How Do You Fix The Problems?

[Shaggy]

1 hour ago, ttfn said:

Vardy was crap again when he came on. It goes to show how low our expectations of him are at the moment that people aren't giving him a hard time for offering absolutely nothing in 135 minutes against poor opposition this week.

 

You can talk all you like about lack of service but the movement, pace, desire and touch of last season are all missing and that's before we even think about his finishing.

Vary is regretting not joining Arsenal now

[inckley fox]

44 minutes ago, Jimmy said:

Hernandez Huth Morgan

Albrighton 2 CM's Fuchs

Mahrez Striker Musa/Gray

think our squad perfectly suits the 3-4-3 system and gets people like Mahrez in the danger zone far more often, won't happen but I'd love to see it

 

When we played three at the back under O'Neill we had pace through Sinclair. None of those three have any pace. Plus the midfield two would still get outnumbered game in-game out, so we'd be pegged back, with Mahrez and Musa isolated like in the first half today, and it'd end up being a 5-2-3 (yes, that worked for Brian Little, but still...).

 

On the other hand, the back-three is increasingly fashionable and we know how to play 3-5-2, so that's worth a shot (Fuchs and Albrighton wing-backs; a back three of Huth, Morgan, Simpson, crowd out the centre of the park  etc.). Previously I'd been sceptical because I thought it'd be hard to incorporate Mahrez, Musa or Gray, but right now I don't think we'd miss any of them. And Mahrez played in the centre of a 3-5-2 under Pearson, so if needs be...

 

System-wise, we need to change. But the real problem is deeper-rooted than a tactical tweak. If Slimani can't hold up the ball, Vardy's lost his verve, Musa doesn't press, Mahrez can't beat his man, Drinkwater plays the same ball all-day-long-game-after-game, King goes missing, Huth gives away silly free kicks, Gray thinks he's the messiah and none of our players know how to play two games a week, then whichever system we play, we're buggered.

[lcfcsnow]

In answer to the question, it's very difficult now we've lost Steve Walsh, for whatever reason we decided against sticking with a winning formula and went with Ranieri's targets, despite no success last season (Inler, Benalouane, and he didn't even want Kante!).

[steflcfc]

The dury is still out on Ranieri's signings I must admit.

Previous ones have been poor

 

All new players need time to settle but how longs to long, before you realise they are just average at this level?

 

Has the apple-cart been rattled and cracks starting to appear now the glory of last season is over?

 

 

[Wymsey]

Musa has the most potential with his pace, but makes wrong decisions in either whether to shoot or cross/pass. Probably via a lack of confidence.

[MattCan]

A quality central attacking midfielder.

 

[Ashley]

We lose and Foxestalk goes into meltdown with no one providing any decent argument.

 

Standard. 

[inckley fox]

4 minutes ago, steflcfc said:

The dury is still out on Ranieri's signings I must admit.

Previous ones have been poor

 

All new players need time to settle but how longs to long, before you realise they are just average at this level?

 

Has the apple-cart been rattled and cracks starting to appear now the glory of last season is over?

 

 

 

I think you're being kind. He's made eleven permanent signings. The best was Kante, who Pearson was already trying to sign. I'd give Ranieri huge credit for accepting that the Pearson-Walsh combo were onto something with him, whether or not you'd class him as a 'Ranieri signing'.

 

The only other one who especially enhanced our first team options was Zieler, because he's better cover than Hamer.

 

Other than that it's doubtful that Benalouane, Hernandez, Amartey, Musa, Mendy, Kapustka, Inler, Slimani or Gray have added anything to our line-up. And when you consider these nine players cost a total of £85,000,000 or so, it's terrifying. That's over £20,000,000 more than the combined spending of Sven and Pearson, and in a fifth of the time; and it's over three times more than the entire cost of our regular title-winning line-up.

 

I know that neither Pearson nor Sven won, or would ever have come close to winning the league, and I know that prices have shot up by around 30% this summer, but I think the point still stands about this unfortunate change in direction.

 

There's still time for these players to prove their worth, but there's equally the potential for the past 15 months or so to be looked upon as the best in terms of success, but among the worst in terms of team-building, in our history.

[maddog]

The players need to change their mindset and approach the league games with the same determination and motivation as the champions league games.

 

The champions haven't become bottom half/relegation outsiders in 6 months, its a lack of chasing that extra ball and busting a gut in league matches which they did every match last season.

 

It was expected performances and points totals would drop significantly after last year but not this much.

[SpinneyHillRanger]

Well it seems Wenger was right about us not coping as well with European fixtures and the league.

 

Personally I love ranieri but I think a lot of our problems are down to team selection.

 

We are sometimes changing or tinkering for the sake of it.

 

Okazaki seemed to be playing well 1st half and he gets subbed for anonymous vardy. Musa is getting into the game and has his full back on ice and then is subbed for gray - who should be starting. 

 

We have a massive hole in midfield and it's clear our current midfielders are not living up to expectations. West Bromwich workman like midfield showed more guile and clever passing than ours. It was embarrassing to see us play like that.

 

It's hard to put it all down to kante because even last season in a few games without him we played well. Last year we would cut teams apart in 3-4 passes.... Now we just pump long balls up hoping for a knock down or 2nd ball or vardy or musa to kick and rush their way in.

 

Ranieri should just give his best team a good run on the league and only change if he has to due to form or fitness.

 

I would keep our back four, have gray on the left, mahrez on right. King and drinky. With slim and okazaki up front

 Vardy is benched until he shows he can score again. Sub okazaki at 60-70 minute mark after he has run his socks off. 

[Merging Cultures]

Chase everything, attack the ball, start and end a game at 100mph.

[bpfox]

i said this at the start of the season, we needed to sign 2 quality midfielders along with a very good center half, we got neither and we are playing the price for that mistake. Danny has played very game and must be just about burnt out but we cant rest him or the midfield will be gone. but the problem lies here i believe, watch the game again, we were beaten to just about every lose ball, we lost nearly every contested tackle. mahrez has been very poor, u could count on one hand how many times he has beaten his fullback, and to tell u the truth he does not luck interested or really getting the ball at his feet and running with it. our midfield play long every time they have the ball even when they have wide open spaces in front of them, they all seem not to want the ball, there playing like losted souls. if we dont pick up players in the next window we may be playing in the championship next season.

[WigstonWanderer]

10 hours ago, Mee-9 said:

How would you fix the current levels of performance this season?

 

Genuinely interested in what people think, theres so much being said, wages, big money contracts, team selections, a lack of a visit from Monks. 

 

 

I got nothin!

[Argarath]

Sell Amartey and Schlupp. Make king no playing ambassadeur. Get Mendy Fit. Get 2 new midfielders. Problem solved

[Crinklyfox]

There have been too many matches this season where we simply didn't look dangerous.  Last season teams dominated possession against us but when we got the ball on the break we looked capable of scoring.  This season the opposition isn't falling for that one so we have to get our goals in a different manner.

 

There are two factors that cause problems to the opposition, skill and pressure.  If you have players with skill then they can score a goal 'out of nothing'.  However, when you have a limited supply of those players it's relatively easy for the opposition to double-team them and get them out of the game.  The best teams have quality players all over the pitch and you can't do that.  Pressure can be applied through hunger, determination and effort and there has been far too little of that this season, especially the Hull game and West Brom first half.  Pressure brings mistakes and creates opportunities than don't manifest without them.

 

We are a third of the way through the season now and if things don't change we'll be looking over our shoulder until May.  Yes it would be nice to have some new highly talented players to enhance the squad but what we really need is an attitude change that will create urgency on the pitch and make City a team to be respected again.  

[Bozman]

10 hours ago, Bayfox said:

As if kingy was the problem today. He created chances and had chances to score himself.

 

How about we stop wanking over drinky who completes 5 yard passes for fun. But spends all game trying to play Beckham esq Hollywood balls.

 

Just a suggestion like.

Spot on that man, Drinky is starting to believe all he reads in the media, he's a poor mans Richie Wellens . Roll on January and hope red shite offer 30 million for him

[HighPeakFox]

So long as we're not turning on the players and the manager, that's the main thing...

[Bayfox]

41 minutes ago, Bozman said:

Spot on that man, Drinky is starting to believe all he reads in the media, he's a poor mans Richie Wellens . Roll on January and hope red shite offer 30 million for him

Wouldn't go that far. But the last few performances have been below par. Is that due to him playing every game for the full 90. Not having the legs alongside him I don't know. Maybe a bit of both. But I thought he was really poor yesterday and am getting a bit bored with him trying to play the ball.over the top everytime. 

 

It's not working this year so find something different.

 

Collectively it was a bad tho. Hopefully the 2 week break does us more good than harm. I expected this little block of games to give us a real chance to climb the table.

[Guest]

I would possibly try the following

 

Simpson Huth Morgan Fuchs

  Mussa AmarteyDrinkwater Gray

        Drinkwater/Mahrez

          Vardy Slimani

 

or 

 

Simpson Huth Morgan Fuchs 

Mahrez Drinkwater Amartey Gray

Okazaki Slimani

 

Then bring Vardy and mussa on as subs for some pace at 60/70 mins ish

 

Slimani and vardy does not work, Okazaki is a must for me and Gray is always a must atm however he never gets played

[Ted Maul]

We need more of a cavalier attitude. Attack, up the intensity in the final third, force mistakes higher up the pitch rather than waiting for them in our half. We didn't get out of second gear yesterday, but still cut WBA apart for that 20 minutes where we actually looked like we wanted to get at them.

 

I'd back our attack to cause about 16 of the teams in this league some serious problems if we utilised them effectively. 

[weller54]

1 minute ago, Ted Maul said:

We need more of a cavalier attitude. Attack, up the intensity in the final third, force mistakes higher up the pitch rather than waiting for them in our half. We didn't get out of second gear yesterday, but still cut WBA apart for that 20 minutes where we actually looked like we wanted to get at them.

 

I'd back our attack to cause about 16 of the teams in this league some serious problems if we utilised them effectively. 

Cut them apart? 

Really! 

[Ted Maul]

1 minute ago, weller54 said:

Cut them apart? 

Really! 

Briefly, yeah. Slimani goal, King header, Vardy header, cross that nearly went in off the defender- basically whenever we decided to get it on the floor and find the wingers.

 

I'm as annoyed as anyone about yesterday, we were dreadful, but we had a spell where we caused them problems.

[Algerian]

Problem of the team this season is clearly a cruel technical limitation among the usual starting 11.

 

There are only Mahrez, Fuchs, and Drinkwater is the starting 11 who are ''pure'' football players with enough technical abilities to play short, combined, smart and entertaining football. Only 3 technical players out of 11 is too short to expect winning regularly at the very high level of European Football...EXCEPT when you gather 3 conditions:

 

1- You play very organized counter attacking football

2- You have a very solid defensive system

3- Your finishing is very efficient 

 

As if by magic, these three conditions were here last season, coupled with the bad form of many top english teams, and also the ''element of surprise'' which led LCFC to achieve the most incredible performance in the history of modern football.

 

For this reason, Raniery wanted logically to keep the same formula, but unfortunately, it is no more a winning one due to some reasons:

 

1- The defensive system is not working well, too many errors (even at set pieces), too shaky: departure of Kanté of course but not only, Morgan-Huth pair is really in a very bad shape. Maybe their age, maybe a lack of recovery between games which are more frequent with CL football. Simpon also is disappointing this season.

 

2- When your defensive system is weak, you intercept less balls than before, and consequently you have less counter attacking opportunities compared to last season. That's why team is creating fewer chances, and by bad luck, vardy is not as efficient as last season.

 

3- Given your little counter-attacking situations, naturally the team is trying to score by more constructed attacking football, and the problem is here: LCFC current squad has not the required players to develop attacking football based on smart passing, combinations etc...As said before. Also by bad luck, Mahrez is not at the same form of last season.

 

SOLUTIONS:

 

- Up to January transfer window: strengthening defensive midfield to give more protection to Morgan and Huth, by setting a pure CDM beside them, assisted by 2 central midfielders. That means changing formation to 4-3-3 or 4-5-1 if you want, but with a single attacker. The expected result is to be less exposed behind and intercept more balls to launch quick counter-attacks.

 

- January transfer window: obviously, it is urgently required to bring central defenders, preferably who have a minimum of short passing abilities. Also a creative, technical CM. I would like to see also a more attacking RB with good technical qualities, it would be very interesting to see a man like this along with Mahrez on the right side.

 

Sorry for my bad english.

[Wymsey]

The threads on the first page of this forum side are nothing but worry and woes..

[jon1bc]

13 hours ago, Bayfox said:

As if kingy was the problem today. He created chances and had chances to score himself.

 

How about we stop wanking over drinky who completes 5 yard passes for fun. But spends all game trying to play Beckham esq Hollywood balls.

 

Just a suggestion like.

yeah but about 95% of his Hollywood balls found the target last night