The "do they mean us?" thread pt 2

[SpacedX]

46 minutes ago, Mickyblueeyes said:

No one fears going to Emirates. 

Remind me - what's our record there?

[Finnegan]

11 hours ago, OntarioFox said:

Mahrez and Drinkwater really flying the flag for our title-winning team this past day or two. This is far from the first time I've seen Riyad slated in a Man City shirt.

 

Mahrez is world class and will deliver ten fold after a seasons adjustment at Man City. 

 

Blows my mind that people can watch the game last night and single out any Man City individual as being out of place but especially one that didn't really put much of a foot wrong. 

 

Aguero barely landed a pass all night, missed a penalty and hid. Their entire back four switched off for the goal which went under the keeper. Gundogan put in honestly one of the worst performances I've ever seen in a Double Decker bar. 

 

Riyad wasn't exceptional but he was one or their least awful players, retained the ball, tracked back and stuck to what was pretty obviously the game plan. 

 

What did Sterling do that Riyad didn't? They both had a couple of dribbles with no end product. 

[HighPeakFox]

17 minutes ago, Line-X said:

Remind me - what's our record there?

And they've won an awful lot there in the league too, with defeats in domestic cups.

[egg_fried_rice]

https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/brendan-rodgers-leicester-city-jamie-vardy-premier-league

 

5 ways that Brendan Rodgers has changed Leicester City so far

He's rejuvenated the midfield, got the best out of Jamie Vardy and improved the Foxes’ form since taking over in February – so what exactly is Rodgers getting right?

Involving Jamie Vardy far more

Claude Puel might have repeatedly insisted that there was no lingering issue with Vardy, but Leicester’s striker likely had a different story to tell. Puel’s demise was death via a thousand cuts, but phasing out a club legend without actually improving the team’s performances is a good way to go about losing all goodwill.

 

It’s not just that Rodgers has made Vardy feel special (although man management is clearly a large part of the striker’s improvement). He has also found a system that allows Vardy to be more active and involved rather than being left isolated and frustrated.

 

It is probably the statistic that best describes Rodgers’ impact at Leicester. In his five matches, Vardy has had more than three shots in a league game on three occasions. Before Rodgers arrived, Vardy managed more than three shots in a league game four times in the last 14 months. Make him happy, make Leicester tick, make supporters cheer.

Switching the shape of midfield

 

Leicester’s default formation under Puel was 4-2-3-1, with two holding midfielders, two wingers and James Maddison playing as a No.10 behind Vardy. That role for Maddison was referenced by Gareth Southgate when explaining why he hadn't made the England senior squad for their recent friendlies. England don’t play with a No.10, so how could Maddison justify a place despite his outrageous chance created statistics? (In Europe's top five leagues this season, only one player – Memphis Depay – has carved out more.) 

 

Rodgers has changed Leicester’s midfield shape to a 4-1-4-1 that easily shifts to a 4-3-3. Wilfred Ndidi is the deep-lying playmaker who breaks things up but then delivers quick passes when the ball is won, earning significant praise from his new manager. Youri Tielemans has been pushed higher up the pitch and closer to Vardy; a move that has transformed Leicester. The Belgian’s passing has always been exemplary, but now he’s doing his work in the final third. Tielemans has contributed four of his five league goals and assists during Rodgers' time in charge.

 

On the left, Leicester are fluid and hugely effective. Maddison has scope to drift wide and find space, a move that instantly makes him more attractive to Southgate and England. Harvey Barnes is not a natural winger and so drifts infield, but that allows the marauding Ben Chilwell to overlap and provide crosses. That trio will all have designs on breaking into Southgate’s plans over the next two years – not to mention Demarai Gray, too. 

 

Methodical build-up play

 

One of the criticisms of Puel’s tactics was that Leicester too often relied upon counter-attacking football and were stumped against teams that sat back against them. That style of attack had been so memorably effective in 2015/16, but was undone by Leicester’s defensive frailties (you can’t invite pressure successfully if you can’t actually deal with it) and inefficiencies on the break.

 

Rodgers prefers a different plan – methodical and considered build-up in Leicester’s own half before passing through midfield. That's the style that he used so successfully at Celtic, honed by the demand from supporters to be proactive rather than reactive. Very few teams try and attack Celtic.

 

Look at the passing statistics to note the sea change. In Rodgers’ five games, Leicester have completed an average of 402 passes per game, and that includes a game against Burnley during which they played for virtually the entire game with 10 men and ceded possession. In the five matches before Rodgers arrived, the average was 341 successful passes. Without the ball Leicester press and harry, but with it their dynamic changes.

 

There’s more. The average number of successful passes in their own half in the five games prior to Rodgers’ appointment was 149, but that has risen to a whopping 205 (again, including Burnley). Leicester’s top three matches for passes completed in their own half have all come in Rodgers’ five matches in charge.

 

Quick starts, strong finishes

“My belief is always that the best teams start quickly and finish strong,” said Rodgers at the beginning of April. “I highlighted that when I came in, and now we're starting to get the first goals in games and getting it in that period. That's because we're a team where we have to go and search. It's about a mindset and it's a tactic in our game.”

 

He’s not wrong. Before Rodgers’ arrival, Leicester had conceded 19 goals in the first and last 15 minutes of matches. Most worrying was the 12 goals they'd conceded in the opening 15 minutes; evidence that Claude Puel was unable to get his players sufficiently focused on the task ahead.

 

In Rodgers’ first match, against Watford, Leicester conceded in the first five minutes and in stoppage time. That was enough for their new manager to read the riot act to his players about the need for focus.

 

Since then, Leicester have conceded in neither of those two periods. Furthermore, they have actually become experts in starting and finishing quickly. Against Fulham, they scored in the 78th and 86th minutes to win the game. Against Burnley, they scored a last-minute winner. Against Bournemouth, they scored in both the first and last 15 minutes. Against Huddersfield, they scored twice in the last 12 minutes. The transformation is complete.

 

Embracing the gentle fixture list

 

It would be one-sided to pour praise on the Rodgers Effect without pointing out that Leicester’s new manager chose the perfect time to take over. If his departure from Celtic before the end of the season was fuelled partly by his deteriorating relationship with Celtic’s hierarchy, he must have also looked at Leicester’s fixture list and realised that this was the perfect opportunity to generate some easy goodwill.

 

The Foxes have now won four consecutive league games for the first time since December 2017. Their opponents in those four games are currently ranked 13th, 14th, 19th and 20th in the table. It’s not as if Leicester were blowing away bottom-half teams under Puel, but Rodgers has merely done what would have been expected of him in terms of results. They now face Newcastle and West Ham with the chance to record six straight league wins for the first time in Premier League history. That would be quite the honeymoon period for Rodgers.

 

[Ric Flair]

9 minutes ago, egg_fried_rice said:

https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/brendan-rodgers-leicester-city-jamie-vardy-premier-league

 

5 ways that Brendan Rodgers has changed Leicester City so far

He's rejuvenated the midfield, got the best out of Jamie Vardy and improved the Foxes’ form since taking over in February – so what exactly is Rodgers getting right?

Involving Jamie Vardy far more

Claude Puel might have repeatedly insisted that there was no lingering issue with Vardy, but Leicester’s striker likely had a different story to tell. Puel’s demise was death via a thousand cuts, but phasing out a club legend without actually improving the team’s performances is a good way to go about losing all goodwill.

 

It’s not just that Rodgers has made Vardy feel special (although man management is clearly a large part of the striker’s improvement). He has also found a system that allows Vardy to be more active and involved rather than being left isolated and frustrated.

 

It is probably the statistic that best describes Rodgers’ impact at Leicester. In his five matches, Vardy has had more than three shots in a league game on three occasions. Before Rodgers arrived, Vardy managed more than three shots in a league game four times in the last 14 months. Make him happy, make Leicester tick, make supporters cheer.

Switching the shape of midfield

 

Leicester’s default formation under Puel was 4-2-3-1, with two holding midfielders, two wingers and James Maddison playing as a No.10 behind Vardy. That role for Maddison was referenced by Gareth Southgate when explaining why he hadn't made the England senior squad for their recent friendlies. England don’t play with a No.10, so how could Maddison justify a place despite his outrageous chance created statistics? (In Europe's top five leagues this season, only one player – Memphis Depay – has carved out more.) 

 

Rodgers has changed Leicester’s midfield shape to a 4-1-4-1 that easily shifts to a 4-3-3. Wilfred Ndidi is the deep-lying playmaker who breaks things up but then delivers quick passes when the ball is won, earning significant praise from his new manager. Youri Tielemans has been pushed higher up the pitch and closer to Vardy; a move that has transformed Leicester. The Belgian’s passing has always been exemplary, but now he’s doing his work in the final third. Tielemans has contributed four of his five league goals and assists during Rodgers' time in charge.

 

On the left, Leicester are fluid and hugely effective. Maddison has scope to drift wide and find space, a move that instantly makes him more attractive to Southgate and England. Harvey Barnes is not a natural winger and so drifts infield, but that allows the marauding Ben Chilwell to overlap and provide crosses. That trio will all have designs on breaking into Southgate’s plans over the next two years – not to mention Demarai Gray, too. 

 

Methodical build-up play

 

One of the criticisms of Puel’s tactics was that Leicester too often relied upon counter-attacking football and were stumped against teams that sat back against them. That style of attack had been so memorably effective in 2015/16, but was undone by Leicester’s defensive frailties (you can’t invite pressure successfully if you can’t actually deal with it) and inefficiencies on the break.

 

Rodgers prefers a different plan – methodical and considered build-up in Leicester’s own half before passing through midfield. That's the style that he used so successfully at Celtic, honed by the demand from supporters to be proactive rather than reactive. Very few teams try and attack Celtic.

 

Look at the passing statistics to note the sea change. In Rodgers’ five games, Leicester have completed an average of 402 passes per game, and that includes a game against Burnley during which they played for virtually the entire game with 10 men and ceded possession. In the five matches before Rodgers arrived, the average was 341 successful passes. Without the ball Leicester press and harry, but with it their dynamic changes.

 

There’s more. The average number of successful passes in their own half in the five games prior to Rodgers’ appointment was 149, but that has risen to a whopping 205 (again, including Burnley). Leicester’s top three matches for passes completed in their own half have all come in Rodgers’ five matches in charge.

 

Quick starts, strong finishes

“My belief is always that the best teams start quickly and finish strong,” said Rodgers at the beginning of April. “I highlighted that when I came in, and now we're starting to get the first goals in games and getting it in that period. That's because we're a team where we have to go and search. It's about a mindset and it's a tactic in our game.”

 

He’s not wrong. Before Rodgers’ arrival, Leicester had conceded 19 goals in the first and last 15 minutes of matches. Most worrying was the 12 goals they'd conceded in the opening 15 minutes; evidence that Claude Puel was unable to get his players sufficiently focused on the task ahead.

 

In Rodgers’ first match, against Watford, Leicester conceded in the first five minutes and in stoppage time. That was enough for their new manager to read the riot act to his players about the need for focus.

 

Since then, Leicester have conceded in neither of those two periods. Furthermore, they have actually become experts in starting and finishing quickly. Against Fulham, they scored in the 78th and 86th minutes to win the game. Against Burnley, they scored a last-minute winner. Against Bournemouth, they scored in both the first and last 15 minutes. Against Huddersfield, they scored twice in the last 12 minutes. The transformation is complete.

 

Embracing the gentle fixture list

 

It would be one-sided to pour praise on the Rodgers Effect without pointing out that Leicester’s new manager chose the perfect time to take over. If his departure from Celtic before the end of the season was fuelled partly by his deteriorating relationship with Celtic’s hierarchy, he must have also looked at Leicester’s fixture list and realised that this was the perfect opportunity to generate some easy goodwill.

 

The Foxes have now won four consecutive league games for the first time since December 2017. Their opponents in those four games are currently ranked 13th, 14th, 19th and 20th in the table. It’s not as if Leicester were blowing away bottom-half teams under Puel, but Rodgers has merely done what would have been expected of him in terms of results. They now face Newcastle and West Ham with the chance to record six straight league wins for the first time in Premier League history. That would be quite the honeymoon period for Rodgers.

 

A very good article that, sums it up perfectly.

[st albans fox]

The stat on passes in our own half is interesting.... I would have expected Puel to be similar but I imagine we were passing around more just inside the opponents half which compresses the play and kills space.  Brendan has us deeper which creates more space to play in further up the pitch once you break the opponents press 

[norwichfox]

10 hours ago, Anglodanglo said:

Mahrez getting the scapegoat treatment tonight

 

https://forums.bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk/threads/riyad-mahrez-2018-2019-performances.335464/page-254

 

Bit harsh but did chuckle at this comment... 'As it stands, he's just a wide Wilfried Bony'

There is a solution that might work, suit the majority on the Blue Moon forum and on here too (we can throw Mahrez in as part of any deal for Tielemans....we swap him back for Iheanacho and we get £20M as well

[Xen]

20 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

The stat on passes in our own half is interesting.... I would have expected Puel to be similar but I imagine we were passing around more just inside the opponents half which compresses the play and kills space.  Brendan has us deeper which creates more space to play in further up the pitch once you break the opponents press 

I'd take those stats with a huge pinch of salt, as its comparing Puel's last 5 games (including United, Spurs and Liverpool) against Rodger's 5 games against bottom-half opposition. All season long we've seen huge swings in possession stats against big-6/bottom-half sides, which in turn obviously means lower/higher pass numbers respectively.

 

The way we're passing is certainly different, as you point out, but its one of those cases where the numbers don't really illustrate the true picture.

[Babylon]

1 hour ago, Ric Flair said:

A very good article that, sums it up perfectly.

Stopped reading at the "Methodical build up play" section, it's clearly written by someone who barely watched us play under Puel if they think we were a counter attack team. 

[davieG]

8 minutes ago, Xen said:

I'd take those stats with a huge pinch of salt, as its comparing Puel's last 5 games (including United, Spurs and Liverpool) against Rodger's 5 games against bottom-half opposition. All season long we've seen huge swings in possession stats against big-6/bottom-half sides, which in turn obviously means lower/higher pass numbers respectively.

 

The way we're passing is certainly different, as you point out, but its one of those cases where the numbers don't really illustrate the true picture.

Plus Tielemans is now fully settled into the team and allows us to have a more creative midfield something Puel was obviously working towards.

 

Puel also complained that the team were not getting the ball forward quick enough.

 

I believe their approach to the game was very similar but it would seem that Puel had great difficulty getting his message across and getting the team on board.

[lgfualol]

The main difference is the players are just playing for the manager and we have suddenly become critical. I don't think Rodgers has done much else to Puel's setup, accept maybe after Watford he has stopped them being idiots with the ball. Vardy still has as many shots as he did in Puel's final months, just this time he is just putting them in the net as well, hell even Gray has scored a goal. 

[Ric Flair]

38 minutes ago, Babylon said:

Stopped reading at the "Methodical build up play" section, it's clearly written by someone who barely watched us play under Puel if they think we were a counter attack team. 

It was a strange header but the actual content to that section is quite accurate I think

[Babylon]

23 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

It was a strange header but the actual content to that section is quite accurate I think

It's trash... 

[mancunianfox]

7 minutes ago, Babylon said:

It's trash... 

Agreed but then most of our best results under Puel came when we scored goals on the counter. Granted that wasn't intentional as he didn't want us to play like that but we were totally clueless in games in which we had the majority of the ball. I don't think we became bad at counter attacks as such we just didn't get many chances to do so.

Edited 10 April 2019 by mancunianfox

[Ric Flair]

49 minutes ago, Babylon said:

It's trash... 

I don't think it is. Under Rodgers there is a lot of passing between the defence and then we quickly work it through the midfield. Under Puel the ball kept coming back to the defence due to the inability of the midfield to get it forward, the whole movement of the team has changed. Our confidence in possession the longer Puel was here seemed to evaporate, which is strange as he is a manager who likes his team to control play and he seemed to help us install that when he first came in and blended possession and fast attacks. He seemed to be a victim of his players losing belief, confidence and direction.

[don_danbury]

4 hours ago, Sunbury Fox said:

Their comments are very harsh but to be honest I was shocked by Riyad's performance last night. He really is a shadow of the player we saw at the KP. Where has his control and dribbling ability gone? He looked slow, ponderous, always took the easy option, laying the ball off simply, or whipping in hopeful crosses, rather than taking on the full back. What made this worse is that he was up against the bang average Danny Rose, who was on a booking from 10 minutes. The circumstances were tailor made for him to show what he could do. But he failed miserably. Looks more like 18/19 Ghezzal than 15/16 Mahrez. 

the way they play does not suit his game. i don't even see how they can judge him with the amount of games he's started anyway. he's scored some important goals in their title bid so they should be thankful. from what i watched last night there where far worse players in their side last night than riyad. 

 

 

[Mickyblueeyes]

2 hours ago, Line-X said:

Remind me - what's our record there?

Not necessarily about record. To put in simpler terms, would the general fear going to Anfield or the Etihad more then going to the Emirates ? I think fans of teams still hope to go to the Emirates and potentially get a result. Less so at the other two grounds. The fear element of attending the Emirates Is not what it use to be at Highbury in their golden years.

[Guest SO1]

3 hours ago, Mickyblueeyes said:

Not necessarily about record. To put in simpler terms, would the general fear going to Anfield or the Etihad more then going to the Emirates ? I think fans of teams still hope to go to the Emirates and potentially get a result. Less so at the other two grounds. The fear element of attending the Emirates Is not what it use to be at Highbury in their golden years.

On the RAWK/Liverpool forum I read the relief their posters had to not having to face us again. They see whats happening here and are expecting us to take points off Man.City.

They've seen first hand what a Rodgers attacking side can produce.

Edited 10 April 2019 by SO1

[Bourbon Fox]

14 hours ago, UPinCarolina said:

Bit harsh is putting it mildly...they are absolutely ripping him apart!

This made me chuckle

[Jimmy]

Puel changed the shape of the midfield not Rodgers

[davieG]

[Kopic]

Adrian Durham was bigging us up on talksport big time at 6. Reckons we'll break the top 4 next year.

[Koke]

1 minute ago, Kopic said:

Adrian Durham was bigging us up on talksport big time at 6. Reckons we'll break the top 4 next year.

 

He's a big fan of Vardy, Maddison, Maguire and Chilwell. We have a nice English core.

[Unabomber]

5 minutes ago, Koke said:

 

He's a big fan of Vardy, Maddison, Maguire and Chilwell. We have a nice English core.

That’s interesting I thought he was a big fan of absolutely nothing combined with trolling the shit out of everything.

[st albans fox]

1 hour ago, Kopic said:

Adrian Durham was bigging us up on talksport big time at 6. Reckons we'll break the top 4 next year.

 

1 hour ago, Unabomber said:

That’s interesting I thought he was a big fan of absolutely nothing combined with trolling the shit out of everything.

I imagine he was trying to elicit a response from his audience ...... Sod’s law we are dreadful tonight !