Huddersfield (H) Post Match Thread 3 - 0

[MC Prussian]

3 hours ago, Strokes said:

He is overrated on here, he had a very good game today fair enough and he is a fantastic prospect but let’s not pretend he is anywhere near consistent enough to be considered great yet. His first touch and distribution is still closer to poor than good and he has at times been lazy this season.

If we could somehow constantly place him in defensive midfield (behind Silva, for instance), he'll definitely come good. I'm just not sure about his potential impact up front, he's young and erratic, not the attacking type. But maybe those mistakes will go away with time. He's good enough for me when asked to break up opposing attacks and should be judged again in a year or two, hopefully with more starts under his belt. I'd love him and Iborra fight for a CDM spot, whilst James and King are learning from Silva in a more advanced role.

[southfox66]

When you perform the way we did 2nd half and win 3 0,  who gives a stuff about the first half 

[Strokes]

1 minute ago, MC Prussian said:

If we could somehow constantly place him in defensive midfield (behind Silva, for instance), he'll definitely come good. I'm just not sure about his potential impact up front, he's young and erratic, not the attacking type. But maybe those mistakes will go away with time. He's good enough for me when asked to break up opposing attacks and should be judged again in a year or two, hopefully with more starts under his belt. I'd love him and Iborra fight for a CDM spot, whilst James and King are learning from Silva in a more advanced role.

Totally agree, I think Puel has spotted his weaknesses and asked much less from him in an attacking sense, hence his marked improvement and confidence of late. We’ve got some good options in the middle again now, so hopefully all will improve and we can reap the rewards.

[Devonfox1884]

James was ok, pleased to have him back but I thought he was pretty average today. A very good 4th choice CM though.

 

Amartey looked good defensively, but still very awkward on the ball - needs to have more composure. 

 

Dragovic for some reason really doesn't convince me, didn't particularly do anything wrong today but always feel he's about to make a costly error.

 

The rest of them did very well today - Ndidi, Slim, Marc and Riyad in particular.

[Corky]

First half was a complete non-event, second half was much improved and, although 2-0 might've been a fairer scoreline, 3-0 will do just nicely. 

 

When we finally worked out Vardy wasn't playing and tried ti play to strengths we looked pretty effective. Mahrez was excellent in the second half, Slimani linked well, Albrighton was everywhere and the midfield pair started to dominate proceedings, helped by two superbly worked and taken goals.

 

Great moment to see Silva introduced and for Albrighton to get a deserved goal. It takes the heat of things for a while and we've closed the gap on 7th temporarily. 

[katieakita]

Have just beaten a team 11th in the table 3-0 despite a poor 1st half we could easily have scored 1 or 2 more and Kasper hardly had a save to make. We were without our 2 first choice full backs Simpson and chilwell and Morgan came off after 25 mins, Iborra didn't play and Vardy was rested. Silva made a cameo appearance and did very well yet some still moan. We sit 8th behind 6 teams you have to say are bigger than us despite what some may say on here and some are not happy. The manager has had to work with the squad he inherited without bringing in any of "his" players and in a short time has turned around our playing style and struggle to grasp people cannot see an improvement to our playing style. Read back on some of the recent posts on here and see how many actually come across as wanting us to lose or play badly just so they can moan and say i told you so. Forget the one off title win but have a trawl through the history books and see how often we have finished 8th or above. After being behind Villa, Forest, Derby for many years even Coventry some really need to stop and just look how far we have come in quite a short period of time and be happy with the best ever time to be following the Foxes

[TheLittleBigMan]

Piss poor that was. Should have been 8-0. 

 

Edit: Sorry, meant to post in the Liverpool thread

[Dan LCFC]

Very good day for us really. First half was a chore and had me questioning why on earth they played the fixture on this date. Second half we turned up and Huddersfield remained the same. Bit of magic from Mahrez totally opened the game up and from then on there was only one winner.

 

Huddersfield were absolutely shite. Played for the 0-0 and had no answer once it was gone. That they'll probably survive comfortably is indicative of how little it really does take to stay up now.

[daddylonglegs]

3/10 first half, 10/10 second half.

 

doesnt get better than that second half performance. Completely nullified their attacks, magic from Mahrez, confidence from Slimani, reliability from Albrighton, stability from James & Ndidi. A genuinely brilliant half of football.

 

having said that, Huddersfield are only outdone by Brighton as the worst team I’ve seen this year. Boring, lacking creativity and just a completely dead team. Out of their depth in the PL but may be saved by the shit nature of the league this year. 

[Johnthefoxrayner]

48 minutes ago, katieakita said:

Have just beaten a team 11th in the table 3-0 despite a poor 1st half we could easily have scored 1 or 2 more and Kasper hardly had a save to make. We were without our 2 first choice full backs Simpson and chilwell and Morgan came off after 25 mins, Iborra didn't play and Vardy was rested. Silva made a cameo appearance and did very well yet some still moan. We sit 8th behind 6 teams you have to say are bigger than us despite what some may say on here and some are not happy. The manager has had to work with the squad he inherited without bringing in any of "his" players and in a short time has turned around our playing style and struggle to grasp people cannot see an improvement to our playing style. Read back on some of the recent posts on here and see how many actually come across as wanting us to lose or play badly just so they can moan and say i told you so. Forget the one off title win but have a trawl through the history books and see how often we have finished 8th or above. After being behind Villa, Forest, Derby for many years even Coventry some really need to stop and just look how far we have come in quite a short period of time and be happy with the best ever time to be following the Foxes

Great point and I totally agree with what you have said , yes I believe that some people do like us to lose or play badly just so they can moan, my point is that those who do like to moan are they Leicester fans 

[ian_marshall]

Excellent performance today. Didn't think we were as bad as some are making out in the first half. Huddersfield worked hard to try and restrict our play and as others have already mentioned the team were trying to establish a rhythm with unfamiliar player's so it was always going to be a bit clunky. Despite that I felt we still had the better of the play, looked threatening, and N'Didi should have put us ahead going into the break. 

 

Second half we were a completely different beast. The movement off the ball from our player's was exceptional and instantly put Huddersfield on the back foot. As soon as Mahrez produced that piece of magic to put us ahead there was only ever going to be one winner. 

 

It's amazing how much confidence can transform a player from one which is struggling to get to grips with the play to one which looks like a world beater. Slimani played that second half like a man possessed chasing down every ball Vardyesque. What surprised me was actually how much his touch improved. He went from the ball not really sticking, to flicks and tricks, and a touch of true class to produce the deft little dink for his goal (his touch prior to the goal to open the space was even better). Likewise Amartey went from treating the ball like a hot potato in the first half to being very assured in possession second half so much so that by the end of the game he had absolutely no hesitation in feeling confident enough to carry the ball from the right back position and run at their back four which resulted in Malone taking one for the team and bringing a promising run to an end with a cynical foul. 

 

Mahrez and Albrighton were again firing on all cylinders, and despite some recent indifferent performances I thought Fuchs had a cracking game today too.  

 

I was disappointed to see Wes go off injured, but a part of me actually wonders if it may prove to be a blessing in disguise. I thought Dragovic slotted in perfectly alongside Maguire today and looked very composed, similar to their brief spells together in the League Cup. Time will tell I guess but the pair look capable of forming a strong partnership. 

 

The early indications from Silva's introduction were incredibly positive and I can't wait to see him alongside another technically strong player in Iborra, although I do wonder how Puel will manage the midfield rotation. 

 

I don't know what Puel is doing with this group of players but he seems to be instilling confidence in many of the fringe players who the vast majority had written off and that can only be good for our strength in depth. To think that we still have Mendy to return, who I personally think will shine under Puel, and have the likes of Iheanacho, Benny, and Musa in reserve all of whom came to the the club with promise and have shown their quality in snippets before being mismanaged to the point where their confidence has dropped off a cliff edge, along with a group of promising youngsters, I'm very excited about what the future holds for our football club. 

Edited 2 January 2018 by ian_marshall

[The Doctor]

25 minutes ago, Dan LCFC said:

Very good day for us really. First half was a chore and had me questioning why on earth they played the fixture on this date. Second half we turned up and Huddersfield remained the same. Bit of magic from Mahrez totally opened the game up and from then on there was only one winner.

 

Huddersfield were absolutely shite. Played for the 0-0 and had no answer once it was gone. That they'll probably survive comfortably is indicative of how little it really does take to stay up now.

Tbf, that was us in the reverse fixture back in September... 

[foxes21]

James is more mobile than Iborra  

[Dan LCFC]

42 minutes ago, The Doctor said:

Tbf, that was us in the reverse fixture back in September... 

Not true as we lost the 0-0 and still got a point, although I'll concede the performance at their place was garbage. Today I think shows how badly wrong we got it there.

[shen]

7 hours ago, RumbleFox said:

Slim is a good player, very good.  He would have 15 plus goals most seasons if given the game time.  No saying he is Messi but anyone who thinks he is not very good really is kidding themselves. X

He's good but his first touch, passing and his play with his back to the goal are not up to the standard I would expect for that price tag. He really shone in the second half and he definitely has something to offer. It's a shame that he has to compete with Nacho, Vardy, Okazaki, Gray, Musa and Ulloa for one of two starting spots. With Silva coming in, that might mean added competition for the withdrawn striker role.

[richardsfoxes]

We're 2-3 players from being a great team. 

[Bert]

A slow and boring first half but a very enjoyable second half. 

 

Mahrez is simply world class. You could just tell he was going to have a big impact on the game. Also very pleased for Slimani. Offers us quite a lot that he'll not get credit for when he starts because when he comes on as a sub he is never anywhere near as effective as he was today. Albrighton was the good Albrighton today and if you are going on form then this lad surely must be knocking on the England door. 

 

Dragovic looked very assured too, never easy coming into a back line with a quarter of the game gone. I like him, must be a nightmare to play against. Was nice to see James start again, didn't think he played as well as a lot of people are saying, but he certainly got a lot better as the game went on. 

 

Always pleasing to keep a clean sheet and nice to get a win after a tough Christmas period where we could've easily picked up more points than we did. 

[fuchsntf]

2 hours ago, katieakita said:

Have just beaten a team 11th in the table 3-0 despite a poor 1st half we could easily have scored 1 or 2 more and Kasper hardly had a save to make. We were without our 2 first choice full backs Simpson and chilwell and Morgan came off after 25 mins, Iborra didn't play and Vardy was rested. Silva made a cameo appearance and did very well yet some still moan. We sit 8th behind 6 teams you have to say are bigger than us despite what some may say on here and some are not happy. The manager has had to work with the squad he inherited without bringing in any of "his" players and in a short time has turned around our playing style and struggle to grasp people cannot see an improvement to our playing style. Read back on some of the recent posts on here and see how many actually come across as wanting us to lose or play badly just so they can moan and say i told you so. Forget the one off title win but have a trawl through the history books and see how often we have finished 8th or above. After being behind Villa, Forest, Derby for many years even Coventry some really need to stop and just look how far we have come in quite a short period of time and be happy with the best ever time to be following the Foxes

You are definItely, the most intelligent fox fan, and far too clever for many on this forum...

Since I left the shores of England....

Its great some others, like yourself see reason, balance, integrity in thought, and quite nonchently put these Negative

Droning nay-sayers, into touch.  A true breath of fresh air, I am loving 2018 already......

[WigstonWanderer]

After a poor display first half there were mutterings and grumblings from our sofa, but what a transformation in the second! Mahrez my MOTM, not only looking back to his best but working hard as well as looking happy.

 

Nice to see Slim looking as if he’s getting his mojo back. Also a mention for Marc and Shinji. If only he could stay on his feet he’d be brilliant. Thought Amartey looked like he was starting to get a bit more confidence. Really no complaints about anyone in the second after not looking like a team in the first.

 

Nice cameo from Silva too. 

[reynard]

An excellent result on the back of a very decent second half display.

The first half was very poor from us and I thought they looked the better team at that stage and were containing us with ease. Slimani was isolated up front and though working hard was getting no service at all. Mahrez was playing more like a defensive right sided midfielder and was too deep to have any positive effect on the game.

The match was won by one moment of real class by the only player on either side who looked capable of it. Once we scored they had to try to open up a bit and we exploited the spaces perfectly.

Personally I think it is hard to make any assessments on that game as Hudersfield basically seemed to give up once we scored and we won't get an easier second half all season. Still lots of pluses. Dragovic looked ok but was hardly tested, James made a decent enough comeback after injury and adds an option but again wasn't really put under much pressure. The big bonus was Slimani who looked a player transformed after the half time break. Again hard to draw to many conclusions considering the quality against him but he really put a shift in and scored a good goal and made the third ith his dogged persistence. Looked like a decent second striker, shame we might not get to see him much more if he can continue to play to that level.

 

Stand out player- Mahrez. Without him we would have struggled to win so convincingly. Without him we are a much poorer side. If Coutinho is worth 140 million Mahrez can't be far behind. Players like him are irreplaceable for teams like us.

Edited 2 January 2018 by reynard

[KingsX]

21 minutes ago, reynard said:

 If Coutinho is worth 140 million Mahrez can't be far behind. Players like him are irreplaceable for teams like us.

And the type of team that can afford him, will be the rare team where he will be a part that can be plugged in or out.  Sucks really.

[The Doctor]

6 hours ago, Dan LCFC said:

Not true as we lost the 0-0 and still got a point, although I'll concede the performance at their place was garbage. Today I think shows how badly wrong we got it there.

Only thanks to a penalty. We didn't really look like creating a way back into the game up there outside of that

[AylestoneRaider]

11 hours ago, Cardiff_Fox said:

I think that’s overly harsh and a misplaced comment because the difference between Huddersfield today and Huddersfield earlier this season was night and day. And still for 45 minutes, they were better in possession. 

I think it’s clear that we are having much more possession now. Obvious examples were the United and Newcastle games at home and away, respectively. 

 

Our defenders are encouraged to get forward much more, meaning the gap between defence, midfield and attack is not so big. Under Shakey it was a very deep lying back four and we attacked in short, sharp bursts after soaking up periods of pressure.

 

Hudds were as poor as we were in the 1st half, and in the 2nd half we completely outplayed them.

 

I don’t think the comments are misplaced at all to be honest.

[HighPeakFox]

1 hour ago, The Doctor said:

Only thanks to a penalty. We didn't really look like creating a way back into the game up there outside of that

Apart from missing an open goal obviously...

[mozartfox]

Very enjoyable second half performance.  Keep Slim - bin Musa and Leo.  Rudkinin.  Encouraging to see how Puel has brought the age of the Team down.