We are really missing the option of having a huge bully upfront.

[Collymore]

I think the Stoke game really highlighted the need of having the option of  a huge bully upfront who we could bring on. Time after time we hit crosses into the area where the Stoke defenders were treated to lunch and dessert. I know Slimani is injured so wouldn't have been playing anyway but I think Ulloa would have been an option on Saturday. 

 

Seems odd that we didn't sort something out to replace them and it was really highlighted on Saturday. We have no big strikers in the development squad either, we're crying out for one so we at least have an option. 

[jonthefox]

I was saying on Saturday how Shaqiri would slot into our team.

[Webbo]

3 minutes ago, jonthefox said:

I was saying on Saturday how Shaqiri would slot into our team.

He's only a titch but he looks like he could run through a brick wall. 

 

I agree with Colymore I thought a big man would have been a good option on Saturday.

[SpacedX]

Ah, the online kangaroo court. There must be so many retired footballers from the early 90s and before thinking thank **** the internet wasn't in existence in my day.

[ZeGuy]

Even if he's injured, letting Slim go without never really giving him a chance or game time was a mistake and it will come to bite us back. And yes, I'd have liked to have the Ulloa option last saturday as much as I hate to say it. 

 

I think Puel is underestimating the physicality of the PL and most of our direct opponents are deep sitting thugs against whom a big man is vital.

 

Laughable situation last saturday where we were putting crosses in the box with no one being able to put them in. 

Edited 26 February 2018 by ZeGuy

[Hanan96]

I wonder how everyone forgot we got iborra in the bench. 

Ulloa isn't prolific striker for pl standard atm while slimani won't offer much defensive ability as no 10 nor creative enough there 

 

Iborra is big enough, taller than these two, creative no 10 while can play as cm so that young player like nacho or diabate can play despite we need big guy

 

 

[Mike Oxlong]

14 minutes ago, Line-X said:

Ah, the online kangaroo court. There must be so many retired footballers from the early 90s and before thinking thank **** the internet wasn't in existence in my day.

What ! 

 

This is the Leicester City football forum

 

It means we are able to 

 

 

- discuss

 

- things about football

 

- to do with Leicester City

 

 

I think you may may be in the wrong place. 

Edited 26 February 2018 by Mike Oxlong

[AlloverthefloorYesNdidi]

8 minutes ago, ZeGuy said:

Even if he's injured, letting Slim go without never really giving him a chance or game time was a mistake and it will come to bite us back. And yes, I'd have liked to have the Ulloa Option as much as I hate to say it. 

 

I think Puel is underestimating the physicality of the PL and most of our direct opponents are deep sitting thugs against whom a big man is vital. It also

 

Laughable situation last saturday where we were putting crosses in the box with no one being able to put them in. 

A few people have mentioned this and it has annoyed me too and sometimes its like the club does stuff just to wind us up.

 

We almost never used Slim as we should after Ranieri left, never brought him on and put crosses into the box.  Now he's gone we've been crossing galore for Vardy to run underneath.  Bizarre

[fairbanksh]

Yep Iborra is big good in the air and strong

Would be worth trying up front as plan B

Recruitment and selection a mystery 

[ZeGuy]

16 minutes ago, AlloverthefloorYesNdidi said:

A few people have mentioned this and it has annoyed me too and sometimes its like the club does stuff just to wind us up.

 

We almost never used Slim as we should after Ranieri left, never brought him on and put crosses into the box.  Now he's gone we've been crossing galore for Vardy to run underneath.  Bizarre

The team's style of play still relies primarily on Vardy's pace and the latter not being able to play as supporting striker or as a 10 means that any out and out striker with a different profile will never succeed here, Nacho and Slim being the prime examples.

 

I don't think that buying Slim was wrong, the mistake lies in the unwillingness (or incompetence) of all managers to change or vary the style of play.

 

After having given up on Ranieri and Shakespeare, I thought that Puel would add another dimension to our game and have the balls to drop or sub Vardy if we are to play against a deep sittting "Stoke" type opponent and bring on a target man. It never happened with both target men being offloaded a couple of months later.

 

I like Nacho but I doubt he's ever going to thrive here as we're (still) not the kind of team that plays the "pass and move", quick and on the floor.

 

Puel's going to have a hard time next with Mahrez going. Looking forward for this summer.

Edited 26 February 2018 by ZeGuy

[the fox]

Meh! Apart from shinji, no other striker can really play with Vardy. we can have prime Luca Toni and we would still struggle.

[Cincinnati Fox]

I would take Rondon from WBA as a second option.

 

 

[Ric Flair]

I'd get Maguire up there in the mixer and slot Dragovic in defence.

[lgfualol]

Should have just put Iborra on. James was getting in the box but is useless, wouldn't trust him from 2 yards out. 

 

44 minutes ago, jonthefox said:

I was saying on Saturday how Shaqiri would slot into our team.

Great player but only if he doesn't get the ball hoofed at him (like he probably will). He is like 3ft.

[Guest]

If only we had a big tall ****er with the speed of vardy and the skill of DeBruyne and the looks of Theo Zagorakis. He would have been ideal against Stoke.

[AlloverthefloorYesNdidi]

13 minutes ago, ZeGuy said:

The team's style of play still relies primarily on Vardy's pace and the latter not being able to play as supporting striker or as a 10 means that any out and out striker with a different profile will never succeed here, Nacho and Slim being the prime examples.

 

I don't think that buying Slim was wrong, the mistake lies in the unwillingness (or incompetence) of all managers to change or vary the style of play.

 

After having given up on Ranieri and Shakespeare, I thought that Puel would add another dimension to our game and have the balls to drop or sub Vardy if we are to play against a deep sittting "Stoke" type opponent and bring on a target man. It never happened with both target men being offloaded a couple of months later.

 

I like Nacho but I doubt he's ever going to thrive here as we're (still) not the kind of team that plays the "pass and move", quick and on the floor.

 

Puel's going to have a hard time next with Mahrez going. Looking forward for this summer.

I suppose there is the chance of Puel getting the opportunity to make a lot of changes to the squad in the summer and maybe we will see some evolution.  But as you say we always seem to bring in promising players and then struggle to integrate them as a team due to limitations of squad/playing style/ manager's flexibility.

 

There does seem to be a disconnect between the club's buying stratégy and how the team is managed.

[murphy]

Wait a minute. wasn't the problem with Slim the fact that he (or his type of forward) doesn't fit our style of play?

 

Now we're crying out for one?

[ZeGuy]

4 minutes ago, AlloverthefloorYesNdidi said:

I suppose there is the chance of Puel getting the opportunity to make a lot of changes to the squad in the summer and maybe we will see some evolution.  But as you say we always seem to bring in promising players and then struggle to integrate them as a team due to limitations of squad/playing style/ manager's flexibility.

 

There does seem to be a disconnect between the club's buying stratégy and how the team is managed.

This discrepancy is going on since the summer 2016. I'm more nuanced now about Puel as I can't see how much power he has and how free his hands are.

 

I like what he wants to do, but the game against Stoke is giving me a headache. The set-up and starting XI were so obviously wrong that even the most dense fan could see that it wouldn't go well. Still can't work out what he intended to do and scratching my head about his reliance on a James type of Player in the midfield.

[TheMightySystem]

I don't think the problem is the striker. While it would have been good on Saturday to have a Slimani or Ulloa we are in the process of changing our style which when complete, Slimani and Ulloa wouldn't fit into. Our issue is the lack of technical players on the pitch yesterday. For Puels tactics to be a success there needs to be players in every possition that feel comfortable on the ball and are good passers, as well as having good off the ball movement. Against Stoke only Maguire and Mahrez fit those criteria. Vardy is close but he doesn't drop deep enough and people write it off as "he gets no service" but if thats the case then he should be presenting himself as a short option to link the play, not waiting on the defenders shoulder for a ball over the top that he can't even beat Zouma to. It works against top teams who leave gaps in the defense, not against bottom teams who are going to put every defender as close to the box as they can get away with.

I think if he plays this team we will be a much better squad in using the ball and linking play.

 

Schmeichel

 

Amartey (Both options here are pretty bad on the ball, Amartey is a bit better and has age on his side though so could grow into the role)

Dragovic

Maguire

Fuchs

 

Iborra

Silva

 

Mahrez

Diabate

Gray (I know people don't like him but he is more direct then Albrighton and Chilwell which is what we will need with inside fowards)

 

Iheanacho (From what I have seen he has no problem dropping a bit deeper and has shown good touches on the ball, just needs game time and confidence and we will see the best of him).

 

The team we played on Saturday is great against the top teams who attack us, teams that sit off will require us to pass and move more which I think this 11 will be better at.

Edited 26 February 2018 by TheMightySystem

[SpacedX]

54 minutes ago, Mike Oxlong said:

I think you may may be in the wrong place. 

I was - I posted in the wrong thread...meant for the Chilwell lynch mob - apologies. 

[lcfcsnow]

1 hour ago, ZeGuy said:

I thought that Puel would add another dimension to our game and have the balls to drop or sub Vardy

He doesn’t have the balls to keep Simpson and Morgan out the side so that’s never going to happen.

 

I don’t agree we need a bully up front. We need an alternative to Vardy and something we’ve been crying out for for years, an actual number 10 and stop playing players out of position searching for the answer within the squad. We’ve tried target men playing off Vardy  Mahrez has had lots of opportunities but it never happened, Gray just looks awful there it only highlights how brainless he is with the ball. Okazaki has been the only player who can be the midfield attack link but it’s 50/50 whether he’ll do a job or look like a competition winner and is hardly good for posession.

[RowlattsFox]

I didn't agree with letting Slimani and Ulloa go, even if its just for an option off the bench.

[sylofox]

1 hour ago, jonthefox said:

I was saying on Saturday how Shaqiri would slot into our team.

It would take more than a slot to fit him in. Looks like he finished 2nd to GTF in the great pie race.

[Babylon]

1 hour ago, murphy said:

Wait a minute. wasn't the problem with Slim the fact that he (or his type of forward) doesn't fit our style of play?

 

Now we're crying out for one?

As a plan B, we were getting balls in the box but had nobody in there to get on the end of them.

[ZeGuy]

57 minutes ago, lcfcsnow said:

He doesn’t have the balls to keep Simpson and Morgan out the side so that’s never going to happen.

 

I don’t agree we need a bully up front. We need an alternative to Vardy and something we’ve been crying out for for years, an actual number 10 and stop playing players out of position searching for the answer within the squad. We’ve tried target men playing off Vardy  Mahrez has had lots of opportunities but it never happened, Gray just looks awful there it only highlights how brainless he is with the ball. Okazaki has been the only player who can be the midfield attack link but it’s 50/50 whether he’ll do a job or look like a competition winner and is hardly good for posession.

Isn't it a bit contradictory? Last saturday we had crosses in the boxe which went to nowhere because Vardy simply isn't the kind of striker who would put them in.

 

Stoke had an easy game by forcing us to play wide because they knew we are toothless if we have to rely on crosses to Vardy. Putting Gray in the hole was a mistake but everyone is wiser in hindsight. Still slowly giving up on him, as I doubt he'll ever grow a footballing brain.

 

Mahrez? A great shot forcing Butland to produce a world class save and a one on one unfortunately ruined by Zouma's great tackle. Hardly something one could blame him for, even if some on here did. He tried a lot but nothing came, however I'm still amazed about how much he could create with no support from Simpson or from James. Dreading the day he goes because boy there goes the creativity out the window.

 

We missed Okazaki against Stoke but I'll never be a fan of him when it comes to his attacking abilities which are, let's be frank, almost non existent. Still having him maybe free the slot occupied by James in favor of a more creative midfielder, like dunno, Silva for example.