Porto (home) Post Match Thread 1 - 0

[iamafox]

 

[Hammo]

Wonderful result, brilliant goal and an excellent team performance. The game though was almost ruined by a dreadfully whistle-happy ref who didn't allow any physical challenges and blew up virtually every time a player hit the deck (invariably in a yellow shirt). Immensely frustrating - and I apologise to those seated around me for some of the colourful language directed at Mr Cakir - but I guess we won so it doesn't matter now.

 

The other main frustration for me was Albrighton constantly giving the ball away. Yes, his crossfield pass to Mahrez for the goal was a gem, and he deflected that Corona shot against the post, but his passing and crossing were generally awful and he lost most fifty-fifty challenges. He was great in Bruges but by far our worst player tonight.

 

I thought everyone else played pretty well and was particularly impressed with Drinkwater (again!) and Amartey. And of course Slimani for grabbing the winner. Our work rate and organisation was top notch though we dropped ridiculously deep in those last few minutes and just invited them on. Still, all's well that ends well. We've got two points more than Real Madrid and Juventus have, and more importantly five more than Porto!

 

Brilliant stuff and the perfect post-Old Trafford pick-me-up. Bring on Southampton...

[Manwell Pablo]

Chalk one up for the "little English team"

[CosbehFox]

Woof our centre midfield tonight - they got through some defensive work. Drinkwater absolutely worked his arse off and Amartey just grew into the game. 

 

The only negative for me was Morgan who looks so tired now. A yard off the pace and it's beginning to affect his decision making. His marking is appalling. 

[Wymsey]

1 hour ago, ozvaldo said:

Great result.  Loved it.

 

Does anyone else think Vardy looks a yard slower than last season?  I thought he was having a slow start to the season but again tonight on a few occasions where he would have taken it past his man last season, he couldn't seem to do it...? 

I notice he's being more wide and crossing a bit more.

 

Perhaps a few CB's are quite comfortable with dealing with what contributed to his personal success last season.

[CosbehFox]

1 hour ago, ozvaldo said:

Great result.  Loved it.

 

Does anyone else think Vardy looks a yard slower than last season?  I thought he was having a slow start to the season but again tonight on a few occasions where he would have taken it past his man last season, he couldn't seem to do it...? 

The difference was Porto CB's weren't some lumping, slow oafs and instead fit youngish lads who were fairly quick. 

[EnglishOxide]

4 minutes ago, Cardiff_Fox said:

The difference was Porto CB's weren't some lumping, slow oafs and instead fit youngish lads who were fairly quick. 

Yeah, I don't think his pace has gone just yet.

 

Also, for those questioning Vardz work rate I noticed it last season that he calmed down a bit.

 

Ranieri has told him to pick his moments to press rather than chase everything like a madman. He obviously wants to prolong Vardys 'prime' for a few years rather than running him into the ground and risking injury.

[ealingfox]

Well we got there in the end. Didn't think either team were particularly good. Subs should have come earlier for us. Was clearly a tactical decision to leave space in the middle for them but always dangerous at this level as even if you're not getting it out wide much killer balls can still come in. Pretty lucky Porto decided to play without a striker as Morgan appears to have lost a step and very few passes were coming through the middle. Vardy appears to have lost a step as well and worryingly it would appear Ranieri doesn't rate Musa very much. We didn't offer much at all second half and I thought that was a very obvious sub for the 55-60 minute period.

 

Amartey, Drinkwater and Hernandez did well and Schmeichel when called upon to be fair, couple of smart saves in there.

[Keith Wellers Tights]

Thrilled, thrilled, thrilled. 48 years old and waited 48 years for last season and this. Champions League, 2 games, 6 points. Incredible. Was nervous beforehand, shouldn't have been. A huge thank you to all the players. Feckin chuffed.

[SCP4Ever]

3 hours ago, Lestoh said:

Reckon Sporting forgive us enough to give us Silva yet?

No forgiveness necessary, imo. We've known for a long time we cannot compete with the clubs from the bigger leagues and/or economies. Our budget doesn't allow us to match the wages our top talent can get in these countries, so all we can fight for is a good deal that allows us to (maybe) properly replace the lost talent.

As for giving Adrien, forget it. We let go of Slim because your offer was just too good. That wasn't the case with Adrien. Come January, I seriously doubt he'll go for less than the release fee. Next summer, who knows? If we win the league, AND qualify out of the CL group stage, we'll likely be more flexible, but...

 

 

3 hours ago, SCP1906 said:

No.

Sporting can sell Adrien Silva.. in the end of the season for another 35 Million €.
But only if Sporting CP wins the Liga this year.

But Silva would be a great help in LCFC midfield.

I don't think him leaving is dependent on a legue win, but it would certainly soften the fans' who felt betrayed and disrespected by that interview.
My main concern about this is I don't see how we can properly replace him, nor William Carvalho, for that matter, who's playing more and more each passing game. 

As for your win tonight, I kind of expected it, to be honest. Sporting, we like playing against English teams, we usually do well against them, but porto do not. They've never won there (4 draws and 12 defeats before tonight), and adding to that, no matter how much they might dismiss it, playing against Slimani again this season, after they thought they were finally rid of him, was clearly a factor. The way they over-acted when he was involved, trying to push the ref into booking him, despite what porto fans might claim, it's totally in character with their most recent performances. Plus, you can clearly see Casillas cursing everyone and everything when Slim Shady slipped Felipe and scored his 6th against him, 7th against porto.


Anyway, I have a couple of questions for all you foxes:

How do you rate the season so far, and what do you guys expect from it? Seems to me everyone in the EPL is stronger this year, and with LCFC now playing in Europe, how will the extra fixtures influence both the play-style and the squad rotation? Considering Leicester has already lost the same number of games this season has you did last season, is a top 4 finish possible, especially considering how strong some teams look, like arsenal, tottenham, liverpool and the manchester clubs?

[STUHILL]

I thought we looked decent first half and it was a really well worked goal, which reminded me of so many times last year where Albrighton would switch the play and allow Mahrez to be one and one and either beat his man, or like on this occasion, deliver an inch perfect pass. 

The second half was very scrappy and the ref was a nightmare! It seemed like they had an extra player on the pitch and I was happy when Claudio finally added an extra in midfield in Kingy, as we were seriously under pressure. I've noticed Vardy and Slim both come back to defend corners now and so we don't have that fast outlet and more importantly their defence don't have to worry about a Vardy-style breakaway, which I would like to see us go back to. No doubt Porto had the better of the second half and we were hanging on, but they are a top european side and very proud of our win tonight. Amartey and Drinky (AGAIN!) were stand out players tonight and Slimani continues to show what a great signing he is. 

[The_77]

Well done by Kasper tonight, especially as our guys started to tire out there. Vardy and Slimani are two bad mother****ers too-- can't wait to see how they look together after a few more games.

[Sooper Steve's shin]

This really hit home how intense the Champions League is compared to the domestic leagues. You are playing every game against the very best sides from each country and it really shows. That was immense pressure at the end and a few of our team looked wiped out - it shows why people look at the fixtures after a CL game, which I never quite appreciated before. 

 

That said, I think our strength in depth is looking reasonably good and Ranieri's top level experience is really starting to come through. With a couple of changes from the weekend, I looked at our team at the start and thought that could be a really good European XI. Hernandez, Slimani and even Amartey have that extra bit of experience of European football that I think served us very well on the night, particularly towards the end. Ranieri managed the game well and the subs worked at the right times. 

 

A couple of players are looking tired, but when we have Simpson, Musa, Mendy, Chilwell and Gray to sprinkle in and rotate the starters through the season, I feel that's pretty strong.

[Koke]

How bloody poor is Casillas btw? It's quite sad to see such a legend fall from grace like this. Just retire Iker mate. It's tough to watch you perform like a Championship keeper. 

[Raj]

Decent.

[sl27]

happy win

respect Hernandez

poorly Albrighton

[Mikey]

Drinkwater was immense last night. Best player on the pitch for me. Amartey was very good as well, the amount of work those 2 got through was phenomenal. Though Slimani, Albrighton and Mahrez (through flashes of brilliance) were also very good. Everyone else was solid, no one under a 7/10. 

 

Thought Porto were good to be fair. Technically very good, mad how we've just beaten Porto in the Champions League. Their play acting was shocking, and the ref didn't help. Their big CM (Danilo I think?), thought he was good for them. 

[foxfanazer]

6 points out of 6 is a fantastic start. Porto are no mugs

[Col city fan]

51 minutes ago, Mikey said:

Drinkwater was immense last night. Best player on the pitch for me. Amartey was very good as well, the amount of work those 2 got through was phenomenal. Though Slimani, Albrighton and Mahrez (through flashes of brilliance) were also very good. Everyone else was solid, no one under a 7/10. 

 

Thought Porto were good to be fair. Technically very good, mad how we've just beaten Porto in the Champions League. Their play acting was shocking, and the ref didn't help. Their big CM (Danilo I think?), thought he was good for them. 

Can Drinkwater really go for the whole season playing like this?

Last night he was fantastic... What a bloody signing he's turned out to be.

But he was getting knobbled a bit and running around like a mad thing for 90 mins.

He has an incredible engine on him but I still worry about him picking up an injury. He's never rested.

[fazzyfox]

From Port Vale to Port-o an indication of our long journey 

[Simi]

Last night reminded me a lot of last season.

 

Not a lot of clear chances, but when we had one we took it. We then defended resolutely and as a team and got the result.

 

Great night.

[Alf Bentley]

A very disciplined performance against tough opponents. Hanging on a bit in the last 15 minutes, but limited them to very few clear chances, moved the ball around well and gave their defence a tough evening, even if we didn't create many clear chances..

 

Very disciplined, too, to avoid a red card or flurry of yellows given that whistle-happy fool of a ref. He showed just how poor he was by not giving a second yellow to their player (Danilo?) who committed a professional foul as we were breaking forward. 

 

Given Copenhagen's 4-0 win over Bruges, our win could be crucial to qualification. It's starting to look as if Bruges might get very few points and it could be a 3-way contest. Now, if we share the points with Copenhagen in the next 2 matches and beat Bruges in the return match, we'll almost certainly qualify (possibly top), even if we lose away to Porto.

 

A few were looking knackered at the end, though, so I'm half-expecting a bad result v. Southampton. The double could still be on - first team to win the Champions League and get relegated in the same season?! 

[John Williams]

Leicester vs FC Porto (Home). Champions League.
Tue 27 September 2016. 19:45. King Power Stadium.

In astrology (may work): the logo/symbol of the match will be:

* FC Porto:
"The Gold Rush Tears Men Away From Their Native Soil."
Keynote: The passionate search for new values = gambling everything on a dream. 
Keyword could be: Avidity.

* Leicester City:
"An Indian Chief Claims Power From The Assembled Tribe."
Keynote: The power and responsibility implied in any claim for leadership. 
Keyword could be: Authority in a vital group-situation.

* Play & Score:
Yearning For Conscious Form And Solidity.

The accidental & essential dignity & debility of planets in the match chart are:
Leicester: "11"    /    Porto: "02".

 

* Great possibilities for goals: (approximate timing ±1minute).

1st Half:

(dragon’s head).
From 19:50 to 19:53.
At 19:57/58:
At 20:06.
At 20:08.
At 20:12.
At 20:29.
At 20:33 (if injury time more than 2m)

2nd Half:
At 20:49.
At 20:58/59.
At 21:03/04.
At 21:06 to 09.
At 21:24.
At 21:31.

I think: 
Especially if Leicester plays in blue and Porto in any colour except black,

Leicester will win (a very good score).

Good Luck.

[StriderHiryu]

7 hours ago, SCP4Ever said:

Anyway, I have a couple of questions for all you foxes:

How do you rate the season so far, and what do you guys expect from it? Seems to me everyone in the EPL is stronger this year, and with LCFC now playing in Europe, how will the extra fixtures influence both the play-style and the squad rotation? Considering Leicester has already lost the same number of games this season has you did last season, is a top 4 finish possible, especially considering how strong some teams look, like arsenal, tottenham, liverpool and the manchester clubs?

Our season has been pretty indifferent. Looking purely at league form we've been pretty poor although we've lost the matches we would not expect to get much from (Hull defeat aside). The biggest worry for all of us is that our defence which ended the season as the best in the league is currently one of the worst, and losing Kante means that our team looks unbalanced, especially away from home. The effect on our squad also remains to be seen, I for one am very worried that Drinkwater has to play every game right now as he has been our best player by a mile this year.

I'd be very surprised if we are anywhere near the top 4 given our start, I'd expect a top 10 finish to be more likely because the club just isn't used to regular European football. It would be great if we are in Europe again next year (even if that was the Europa league) as it would help the long-term stature of the club, but can see us missing out on that. However, this is the Premier League and literally anything is possible. Whilst last year was a very unusual season, the league still remains very competitive. Every team can spend now, (even Burnley were able to spend big and bring in Defour and Kendrick) which leads to results like Watford beating Man United, or Burnley beating Liverpool.

Overall I expect this season to feel like a step backwards (purely because last year we achieved a miracle) but to actually be a step forward. Our owners are brilliant and I think they will succeed in their long term vision of making the club globally recognised and self-sufficient. Some signings such as Grey, Amartey and Kaputska bode well for the future, whilst our current squad is competitive now. We've also shown that we can largely keep hold of our top players, which in modern football is very hard to do.

 

Overall I can't see us becoming a consistent  top 4 club, but can see us consistently being 5-7th with the occasional trip to the Champions League. Personally I don't want our team to become like Man City or Chelsea who just buy the title, so this is quite acceptable to me.

[Arriba Los Zorros]

10 hours ago, benn said:

my 3d avatar just for test

 

Great work as ever!