to be happening against Bournemouth, and again for a lot of the time against Villa.

 

We seem to be slowly on our way to becoming a Tony Pulis side.

[Tuna]

Thought this was going to be the first whisperings of 'Ranieri Out'.

[benpicko]

I can't remember when either but I'm pretty sure it was before the Liverpool match

[Charl91]

Thought this was going to be the first whisperings of 'Ranieri Out'.

 

Naah, that's only if we don't beat Liverpool and City away.

[lgfualol]

I think it's worked well, I mean we got a goal from a goal kick today. But we rely too heavily on it because a few of our players don't know what else to do. 

[Charl91]

I can't remember when either but I'm pretty sure it was before the Liverpool match

 

 

We played like that against Man United, but I couldn't remember if it continued after that.

[ithuriel]

We played nice football earlier in the season but have gone on to play far too deep since the beginning of December, tighter defensively but playing poorer for it.

[Sharpe's Fox]

Ranieri has altered our game to suit one player, Vardy. Players no longer get the ball in front of them and look to run at opponents or play a one two with someone. Play it to Vardy and defend for your lives has been Claudio's team talk since Christmas.

[SMX11]

Since the Man Utd game for me. Against Villa we should just go for the throat.

[Corky]

We've lost our speed and movement, we are a much slower team now. I think we've always played a direct game but at a quicker tempo.

[shade]

it's a self fulfilling prophecy, people started talking about how great we were at counter attacking, and no ranieri seems to set us up to sit in, defend and then hoof it forward as quick as we can.

[Matt]

I understand the concerns, but I don't really care how we play, i've always been the same, results are a priority for me, ok we've not got a result today but generally it is working, it has worked.

 

I do want to see us play well but results are the be all and end all, playing well comes after getting consistant results, which fair enough we should be looking at, but if how we're playing works, why change it?

[foxes21]

Claudio is doing what he feels best! The high pressing game we have witnessed before December, is not sustainable!

Keeping things tight through these fixtures is important. (we have only lost once). We will continue to do so until the Norwich game I feel.

Then we can return back to our high press game.

Right now, soaking up pressure, sitting back, is helping preserve our energy levels, decrease chance of injury, etc.

The high press game hasn't been forgotten. It will return after the Man city game, where we face lesser opposition.

[Kitchandro]

Agreed. We've forgotten what a good side we are when we get the ball on the floor. There were glimpses of that style in the first half, but then we were so negative in the second half it was unreal. I can sort of accept that against top sides, but Villa? There is absolutely no excuse for it.

 

I remember a couple of months ago being so proud about the fact we were winning games whilst playing great attacking football. We've gone backwards over the past few weeks - I put it down to Vardy being unfit but he looked fairly sharp today and we still didn't go about it the right way.

 

Really, really disappointing to see us try to cling on against one of the worst sides we've seen in this league for years. We're better than that and we need to go back to the basics that got us where we are.

 

Yes we're top, for now, but we've not beaten an awful Villa tonight and that is all our own doing. We must make sure we don't let our performances go on like this because we will pay for it.

[GaelicFox]

Tell Nigel to Put the lawnmower away !

Time to come in from the garden

[Sharpe's Fox]

I understand the concerns, but I don't really care how we play, i've always been the same, results are a priority for me, ok we've not got a result today but generally it is working, it has worked.

 

I do want to see us play well but results are the be all and end all, playing well comes after getting consistant results, which fair enough we should be looking at, but if how we're playing works, why change it?

Because we want to enjoy watching our football team play? I didn't enjoy watching us today or against Bournemouth.

[Matt]

We've lost our speed and movement, we are a much slower team now. I think we've always played a direct game but at a quicker tempo.

 

Thinks it's common sense that the high tempo we've been playing that our players would burn out, it's coming to the point.

 

A few players need a rest, but unfortunately we don't really have great backs up, good enough, but not great, I know you don't get anyone fantastic in the January window but i'd have expected us to strengthen abit more than we are/have.

[GaelicFox]

We've lost our speed and movement, we are a much slower team now. I think we've always played a direct game but at a quicker tempo.

In fairness it's not hard to slow down in deep winter

The lads need a rest

Bloody cup game is not what we need !

[Webbo]

Maybe, our opponents have changed their tactics against us so we've had to change as well?

[Matt]

Because we want to enjoy watching our football team play? I didn't enjoy watching us today or against Bournemouth.

 

I understand that.

 

But I'll take a win over enjoying watching our football team play, we didn't win against Bournemouth or Villa, but playing well wouldn't have made me any happier unless we won, if that makes sense?

 

Only a win would have made me happy. You could argue playing well would have won us the game today but we can't be sure of that.

[Father Ted]

Were sitting far deeper, and not pressing defenders simply to compensate for the fact that our defence is turd.

[sdb]

Definitely a reluctance to get the ball down and run at the opposition today. Hope we don't take this approach on Saturday as it'll play straight into the hands of Shawcross.

[americanfox]

Claudio is doing what he feels best! The high pressing game we have witnessed before December, is not sustainable!

Keeping things tight through these fixtures is important. (we have only lost once). We will continue to do so until the Norwich game I feel.

Then we can return back to our high press game.

Right now, soaking up pressure, sitting back, is helping preserve our energy levels, decrease chance of injury, etc.

The high press game hasn't been forgotten. It will return after the Man city game, where we face lesser opposition.

 

And Aston Villa isn't lesser opposition?

 

If the stellar attacking play earlier in the season is going to "return", why not now? Why not rotate the squad a little to make it return now.

 

This performance was abominable.

[LinekersApples]

its January the 16th.

 

we're top  of the league.

[I blame Wellens]

Very poor today. And we seem to be more defensive with every game. Mahrez looked disinterested the whole game. BUT top of the league and if the peno had gone in, a completely different story. Did not like it when redknapp called us an ugly team. We started off this season by playing the most exciting footy In the division. So a bit confused tonight BUT top of the league and loving it.