Bournemouth 1 - 0 Leicester Post match thread

[Nick]

I've got a few of last years matches still sat in my sky box. Last night I had a look at a couple of them and the difference in pressing and closing down is noticeable. We played further up the pitch and pressed much higher leaving less gaps in the midfield.

 

Our players also looked like they were bionic - maybe they were all on drugs after all. 

 

We need to sort out this away form and stop making sides like Bournemouth look like Barcelona because they did last night. To be fair we gave it a good go in the second half and to EH's sides credit they played some really nice stuff - I've always liked and rated him as a manager but we should have got at least a point out of that.

[AjcW]

Interestingly... the image below is Steve Bruce sharing exactly the same sentiments as Claudio... saying that losses happen and sometimes you can be unlucky... but at least he is honest about some of the reasoning for it, we need that now more than ever.

 

[s11nny]

Personally I think Ranieri got the tactics wrong against Bournemouth. Bournemouth are a team that are very confident in possession if you give them too much they will damage you eventually and also grow in confidence. Not having possession worked for us last season but only because teams played a high defensive line. So that argument is pointless. Not only that we broke on teams with more conviction from central midfield, playing the ball out of our half at our feet with a long ball utilised by drinkwater whenever vardy could get behind the high line played by our opponents. Our central midfield just aren't doing that and we are hopelessly banging long balls up for Vardy when he has 3 defenders to contend with. When he does get in behind theres no space for him to work in anyway because the oppenents defensive line arent pushed up the pitch. We need to find another solution it's no good playing like this the whole season.

[daddylonglegs]

3 hours ago, Line-X said:

Last sixteen of the Champions League? As a follower of this club for over forty years I'll take that.

I'm obviously referring to the league 

[Guest Lako42]

6 minutes ago, daddylonglegs said:

I'm obviously referring to the league 

I'm now at the stage where the league this season can take a back seat, as long as we don't go down.

 

 

[Fox Ulike]

6 minutes ago, s11nny said:

Personally I think Ranieri got the tactics wrong against Bournemouth. Bournemouth are a team that are very confident in possession if you give them too much they will damage you eventually and also grow in confidence. Not having possession worked for us last season but only because teams played a high defensive line. So that argument is pointless. Not only that we broke on teams with more conviction from central midfield, playing the ball out of our half at our feet with a long ball utilised by drinkwater whenever vardy could get behind the high line played by our opponents. Our central midfield just aren't doing that and we are hopelessly banging long balls up for Vardy when he has 3 defenders to contend with. When he does get in behind theres no space for him to work in anyway because the oppenents defensive line arent pushed up the pitch. We need to find another solution it's no good playing like this the whole season.

 

Thing is though, teams had started playing that way against us last season. If you look at the opening goals we scored against Norwich, Watford, Palace, Southampton, Swansea, Newcastle, Everton... they were all against defences that had dropped deeper - mainly to counter-act Vardy.

 

After the 3-1 win at Man  City last season, everybody tried to stop us counter-attacking, and I think we only scored an opening goal via a counter-act twice after that (West Ham and Sunderland).

 

I do think though that there are lots of things wrong with the tactics at the moment:

 

Mahrez is a big problem. When he has two or three players marking him this means that another of our players is totally unmarked. So he has to release the ball to someone else so that we can take advantage of this. Too often he tries to take them all on, and we lose possession too easily.

Also, because our full-backs rarely support the attack, the opposition know that they can double up on our wingers as they don't have to worry about an over-lapping full-back. I think we need some attacking options at right-back.

Slimani/Vardy partnership is a problem: There's nothing wrong with a 442 but you can only play it with a deeper-sitting forward like Okasaki - especially away from home.

Our short corners are a nightmare. With the rule change it's now a lot easier to score from corners. However, we haven't  benefitted at all from this because we waste corner after corner trying intricate little one-twos which rarely pay off.

Without Kante we haven't got a player who can link defence and attack. The opposition are allowing Morgan and Huth to come forward unchallenged when either of them have the ball as they know that they can't distribute it. We need a player who can drop back and pick up the ball from the central defenders and carry it forward.

Albrighton has been sussed. Albrighton cuts inside every single time he has the ball. Defenders know this now and just show him the outside. Maybe he needs to switch wings back to the right?

 

Ranieri needs to recognise the problems and take steps to address them. At the moment I think he's got his head in the sand... Ahem.

[sm1]

1 hour ago, Swan Lesta said:

I've got a few of last years matches still sat in my sky box. Last night I had a look at a couple of them and the difference in pressing and closing down is noticeable. We played further up the pitch and pressed much higher leaving less gaps in the midfield.

 

Our players also looked like they were bionic - maybe they were all on drugs after all. 

 

We need to sort out this away form and stop making sides like Bournemouth look like Barcelona because they did last night. To be fair we gave it a good go in the second half and to EH's sides credit they played some really nice stuff - I've always liked and rated him as a manager but we should have got at least a point out of that.

Closing down, pressing and defending from the front is one of our biggest issues this season. Lots of fans and pundits have been blaming Vardy but i've seen Claudio actively discouraging Vardy from pressing. Not sure why but this all seems part of Claudio's plan, its obviously not working.

[daddylonglegs]

26 minutes ago, Lako42 said:

I'm now at the stage where the league this season can take a back seat, as long as we don't go down.

 

 

But this is the thing... 'as long as we won't go down'

 

wheres the evidence we won't? Vardy is only bothered when it's against the big guns and Mahrez still hasn't scored from open play... our two best players aren't performing and it's making the rest of the team look even worse.

 

we've taken ZERO points from Bournemouth, Watford, West Brom, Hull and managed to scrap a draw with Middlesboro. If that's not relegation form I don't know what is

[Guest Lako42]

6 minutes ago, daddylonglegs said:

But this is the thing... 'as long as we won't go down'

 

wheres the evidence we won't? Vardy is only bothered when it's against the big guns and Mahrez still hasn't scored from open play... our two best players aren't performing and it's making the rest of the team look even worse.

 

we've taken ZERO points from Bournemouth, Watford, West Brom, Hull and managed to scrap a draw with Middlesboro. If that's not relegation form I don't know what is

Never said we weren't in a scrap, I think we will just have enough.

 

Either way I'm more interested in the CL

[Ricey]

28 minutes ago, sm1 said:

Closing down, pressing and defending from the front is one of our biggest issues this season. Lots of fans and pundits have been blaming Vardy but i've seen Claudio actively discouraging Vardy from pressing. Not sure why but this all seems part of Claudio's plan, its obviously not working.

I've seen this too. I think the idea is to draw the other team out, so there is space for Vardy in behind but it's just not working.

 

He also can't do it on his own, he needs the winger to push up as well to press together, but often Mahrez is unwilling to do so.

[Cadno'r Cymoedd]

1 hour ago, Lako42 said:

I'm now at the stage where the league this season can take a back seat, as long as we don't go down.

 

 

Thing is that is not going to be the case realistically. You cannot divorce your league form and the CL. We are in a relegation battle it appears. So back seat driving isn't an option.

[Guy]

Well not the greatest game to attend as your 'closest to home' first away one of the season! It was as if Saturday's amazing performance against Man City had never happened just four days previously and was just a flash in the pan! Vardy and Mahrez back to being their worst again after having been at their best v Man City - how Jeckyll and Hyde can you get?!

 

Re the bigger picture then clearly 4-4-2 isn't working away from home this season with the team we have been putting out all season and when (if ever...) will the penny drop Claudio??!! Also as others have said or joked about, why all the short corners which failed to trouble Bournemouth every time?! Anyway I'd be amazed if the outcome this Saturday coming at Stoke will be any different if the same team formation is played, although maybe an even greater defeat bearing in mind we're the worst away team in the Prem. to date! I could understand the away crowd's frustration and anger yesterday....and after that lame performance it was really hard to believe we were lifting the Premier trophy just seven months ago!

[Guest Lako42]

25 minutes ago, Cadno'r Cymoedd said:

Thing is that is not going to be the case realistically. You cannot divorce your league form and the CL. We are in a relegation battle it appears. So back seat driving isn't an option.

I can assure you that the players will be giving more in the CL, whether we like it or not it's mentally bound to happen.

 

Having said that we clearly need to improve in the league, but it's outcome beyond relegation is not massively important now.

[WigstonWanderer]

15 hours ago, Gerard said:

Nice how you only quote half the sentence. 

 

You're right we did win at the weekend by surrendering possession but we've also picked up 1pt from Bournemouth, West Brom, Watford, Middlesbrough and Sunderland from the other five games outside the last six.

 

I'll stick by what I said, surrendering 70% of the ball isn't a long term recipe for success. We did it last season but no other successful club in history have done it.

Also Hull gives 1 pt out of a possible 18 against the clubs we should be at least competitive with.

[WigstonWanderer]

15 hours ago, Dr The Singh said:

I thought he was Ben Dover?

Think you're confusing him with Phil McAverty.

[Rialto 290352]

Especially as we don't have Kante now its essential that the midfield have a greater share of possession.  The ageing defence have been too exposed this season to increased pressure without the same outlet up front that we had last season.  Eventually that pressure pays off in most games.  Against decent mid table sides we really ought not to have only 30% or so share of the ball over the whole match.  We desperately need good ball winning midfielder's who are confident and can pass the ball accurately when they have it.  Away from home we need five in midfield not four.  Much as I like Claudio, and think the achievements of last season are probably never going to be matched, this season he has persisted with 442 for too long.  

[Fox92]

2 hours ago, Lako42 said:

I'm now at the stage where the league this season can take a back seat, as long as we don't go down.

 

 

Well at the minute it's looking like we will.

[Strokes]

16 hours ago, Claridge said:

Hernandez and Musa the worst signings ever

I raise you Richard Cresswell and Lee Marshall.

[UPinCarolina]

Musa is not the worst signing ever, yet. Hernandez came on a free. 

 

If Musa doesn't come good by the end of the season, then you might be right about him. 

[ZeGuy]

2 hours ago, daddylonglegs said:

But this is the thing... 'as long as we won't go down'

 

wheres the evidence we won't? Vardy is only bothered when it's against the big guns and Mahrez still hasn't scored from open play... our two best players aren't performing and it's making the rest of the team look even worse.

 

we've taken ZERO points from Bournemouth, Watford, West Brom, Hull and managed to scrap a draw with Middlesboro. If that's not relegation form I don't know what is

Ithink you should see it exactly the other way around.

[daddylonglegs]

2 hours ago, Lako42 said:

Never said we weren't in a scrap, I think we will just have enough.

 

Either way I'm more interested in the CL

agrred - although I am concerned. 

[daddylonglegs]

14 minutes ago, ZeGuy said:

Ithink you should see it exactly the other way around.

Which is...

[SpacedX]

2 hours ago, daddylonglegs said:

I'm obviously referring to the league 

You mean the one we won last season?

[Mark_w]

53 minutes ago, Fox92 said:

Well at the minute it's looking like we will.

No it's not.

[ZeGuy]

Vardy has no space to run in and almost no service if you except the hopeless hoof balls from the defense. Living on scraps.

 

Mahrez is double/triple teamed, as well as not supported by either his FB as the midfielders. Ball supply from the midfields is dire and he must start his runs from his own half, most of the time.The spaces opened by his tight marking are neither used by the midfielders who can't make a 10 yards pass forward to save their lives, nor the wingers which are generally Albrighton (basically a 2nd LB, good at defending but poor in the offensive) or Musa (I won't even bother). The build-up is generally so atrociously slow that opponent has all the time in the world to regroup and reorganize. Not ideal for a counter attacking team.

 

Granted both of them have their own flaws (Vardy chosing his chasing and Mahrez dsometimes not releasing the ball, because either no solution or he thinks he can beat three opponents at once), there is not much they can do. Bournemouth was actually the best example.

 

Add to that the shaky defense, the injured and the subpar signings and then you'll understand why the 7th and 8th best players in the world are somewhat underperforming