Drago, Amartey, Iborra

[Strokes]

It’s non of these numpties being missing that’s the issue, we miss Okazaki. He makes us tick, hopefully he will be back in the starting line up next week.

Edited 3 March 2018 by Strokes

[SecretPro]

14 minutes ago, Strokes said:

It’s non of these numpties being missing that’s the issue, we miss Okazaki. He makes us tick, hopefully he will be back in the starting line up next week.

You get bonus points for your avatar. 

[lee7]

50 minutes ago, Countryfox said:

 I’ve heard ...   that in a foreign press interview, Iborra said there is no team spirit at the club ...    anyone else heard this ? ...   would probably piss CP off ...   and get him dropped ..   but more worryingly, if it was true, that would be very concerning as something like that stems from the manager.     

If I remember correctly I thought he was more alluding to the fact that the players live in different cities and don't really mix together outside of training here whereas at Sevilla they all lived in the same city and the players family's would all meet up etc 

[Ric Flair]

38 minutes ago, Strokes said:

It’s non of these numpties being missing that’s the issue, we miss Okazaki. He makes us tick, hopefully he will be back in the starting line up next week.

But he had been very poor prior to his injury, we can't rely on a very inconsistent player to be our lynchpin. When he's good we are very good but we have to be more of a threat than that.

[Strokes]

2 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

But he had been very poor prior to his injury, we can't rely on a very inconsistent player to be our lynchpin. When he's good we are very good but we have to be more of a threat than that.

Who isn’t very inconsistent in our team? They all go through patches, we play our best and are at our best when shinji is in the team.

[Ric Flair]

27 minutes ago, Strokes said:

Who isn’t very inconsistent in our team? They all go through patches, we play our best and are at our best when shinji is in the team.

But when he's off form we simply have to be able to still do the business. I don't buy that our whole future revolves around Okazaki. It would help if Puel put together sides that had various attacking options and creativity from midfield. The potential is there with some solid business in the summer but he's in danger of not making it that far!

[Dan]

8 hours ago, SecretPro said:

Forgot to mention in the other threads, and I haven't seen many others mention it, but Albrighton was absolutely ****ing dreadful today and has been for MUCH of the season. Don't know why so many on here give him a pass, yes his effort is faultless most of the time but passing is shite, dribbling is shite and for someone who is supposed to be a good crosser, most of the time they are absolute shite. (Like all of his corners today) and as a RB or RWB....it's a no from me. 

 

Get Diabate in. From the start. (Cuz Gray is shit too). 

I thought it was his worst ever game in a Leicester shirt. Totally horrendous performance.

[Foxxed]

10 hours ago, SecretPro said:

When Simpson and Wes came back in last week we went straight back to hoofball...can Puel not see this? 

 

 

 

Morgan captained the winning team with the best team spirit for many, many years.

 

In interviews he said he was the spokesperson for the entire team in 15/16. Ranieri wanted to speak to the team? Ranieri spoke to Morgan.

 

He demanded Ranieri keep to the fast counter attacking style. This resulted in the greatest sporting upsets of modern times.

 

And in 17/18, after five clean sheets, a exciting new centre half partnership and a new style Morgan strolls back in and our form plummets and our style changes back.

 

Morgan was a huge part of why and how we achieved the impossible.

 

But I can't help but think he represents a past team, a past style and a past triumph and stops a new manager taking us beyond.

 

He may have too much weight in the team to be dropped. Ranieri never could drop him. Shakespeare didn't try. Perhaps Puel can't either.

Edited 4 March 2018 by Foxxed

[Wasyls Pec Deck]

Re Morgan. You just need to look at him these days - increasingly cumbersome, poor distribution, panics. Basically everything Dragovic excels at.

 

He’s that bit slower as well. We need to move on at some point, and now seems the right time.

[Bunyip]

14 hours ago, SecretPro said:

Well, couple of turd games in a row now, footballing wise at least. 

 

When we had Drago in, our football looked better, more controlled, less on edge and we had a run of 5 clean sheets too...so why has Morgan strolled straight back in? I mean, how old is Morgan now? How mobile is he really? Also...did Kasper having the armband while Morgan was out pay dividends? 

 

Similar situation with Amartey/Simpson

 

When Simpson and Wes came back in last week we went straight back to hoofball...can Puel not see this? 

 

As for James strolling back in ahead of Iborra/Silva...

 

So what's going on? Player power? Poor management? Things being seen on the training ground to say that Puel is making the right decisions? 

My Cat would stroll in above Silva.

[norwichfox]

Maybe our owners are making team selection to show their undying appreciation of "the old guard" for what they achieved...if that is the case, perhaps Puel will jump ship.....

[HighPeakFox]

17 hours ago, norwichfox said:

Maybe our owners are making team selection

What troubles me is that this thought had occurred to me too.

[FoxSinceBirth]

Iborra was dropped for James.... Madness!!! James has little or no impact in a city shirt he's not good enough in my opinion. I personally don't think he should play for us again!

[st albans fox]

21 hours ago, norwichfox said:

Maybe our owners are making team selection to show their undying appreciation of "the old guard" for what they achieved...if that is the case, perhaps Puel will jump ship.....

Morgan was courted before the season started (by Newcastle at least). Perhaps some promises were made to him if he stayed put. 

 

Iborra started to lose his mojo a while back - he wasn’t effective at Peterborough and struggled a bit v sheff u.  As has been documented elsewhere, there may be issues with something in his past catching up with him so his mental state could be not quite there at the moment. He would seem an ideal pick at West Brom so I guess tomorrow’s team selection will tell us a bit more.

 

[FLAN]

Puel wants to play a more possession based game✅

Picks Morgan and Simpson ❎

James is clearly a safer option than Iborra who does give it away at times but that’s because he takes more risks. Having James just stifles the forward play. 

[FLAN]

4 hours ago, HighPeakFox said:

What troubles me is that this thought had occurred to me too.

I think the way they’ve dealt with great servants in managerial positions probably makes this an unlikely theory

[Foxes1]

22 hours ago, norwichfox said:

Maybe our owners are making team selection to show their undying appreciation of "the old guard" for what they achieved...if that is the case, perhaps Puel will jump ship.....

Or "The Old Guard"has too much say who plays

[Foxxed]

I worry about Drag. Why would he want to come here only to sit on the bench?

[NotTheMarketLeader]

On 03/03/2018 at 19:22, SecretPro said:

Well, couple of turd games in a row now, footballing wise at least. 

 

When we had Drago in, our football looked better, more controlled, less on edge and we had a run of 5 clean sheets too...so why has Morgan strolled straight back in? I mean, how old is Morgan now? How mobile is he really? Also...did Kasper having the armband while Morgan was out pay dividends? 

 

Similar situation with Amartey/Simpson

 

When Simpson and Wes came back in last week we went straight back to hoofball...can Puel not see this? 

 

As for James strolling back in ahead of Iborra/Silva...

 

So what's going on? Player power? Poor management? Things being seen on the training ground to say that Puel is making the right decisions? 

Whatever the reason it’s poor management.

 

If players are pressuring him and he’s succumbing, or he’s making shit decisions of his own volition then he carries the can. 

 

Bad bad management dropping who have performed well.

Edited 9 March 2018 by NotTheMarketLeader

[vanity]

On 3/3/2018 at 11:30, Ian Nacho said:

For me, it's no coincidence we've looked sh*t since Iborra has been taken out of the frame...

Agree. Puel seems to value defensive prowess in his MFs over playing MFs who are strong on the ball. He has gone from starting 4 or sometimes even 5 attacking players to starting 3. Which is of course why we are missing so many opportunities and reading about SSS and expected goals -- bc we are throwing defensive players forward, and they aren't as clinical as our attacking players, so they miss a lot more.

 

As you say, when we replaced Iborra with James, we were left looking like sh*t. We lost our ability to get forward quickly, as well as to beat pressing teams and attack from the center of the pitch. Just cue up the last Man City match, where in the 2H Puel pulled Silva, which meant we were no longer able to beat their press when we built from the back, as we had no CM on the pitch who could work with the wings to get the ball fwd.

 

It also hurts us against lesser teams like AFCB because we don't get the ball forward as fast as we do when Iborra is in the game, and bc it limits us to attacking from the wings because when James and Ndidi pair up, we have no credible threat in the middle of the pitch. A James/Ndidi midfield allows the opposing defense to double Riyad and play a deep line to deny Jamie space in behind, plus he's usually bracketed by two bigger CBs, so these crosses are wasted possession. Last game the only attacking threats that demanded attention were Silva, Riyad, and Vardy, but bc Vardy plays so deep on the hip of the last CB, when Silva had the ball coming forward his only options were (1) pass to a double-covered Mahrez (2) pass 30 yards to a well-covered Vardy, (3) get the ball to Albrighton, who has been almost wholly ineffective attacking save for his crosses lately. Silva had very little support against AFCB, and he consequently looked poor. He needs Diabate on the wing opposite Mahrez, Silva and Diabate pair up well together. I think he'd be best playing in a MF 3 with Ndidi and Iborra, with Vardy, Mahrez, and Diabate up front.