Okazaki has to start

[foxes21]

Not only for his workrate, but his link up play and movement too. Look at the first half today, Drinkwater was shouting for some movement upfront. What Shinji does often is come deep, play one-twos and get us further up the pitch. Also that Romeo was always available for Soton, when Shinji came on he barely had a touch.

 

Right now our two strikers should be Okazaki and Slimani. Let Slimani focus on scoring, both of them pressing high will be a nightmare for defences. Right now Vardy is not pressing teams, maybe its fitness I don't know, but we need that intensity upfront. Also teams are sitting so deep, its hindering Vardy's performances.

 

So yeah, Okazaki & Slimani for me.

[lgfualol]

Okazaki and Slim for me too. Today Slimani did all the running for Vardy, we could really begin to press from the front if him and Okazaki were together. I'd also be up for Musa starting. Vardy may be better as an impact sub. 

[lcfcsnow]

It does seem as if we're asking Vardy to do a job he's not capable of since bringing Slimani in, I also feel he thrives off being the main man which obviously he isn't at this moment.

[Chester Dontlie]

Agreed, Shinji & Slim for me as well. For whatever reason Vards just can't get his last year's form back. On the other hand, Okazaki improved his game this season and as always is showing the highest level of dedication every time he plays (CR shouldn't underestimate that, especially in times of need). I understand that highest-earning and big-transfer players will always be higher in the pecking order but having out-of-form Vards while benching Shinji is not only unfair but also sets a poor example for the rest of the team.

 

Also having no Musa (and Kapustka) on the bench is quite puzzling. Whatever Claudio decides, I just hope he'll base his team choices purely on merit, not on player's wage rate or market value.

[adam]

We need some pace. Slim and shinji would be terrible. Shinji shouldn't of been on the bench .He is one of the last people you need to come on when your chasing a game .We need the midfield to push up instead of okazaki slipping over all game. 

[Koke]

Mendy needs to be back ASAP so we can pack the midfield. We were constantly out numbered today by Southampton but luckily they didn't have the quality United or Liverpool have so they didn't punish us. I hope Mendy is fit for Chelsea so we can play 433.

 

Drinkwater - Mendy - Amartey 

 

Mahrez - Slimani - Albrighton

 

If we go 4-4-2 away to Chelsea we will get murdered

 

[nettle]

25 minutes ago, lcfcsnow said:

It does seem as if we're asking Vardy to do a job he's not capable of since bringing Slimani in, I also feel he thrives off being the main man which obviously he isn't at this moment.

 

I think you've got it in a nutshell.

[FoxFromCoalville]

if Okazaki spent less time on the floor he'd be some player!

[Claridge]

Got to be the worst option to get you a goal in the last 15 mins. Crazy decision to leave Musa off the bench

[Chico1958]

From my point of view which is biased

 

He keeps the other side occupied while Vardy gets in to spaces.

 

I'd play him every week just fo the nuicance value.

 

I'd play him behind Slimani and Vardy or Slim and Musa

[Gerard]

43 minutes ago, Koke said:

Mendy needs to be back ASAP so we can pack the midfield. We were constantly out numbered today by Southampton but luckily they didn't have the quality United or Liverpool have so they didn't punish us. I hope Mendy is fit for Chelsea so we can play 433.

 

Drinkwater - Mendy - Amartey 

 

Mahrez - Slimani - Albrighton

 

If we go 4-4-2 away to Chelsea we will get murdered

 

 

You can't play Albrighton in a 4-3-3.

 

i agree that 4-3-3 is probably the way to go. 

 

We need more players who are comfortable on the ball, we were painful to watch today, we looked like a relegation threatened side playing a 6th -10th side. The only players really comfortable on the ball are Drinkwater and Mahrez.

 

I'd like to see us getting full backs who are comfortable on the ball, 3*CM's and a front line of possibly Vardy wide left and Slimani and Mahrez. Mahrez spends too much time in his own half in this 4-4-2 and we're asking a thoroughbred to plough fields.

 

Vardy and Slimani as two No 9's isn't working, we don't see enough of the ball to justify it.

[Rasmic123]

I think we can play oki in the midfield 3 in that 433 formation as the lad will press the other team's midfield and will help us link midfield and attack. Without him in the team, weve become a hoofball team and it just isnt working because were a team that thrives off playing it round and through teams, not this aerial ball bullshit.

 

Also felt we won **** all of the second balls today and oki would have given us the intensity to challenge more.

 

Has to start against chelsea

[foxes21]

Problem is @Gerard , our whole philosophy, transfer policy, etc has been built around 4-4-2/4-4-1-1. When have we ever looked good in a 4-3-3..

 

also for 4-3-3 to work, we need two box to box CM's, then one holding player (Mendy/Amartey). Right now we only have one box to box cm in Drinkwater. Okazaki drops back and helps the defence, he makes 4-4-2/4-4-1-1 work.

[sdb]

Passing stats between our midfielders and strikers must be awful. There's zero link up play. Shinji is greatly missed but we lack pace without vardy and physical presence without slimani. 

[st albans fox]

Doesn't really help that with two in the middle, one of the midfielders has to take the ball off the centre halves who are incapable of bringing it out and making a forward pass to a colleague - (who should be one of those 2 midfielders ). Drinks and amartey have no options other than a sideways pass to one of the back four who are all faced up by an opposition player or a hopeful hoof.

 

claudio has to choose between slim and vards to to enable us to play three in the prem against all but the worst few teams 

 

 

[foxes21]

1 minute ago, st albans fox said:

Doesn't really help that with two in the middle, one of the midfielders has to take the ball off the centre halves who are incapable of bringing it out and making a forward pass to a colleague - (who should be one of those 2 midfielders ). Drinks and amartey have no options other than a sideways pass to one of the back four who are all faced up by an opposition player or a hopeful hoof.

 

claudio has to choose between slim and vards to to enable us to play three in the prem against all but the worst few teams 

 

 

 

exactly, Shinji will actually run towards the ball and make an option for a forward pass. His link up play is greatly underrated. When Shinji plays, it's 4-4-1-1 when attacking, 4-5-1 when defending.

[lcfcdamo]

3 hours ago, Koke said:

Mendy needs to be back ASAP so we can pack the midfield. We were constantly out numbered today by Southampton but luckily they didn't have the quality United or Liverpool have so they didn't punish us. I hope Mendy is fit for Chelsea so we can play 433.

 

Drinkwater - Mendy - Amartey 

 

Mahrez - Slimani - Albrighton

 

If we go 4-4-2 away to Chelsea we will get murdered

 

Albrighton have u not watched him thos season and today he has bin awful really awful amount a times he gives the ball back to the other teams is crazy how gray aint starting is crazy aswell if i was gray i would be asking some serious questions why im not getting in the team in front of Albrighton 

[Guest ttfn]

2 hours ago, Claridge said:

Got to be the worst option to get you a goal in the last 15 mins. Crazy decision to leave Musa off the bench

He's unlikely to pinch a goal but we looked much better for 15 minutes or so after he came on because for the first time in the match somebody was actually within 10 yards of Romeu.

 

More than anything that substitution today was about trying to regain (gain) a modicum of control in a match that was passing us by.

 

Agree about Musa though, there's no need for Schlupp and Ulloa - Ranieri likes Schlupp because he covers two positions, but so does Musa - our bench is just as balanced with Musa and Chilwell as it is with Schlupp and Ulloa. Obviously with the Schlupp/Ulloa option you get some height if Slimani has to come off for whatever reason (but we coped perfectly well last year with 2 smaller forwards) and with the Musa/Chilwell option you get a left back who is actually a left back.

 

How Ranieri manages a squad of this size is going to be really interesting because probably 5 shirts (keeper, right back, centre mid partner for Drinkwater, left mid and the two striker positions) are (in theory) being competed for by a group of about 12-15 players who aren't massively diverse in terms of their ability but every week 6 of them will start and 2 or 3 will miss out altogether.

[EGBFitness]

Been saying it for weeks, obviously was a massive contribution to our success last season but he seems like his on another level since he come back for pre season. 

 

Wether Vardy has been asked to do another job or isn't firing on all cylinders yet I think it's harsh not to even be putting Shinji in consideration 

[jim5000]

It's not just the lose of Kante. By starting without Okazaki as well we are much weaker in the middle of the pitch. Amarty is ok, but he plays too safely, he doesn't have confidence to turn an interception into a counter attack. And without Okazaki there is less pressure in the oppositions half. Add to that teams know how to defend against Vardy and we're not breaking as fast means we are a bit impotent. Claudio has some tinkering to do!

[Heart-Shaped Fox]

Vardy playing like he did at turn of the year. Looks like he has a knock. 

 

Space and work rate Okazaki brings is soo underrated 

[foxtillidrop]

I agree we need Shinji.

 

We miss this kind of link up...

 

 

[volpeazzurro]

14 hours ago, Claridge said:

Got to be the worst option to get you a goal in the last 15 mins. Crazy decision to leave Musa off the bench

On his last starting appearance before being replaced by Vardy he (Mus) looked lost for me. Offered very little meaningful movement, little tracking back, easily knocked off the ball, not seemingly  fit enough and although supposedly 'lightening fast', that's of little use if you can't do it in tandem with a football. There's a huge gulf between the Russian league and the Premiership and he's young and learning though for the amount paid you'd think he should have more about him than he's shown despite a couple of very promising bursts of action against Barcelona. Disappointing thus far and for me it's understandable why he's not even worth a place on the bench at the moment, Ranieri I'm sure isn't stupid.

 

 

[Guest Col city fan]

Again (how many times?) look at the win rate (in fact the stats generally) when he's in the side. Tells you all you need to know.

His job isn't just to score goals (I know he's a striker) but to enable us to play a certain way.

At fear of retribution...we massively miss Kante AND Shinji in the side. They just enabled us to play a certain way. Amartey doesn't get forward with the pace Kante did and Slim (whilst clearly a goal scorer...) isn't quick like Vardy or scurrying like Shinji.

By playing both Vardy and Slim, (and certainly Amartey) we've lost the pressing high in the opponents half thing. Amartey sits very deep cos that's what he's used to...he's not a box to box midfielder, he's a DM. Makes a big difference in a 442 as does not playing Shinji.

When people are wearing their blue tints, they'll say 'our points return ain't bad, it's what we expected' etc etc. Personally I think it's crap. Last season we would have just beaten Southampton, with no issues....this season, it looks like we very nearly lost.

[Beliall]

Shinji is criminally underrated. He is as important to the team as Drinkwater, Morgan, Huth, and Mahrez. stick Slim up top with him, Use Vardy as an impact. I can't see where Musa fits in right now.