The "do they mean us?" thread pt 2

[urban.spaceman]

https://www.espn.co.uk/football/english-premier-league/story/3984301/leicester-won-the-title-in-2015-16-but-their-return-to-premier-league-elite-under-brendan-rodgers-is-no-fluke

 

Leicester's return to Premier League elite is no fluke

 

 

Leicester are third in the Premier League on goal difference and look like the best team in England not named Man City or Liverpool. Naomi Baker/Getty Images

During the miracle 2015-16 season, when Leicester defied all logic and 5,000-1 odds to be crowned Premier League champions, their fairy tale contained an asterisk. The achievement, one that resonated around the world for its "anything is possible" theme, was undoubtedly special. However, it was also coloured by the capitulation of the big clubs: Leicester were very good, but the traditional powers were staggeringly poor.

Arsenal, nearing the end of Arsene Wenger's reign, ended 10 points behind them in second as Tottenham lost their last two games by a 7-2 margin to stumble into third. Manchester City were prepping for the introduction of Pep Guardiola to replace Manuel Pellegrini, and with the club announcing that move four months before the end of the campaign, the distracted team crawled to the finish line.

Manchester United, dull and desperately counting down the final days of Louis van Gaal's tenure, lost out on a Champions League place on goal difference to their neighbours. Jurgen Klopp was navigating his way around English football with Liverpool, placing eighth while reaching the Europa League final, and Chelsea had sacked Jose Mourinho in December when the club were a lowly 16th.

With them all of them locked in battle against mediocrity, Leicester counterattacked their way to one of sport's greatest shocks. Now, however, up against the most relentless Liverpool and Man City sides, the East Midlands club are holding their own in a different sense. They're a much better unit than their title-winning vintage: they boast a more balanced squad, some of the most exciting and consistent young players in the league, an ability to play different systems and an all-encompassing strategy to maximise their potential.

It is no miracle or accident that they're third in the standings under Brendan Rodgers, with the joint-best defensive record -- despite selling Harry Maguire to Man United for £80 million -- and the second most goals scored behind City. Leicester are also more accomplished in every metric at this stage of the season than they were in 2015-16. (Then: Played 11, scored 23, conceded 19, goal difference 4, points 22. Now: Played 11, scored 27, conceded 8, goal difference 19, points 23.

On Saturday, Leicester host faltering Arsenal -- Unai Emery's side are without a league win in their past three -- in a fixture that can underscore their status as the definite best of the rest behind Liverpool and Man City.

Right man, right time, right tools

By October 2018, it was evident that Claude Puel and Leicester were approaching the end of their time together. The former Monaco, Southampton and Lille manager had lost the dressing room, frozen out director of football Jon Rudkin and failed to communicate properly with staff or players. Throughout the season, Puel always seemed on the brink and the volatility of his tenure could be seen on the pitch. Something needed to give.

Leicester's top candidate was Rodgers, who was busy navigating an all-conquering Celtic towards a third straight domestic treble. They'd inquired as to his interest earlier in the season, but he'd wanted to finish the campaign in Scotland. By February, however, there could be no more waiting: Puel's position became untenable and he was sacked after seven defeats in nine games.

Leicester went all in on Rodgers, paying £7.5 million in compensation to release him from his contract at Celtic. They needed a progressive manager who had experience in the Premier League, a track record of developing young players, an aggressive, appealing style of football and a burning desire to compete with the traditional powerhouses. Rodgers ticked all the boxes though many pundits questioned the wisdom of leaving the Scottish giants midseason to take charge of a middling English side, potentially ignoring the bigger picture.

Leicester had all the tools to succeed but needed the right leader. Rodgers was that man -- his spell at Liverpool judged largely unfairly -- at the right time in his career and with the right base to build from.

 

Rodgers joined Leicester back in February 2019 and has added intensity and purpose to their talented squad. Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images

"This was an opportunity that arose very quickly and I had a decision I had to make very quickly," he explained after his appointment. "Removing the emotion from that was key. The opportunity to come to a club like Leicester wasn't going to wait for me. I certainly haven't swapped success for mediocrity. This is a club with a rich history of its own, and its recent history has been successful like we've all seen. It was difficult, but it's one I made from a career perspective."

So far, he has thrived in the responsibility of meeting and exceeding the club's exceptions.

"The change, in terms of everything from the mood around the place, how the players responded to messaging and the standards on the pitch and off it, has been massive," one staffer said.

"Someone mentioned it's like we were stumbling around in the dark, and now the lights are on and everything is clear."

Solid structures

The FC panel believe Unai Emery's inability to fix Arsenal's "terrible" defence could cost him his job.

Chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, known around the club as "Top," is determined to follow through on his late father Vichai's great hopes for the club following his tragic death in a helicopter crash outside the King Power Stadium last October.

"We want to improve all aspects of the club to make the club sustainable and successful for many generations to come," Aiyawatt said at the end of last season. "We will always make support available to areas of the club that needs strengthening, whether that's the playing squad, the training ground, the stadium, staffing and infrastructure. If a requirement for the squad is recognised and suitable talent identified, we're always ready to support progress and improvement."

Leicester's recruitment has been exceptional and ahead of the curve. A case in point is central defender Caglar Soyuncu -- one of the season's standout performers thus far -- who was brought in for just under £18m in the summer of 2018 in the knowledge that Man City, Man United and others would be circling around Maguire in the 2019 summer window. They therefore had a ready-made replacement who was settled in, sidestepping the need to pay over the odds for a defender given the record fee they gained for the England international.

 

Head of senior recruitment, Lee Congerton, has a close relationship with Rodgers that stretches back to 2005 when the pair were at Chelsea. The Leicester boss was then reserve team manager at Stamford Bridge, while Congerton was a youth team coach before Jose Mourinho promoted him to chief scout. They were reunited at Celtic following their three-year stint at Chelsea, with Rodgers making the former Welsh player recruitment director at Parkhead in 2016. It was no surprise that Congerton joined Leicester too, overseeing Callum Smithson and Jose Fontes in the technical scouting team while working with director of football Rudkin and chief executive Susan Whelan.

In a nod to their already impressive squad and stellar academy, Leicester did minimal business in the summer. Making the Youri Tielemans deal permanent as a club record signing for £40m when Man United were scouting him was a coup and securing Ayoze Perez from Newcastle United was another smart move.

 

Vardy, left, in action against Crystal Palace. The 32-year-old is leading the Premier League in scoring with 10 goals. Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images

Equally, they've done well to keep their highly coveted assets. Left-back Ben Chilwell, 22, was pursued by Arsenal and Liverpool before committing his long-term future to the King Power Stadium, with Man City still keeping tabs on his development. Wilfred Ndidi has been considered by several elite teams during their search for defensive midfielders, while James Maddison continues to be heavily linked to Old Trafford. Both players are also 22 and are viewed as among the league's best talents in the centre of the park.

Jamie Vardy, now 32 but still leading the league's scoring chart, famously shunned Arsenal after being named FWA Footballer of the Year. Since joining the club, Rodgers has managed to extract the optimum out of the striker with small tweaks to his game.

"Firstly, from a defensive perspective, he is not having to press the whole back four," the manager explained. "He is a guy who will run all day for you. Now it is a lot more synchronised in how we want him to press and he is doing short bursts of pressing, which he is very good at. He is so clever at setting traps to press so he is a real focal point in that aspect. Then he is playing more on the corridor and central. The other guys, it is their job to create opportunities for him and others, and then actually asking him to stay on the last line.

"He is playing with a smile and really enjoying his football and that is always important as a player," said Rodgers. Vardy has scored eight goals in his eight league starts against Arsenal, which includes three braces, and you wouldn't bet against him embarrassing their defenders again on Saturday.

While Unai Emery's future is in doubt and his club's decision-making is constantly called into question -- from the handling of Mesut Ozil, the Granit Xhaka captaincy mess to further strengthening an explosive attack in the summer instead of fixing a self-detonating defence -- Leicester's start to the season has been a reflection of their smart choices. From the construction of an £80m new training complex, the assembling of an exhilarating squad with a high ceiling, the appointment of Rodgers, to the vital decision not to travel far in preseason (687 miles compared to Arsenal's 11,654) in order to properly implement Rodgers' blueprint, the 2015-16 champions are benefiting from solid planning.

Their opponents from north London this weekend would do well to take notes.

[Mickyblueeyes]

The amount of positive articles on us this week really worries me for tomorrow. It’s great to read but sets up well for a banana skin (yes, I just referred to a game with Arsenal as a potential banana skin). 

 

The guys behind the scenes have done really well to maneouvre us back to the top. The positive articles are all warranted. Let’s hope it continues tomorrow.

[Langston]

7 hours ago, Hollyfox said:

Incredible stuff. 

 

I'm going to go against the majority, who said this was one on Filbert Streets greatest games. 

 

For the most part, Arsenal were the better side and it was a privilege to witness probably the greatest Hatrick in Premier history. 

 

It was just a breathtaking last 10 minutes. 

 

I could well be shouted down for this though 😄😄

 

Not a great game but did include the best hat trick you're likely to see and included us coming back from 3-1 down to draw in the dying seconds.

Are you hard to please?

[Dan LCFC]

On 06/11/2019 at 09:47, Koke said:

Allardyce claims he could have signed Vardy for West Ham.

 

He said: “When I was at West Ham and I needed some goals Mickey Mellon, who played for me, he’s a brilliant manager and he is at Tranmere now.

 

“But he rang me up and he said ‘We can’t sign Jamie Vardy; he won’t stay with us Sam. Give us a million quid and it will be the best signing you have ever made..

 

'And that was quite a bit of money for a non-league player, I’m talking 2011, in my first season at West Ham.

 

“I just wondered if Jamie could jump out of the conference and come in for our first year of the Premier League.

 

“So I didn’t do it and I have been kicking myself ever since because he went to Leicester instead with Nigel [Pearson] and [Craig Shakespeare] Shakey.”

I really think it's quite plausible that if he'd made that signing, he'd have worked out precisely how he suspected he would've done (for the reason Allardyce didn't sign him). Vardy's been backed by Leicester during some very easy times to get rid of him. We've made each other in a way. The perfect storm of a signing.

 

Lots of clubs, and managers would've given up on Vardy after that first year here. Thank god we didn't.

[HighPeakFox]

6 hours ago, Langston said:

Not a great game but did include the best hat trick you're likely to see and included us coming back from 3-1 down to draw in the dying seconds.

I have to correct this - it was 2 down, back to 2-2, then 2-3.then 3-3...

[Hollyfox]

13 hours ago, Plastik Man said:

It was one of the greatest games at Filbert Street, for all the reasons you gave. A great Arsenal side, Bergkamp's hat trick, and a comeback and finale that epitomised the O'Neill era.

 

I remember Bergkamp's 2nd goal from my vantage point in the kop, seeing him free at the corner of our penalty area and shouting out he needed marking. Oh well!

What I meant was for about 80 minutes, it was a pretty average game and the arse were 2-0 up and nothing much was happening. 

 

The amount of times Bergkamp was standing unmarked, on the edge of our area, was ridiculous. 

 

Everyone in the Kop was shouting about this and he had quite a few near misses before he pinged one in the top corner, for his 2nd.

 

Loved the way the arsenal fans were celebrating at 3-2 in injury time, only to look like they'd lost a family member after Walshies equaliser😄

 

I travelled up with an arsenal fan and he had the worst, knitted by your nan jumper on ever, and I saw him walking up the steps of the away end looking devastated 😄😄😄

 

Ahhh the memories 💙💙💙

 

 

[urban.spaceman]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-7665481/How-Brendan-Rodgers-Leicester-force-taking-reins.html

 

How Brendan Rodgers has made Leicester a force again since taking over the reins

If Liverpool and Leicester win their matches this weekend, Leicester will be above Manchester City in the table with nearly a third of the season gone. 

In less than nine months, a team drifting under Claude Puel has become one of the most impressive in the country. 

It is not difficult to see the catalyst: since the appointment of Brendan Rodgers as manager last February, the club has been on a steep upward curve. 

Here, Sportsmail looks at the secrets behind the revolution.

Brendan Rodgers has brought a smile back to Leicester after a poor spell under Claude Puel

Management

When Rodgers arrived with his trusted lieutenants — assistant Chris Davies, first-team coaches Kolo Toure and Adam Sadler, head physiotherapist Dave Rennie and head of fitness Matt Reeves — last February, he delivered a presentation to the players about exactly what was expected of them. 

It seems he is getting the balance right: midfielder Wilfred Ndidi, one of many who has thrived under Rodgers, describes him as a 'friend, father, boss'. 

Rodgers is keen on individual coaching, too, and has spent considerable time with James Maddison — one of the league's best midfielders this season — working on his tactical discipline and individual pressing. 

Speak to anyone at Leicester about the change in environment since Rodgers replaced Claude Puel in February and one phrase is repeated – 'high standards'. 

Players are given every chance to succeed but if they are not deemed to be working as hard as possible, they will soon be shown the door. 'You always try to create a culture where anyone can improve, whether it's young or old players,' says Rodgers. 

'It's there for you if you want to improve and we'll work our damnedest to make you better. If you want to do it you'll improve. If not you won't be here anyway.'

Rodgers brought Kolo Toure (second left) and Chris Davies (far left) with him to the club

Tactics

Like many managers of his generation, Rodgers is a devotee of the Barcelona/Dutch school of football advanced by Rinus Michels and Johan Cruyff. 

One of the former Liverpool and Celtic boss' key ideas is the 'counter press' and he demands the ball be won back before the opposition have completed four passes. To hone this skill, Leicester do rapid exercises where a point is awarded to the circle of six players when they complete four passes, and one to the two in the middle if they win it back before this has been achieved. 

The size of the pitch is altered through the week to suit different exercises. Rodgers believes strongly in 4-3-3 but wants his players to be flexible enough to drift between that and 4-1-4-1 – with Ndidi as the holding midfielder and Vardy the lone forward – or 4-5-1. 

The 46-year-old will indulge creative players, like Philippe Coutinho, James Forrest and Maddison, but not at the expense of the needs of the team. 

Leicester's full backs are a potent attacking weapon – Ricardo Pereira and Ben Chilwell can often be found in the opposition penalty area and the results are proof it is working. Pereira has scored twice this term, while Chilwell has a goal and three assists.

Ricardo Pereira (left) and Ben Chilwell (right) are vital when it comes to creating attacks

Preparation

At present, Leicester are at a significant disadvantage from the rest of the elite, as their training ground is far smaller and more modest than the bases at Manchester City or Tottenham. 

All that is about to change when the club move to their new £100million facility at Charnwood, eight miles north of the city, in time for the start of next season. 

The centre covers 185 acres, features state-of-the-art outdoor and indoor pitches and recovery equipment, and also has a nine-hole golf course. It should be ideal for a coach like Rodgers, who plans every session in ferocious detail. Folder upon folder of colour-coded documents chart every stint. 

Rodgers prefers short, sharp bursts to long sessions. Individual drinks stations are prepared for each player before sessions, to monitor exactly how much they are taking on board and to reduce the chances of infection being passed around the squad. 

Players talk positively about the 'flow' of the sessions and the ball is used virtually throughout as Rodgers sees little sense in running for running's sake. 'People ask me 'Why don't you go on runs through the woods?' Rodgers once said. 'Well, I've never seen a tree on a football field.'

Rodgers puts a lot of thought into his training sessions which has pleased his players

Transfers

There is a strong element of luck to any transfer campaign but Leicester have got enough right in recent times to suggest things are working as they should. 

The Foxes tried and failed to sign James Tarkowski from Burnley in the summer when they became resigned to losing Harry Maguire, which gave Caglar Soyuncu his chance – and the Turkish centre back has taken it brilliantly. 

The other deals that jump out are the £32m for Youri Tielemans, the £3.5m for Jonny Evans and the £22m for Ricardo Pereira.

At their current rate of progress, Leicester are a hugely attractive destination. A place where the pressure is not as high as at the traditional top six, but where you can compete for Champions League football and — whisper it — put yourself in line for an eventual move to one of Europe's elite. 

Rodgers brought head of recruitment Lee Congerton south after working with him successfully at Celtic, while director of football Jon Rudkin is also an influential figure, with chief executive Susan Whelan dealing with financial negotiations. 

The club's chairman, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, is an active participant in discussions and no player can be signed or sold without his say-so.

Leicester have managed to prise talented players such as Youri Tielemans to the club

Future

Rodgers is already looking at how Leicester might make the route from the academy to the first team easier to follow, even though the Foxes have already brought players like Chilwell and Harvey Barnes through to the first team from the academy. 

He wants all teams to adopt a style of play that mirrors the one he uses for the first team. 

At the moment, even though Leicester's Under 23 side are enjoying good results under Steve Beaglehole, their way of playing is quite different from the passing, pressing game preferred by Rodgers. 

Away from the pressure cooker environment, the Northern Irishman appears happy and relaxed – yet if he continues to have this impact on Leicester, he is certain to figure strongly in the thoughts of top clubs when they next change managers. 

What would Saturday's opponents Arsenal look like now if they had chosen Rodgers, rather than Unai Emery, to lead the post-Arsene Wenger era? 

Meanwhile, Vardy is in the form of his life but he turns 33 in January and, at some stage, will have to be replaced. The matter is too sensitive to be discussed publicly but it is inconceivable that Leicester have not thought about it.

Jamie Vardy continues to score goals for fun but will need replacing in the near future

[brucey]

https://www.vice.com/amp/en_uk/article/wjw9qb/leicester-caglar-soyuncu-premier-league

[Langston]

4 hours ago, HighPeakFox said:

I have to correct this - it was 2 down, back to 2-2, then 2-3.then 3-3...

My mistake - I'd had a shandy at this point and couldn't be bothered to check!

[Suzie the Fox]

38 minutes ago, brucey said:

https://www.vice.com/amp/en_uk/article/wjw9qb/leicester-caglar-soyuncu-premier-league

' Jamie Vardy settled the contest in the 88th minute and went trotting off in front of the Palace support, flapping his terrible wings in a flagrant display of contempt for their beloved mascot Kayla the Eagle, deeply deviant behaviour from a footballing dungeon master whose kinks get deeper and darker each week. Condolences to anyone connected to Arsenal Football Club at this difficult time. Lord knows what cruel and unusual punishment Vardy has in store for the Gunnersaurus this weekend.'

 

Lol I did find that quite funny 

[Blue ROI]

A good debate here. Bit about ourselves and Rodgers. From around 3 minutes in. 

[Mehrez]

 

[Flappit]

From the bluemoon forum during the match :

 

This is a far better Leicester side than the one that won the league.

Serious football side this

[Koke]

Can you guess which set of fans said this?

 

"I still fancy us to do em if we played them now. I also think we will be very close or above them end of the season. We are now showing signs of clicking as a team and feel we will close that gap. Tbf I hate Leicester["

[foxile5]

Just now, Koke said:

Can you guess which set of fans said this?

 

"I still fancy us to do em if we played them now. I also think we will be very close or above them end of the season. We are now showing signs of clicking as a team and feel we will close that gap. Tbf I hate Leicester["

Is it Tottenham coming for us? 

[Reg Vardy]

Spurs surely?

[ithuriel]

2 minutes ago, Koke said:

Can you guess which set of fans said this?

 

"I still fancy us to do em if we played them now. I also think we will be very close or above them end of the season. We are now showing signs of clicking as a team and feel we will close that gap. Tbf I hate Leicester["

Not Ole is it 

[Koke]

1 minute ago, foxile5 said:

Is it Tottenham coming for us? 

 

1 minute ago, Reg Vardy said:

Spurs surely?

 

Wolves. 

 

Yes, really.

[ithuriel]

1 minute ago, Koke said:

 

 

Wolves. 

 

Yes, really.

This is the Wolves juggernaut that is not far off in 15th then, 

[Anglodanglo]

5 minutes ago, Koke said:

Can you guess which set of fans said this?

 

"I still fancy us to do em if we played them now. I also think we will be very close or above them end of the season. We are now showing signs of clicking as a team and feel we will close that gap. Tbf I hate Leicester["

 

[splinterdream]

Alan Smith, embarrassing commentary tonight, you'd have thought he'd never have played for us

[HitchinFox]

4 minutes ago, splinterdream said:

Alan Smith, embarrassing commentary tonight, you'd have thought he'd never have played for us

 

I've thought this a number of times over the past five years, since we came up to the Prem. 

Not sure what his beef is, but he really seems to dislike us. 

Alan, do yourself a favour and take your massive nose and the rest of your face out of your arse, mate. We still love you. Accept that we're going to be around for a bit. Enjoy it. Embrace it. After all, had we not given you a chance, you'd be working in accountancy in Birmingham. You boring, really-good-at-football fooking twat. 

[SouthStandUpperTier]

1 minute ago, HitchinFox said:

 

I've thought this a number of times over the past five years, since we came up to the Prem. 

Not sure what his beef is, but he really seems to dislike us. 

Alan, do yourself a favour and take your massive nose and the rest of your face out of your arse, mate. We still love you. Accept that we're going to be around for a bit. Enjoy it. Embrace it. After all, had we not given you a chance, you'd be working in accountancy in Birmingham. You boring, really-good-at-football fooking twat. 

He's fine when we're not playing Arsenal so I don't think he necessarily has beef with us. I just think he really, really, really loves Arsenal - and that came across as obvious in his commentary.

[Izzy]

First 9 minutes Sherwood and Shearer paying homage to our brilliance. They can't speak highly enough of us. Nuff respect 

 

 

[Mickey O'Neil]

Just having a gander on the Arsenal forum. 
 

Quite a bitter bunch which I didn’t have them down as, I’m surprised.
 

A lot of Palace remarks about us seemed balanced despite us winning last week. Arsenal though, come on lads...some of you are appearing deluded. Seriously. I know it’s very hard to admit defeat but slagging us off simply because you lost? Really?