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Ian Nacho

Claude Puel reaches first anniversary at Leicester - but why does he always feel so close to the sack?

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1 hour ago, Ric Flair said:

It was definitely a wasted opportunity, so were the way we approached both quarter final cup games. Opportunities missed, simple as that.

The Man City one was disappointing but in the Chelsea game we played a strong side, it’s just they were better than us. I don’t think Puel was to blame for that one 

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4 hours ago, Ric Flair said:

I think he's still in a job purely based on his principles and ideas, they obviously impress the owners but he needs to win over the fans. I'm not convinced the players hate him as much as the press indicate but I'm sure those frozen out won't be enjoying themselves. 

 

He needs to win a cup this season to build any sort of bond with our fans, he's just unable to show any form of persona that our fans can buy in to. I'm still wildly unsure on him, one week I want him gone but after every international break in the days before the next game I slightly warm to him and desperately want him to succeed. That said if we're toss again tonight then I'll be livid and struggle to back him, that's the moronic state of things for me and many other fans. He's basically got very little chance of making it here.

I agree with nearly all of that apart from the persona bit. I honestly don’t care if we employ a mute as far as his spoken word goes to the fans, nor am I looking for charisma or for him to be my boyfriend. The only think that makes me livid with Puel are some of his signings, team selections, formations and in game management which frustrate the living **** out of me. The rest of him is worthy of very high praise indeed. But ‘the rest’ of that feels more like a strategic role rather than a direct management one. And the elements listed first which I question of him are in my assessment the core essentials of being a manager. So I’m trying to be patient and give him time to win me over and deliver something but both my head and my heart whilst appreciative of his positives don’t see a successful long term future for Puel at LCFC.

 

 

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2 hours ago, StriderHiryu said:

Having been in the job for a full year and having played 10 games (admittedly not 10 league games) I think that’s enough time to evaluate the manager. Personally I’d probably give him a B Minus grade. He passes but doesn’t impress. And that’s why his appointment is always in question. 7th was there to be taken last season but we squandered it. We’ve been ok this season but a win against Everton and a point from either Man U or Liverpool would have us a lot more excited. 

 

I think the best way to evaluate Puel is to list both pros and cons to what he’s done:  

 

Pros

 

- Changed our primary style to possession football with the stats to back it up. 

- Retained our threat on the break (goals in the Huddersfield and Everton games are recent examples). 

- Put an emphasis on youth especially English players. Three players called up for the national team recently. 

- Our scoring is pretty decent. Scored in every league game so far this season. Vardy got 20 goals last season. 

- Got is a top half finish and to the quarters of both cups. Only lost to the eventual winners of both. 

- Got rid of the “deadwood” such as Musa, Slimani, Ulloa. 

 

Cons

 

- Wasted a golden opportunity to get into Europe. 

- For the entire 12 months barring a one month spell last January our defence has been shit. 

- Signed three new CBs but plays the same 2. Defence still shakey. Always seem to concede first. 

- Square pegs in round holes. The Ricardo situation as a primary example. 

- Too much chopping and changing for many. 

 

 

If you sum that up I think it’s overall net positive but for a team that won the league not too long ago seems underwhelming. I’ll also happily say that after the home defeat against West Ham I thought he should have gone. But overall I think he’s a decent to good choice for where we are now. Developing young players and changing our style will take time and there’s been progress on both.

 

I want to counter-balance on some negative points :

- The Golden opportunity to get into Europe :

I think we should stop acting and thinking like there is our team and a bunch of NPC teams who are obvioulsy weaker than us.


- Signed three new CBs but plays the same 2.

Benkovic is loaned, Evans played and wasn't really better than the club's captain, Soyuncu was obvioulsy not ready yet.

- Square pegs in round holes. The Ricardo situation as a primary example. 

Do you have other examples ?
Concerning Ricardo, maybe it was always considered he would have to bulk up a bit before being regularly selected RB

-
Too much chopping and changing for many. 

I absolutely don't get this one. A football team isn't 11 regular starters + substitutes.
To be competitive for a whole season all your players must be involved, motivated, decently happy and able to replace another without it being a huge flaw because the new player is unadapted to the tactics and or/ his partners.
It's a delicate alchemy to find between having a core of players who play almost anytime they're available and making rotation to avoid some players being too comfy or anticipating future issues.
Guardiola never align twice the same team and heavily rotates his players for that reason.

The irony in that is most of those who are angry about team rotation are the most vocals about immediately benching players because they had one or two bad games.

 

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11 hours ago, brucey said:

Interestingly Percy has used the past tense there. Are you aware of any ongoing problems with the players still, or has he somehow won them over?

As far as I'm aware the same problems are still there - they were just reported to Appleton, and then Plonk, who then reported them to Puel.....they both got sacked. Make of that what you will.

 

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3 hours ago, sylofox said:

Does he have to say anything. He was talking about his England call up. Did he have to go so deep about Leicester. 

 

Yes some players will be pissed possibly Simpson King even Wes as they know their days are numbered. 

Don't mean a player revolutions round the next corner. 

 

I really think this player shite is being over baked. 

 

26 minutes ago, Babylon said:

Nothing?

Whilst I haven’t seen, heard or read the interview when orignally described by sylofox I assumed it was a specific question that was asked to Maddison.

 

I am guessing now it wasn’t as you are both saying he should have said nothing, which yeah, would have been fair enough.

 

If not and it a specific question, what a great, insightful answer it would have been saying nothing.

 

Spose it doesn’t really matter anyway because interviews rarely give any information away and are full of cliches anyway aren’t they?! 

Edited by Matt
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We have seasoned pros not getting anywhere near the 18 so there will undoubtedly be grumbling in the squad. King and Simpson (and Jakupovic) are still here, very connected to the very senior players (Morgan, Schmeichel) and probably the owners too. I would imagine a lot of the disgruntlement  is coming from these fringe players who Puel obviously doesn’t want here. 

 

Last season we had Ulloa and Slimani in a similar position also. 

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6 minutes ago, Richard said:

We have seasoned pros not getting anywhere near the 18 so there will undoubtedly be grumbling in the squad. King and Simpson (and Jakupovic) are still here, very connected to the very senior players (Morgan, Schmeichel) and probably the owners too. I would imagine a lot of the disgruntlement  is coming from these fringe players who Puel obviously doesn’t want here. 

 

Last season we had Ulloa and Slimani in a similar position also. 

My take on it to be honest, if there are BIG problems off the pitch then it manifests itself on the pitch with players not giving everything. I can't say I'm ever sat down there thinking the players aren't trying.

 

We have too many players in the squad and we've not got rid of as many as we would have liked. So we've got popular players sat around kicking their heels... ones that have won a title and probably think they should still be playing. They'll lay the blame entirely at Puel's door as the change in style has done for many of them.

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7 minutes ago, Babylon said:

My take on it to be honest, if there are BIG problems off the pitch then it manifests itself on the pitch with players not giving everything. I can't say I'm ever sat down there thinking the players aren't trying.

 

We have too many players in the squad and we've not got rid of as many as we would have liked. So we've got popular players sat around kicking their heels... ones that have won a title and probably think they should still be playing. They'll lay the blame entirely at Puel's door as the change in style has done for many of them.

With the exception of palace away where I thought there was a lack of effort I'd agree.

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He's not really loved is he, I'm pretty sure that bar pulling off a Claudio that will never change.

 

He kind of has a bit of Arsene Wenger about him, nice guy, studious, serious, intelligent, no zany touchline antics, a bit dull.

 

It's different things for different people, his lack of charisma, constant changing of the team, square pegs in round holes, his faith in youth whilst playing an aging CB who's best days are behind him, style of play.

 

I get what he's trying to do and I'm miles away from demanding he should go but if he did I wouldn't be that bothered.

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15 minutes ago, Wymeswold fox said:

So, if he wasn't 'bland/dull' in his persona - more people would out of the woodwork and say that has the right manager for the team?..

Not for me - I just don’t get that attitude, there’s lots of reasons I’m not a fan of Puel but this isn’t one of them. If you want a charismatic man your life, go get yourself one but a football manager shouldn’t be assessed on his perceived levels of charisma, that’s surely just bonkers.

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6 hours ago, Ric Flair said:

Yet, we still are at our most dangerous and score most of our goals on the counter attack. We needed to blend what we were very good at with being more comfortable in possession, Puel did this quite well in his first few months but the longer he's been here the more slow and rigid we've looked as a team and they aren't that comfortable with it. 

I think you're dead right in what you say but Puel maintains that it's not him that's telling them to be slow and rigid. On the contrary , I he denies it and stating that he tells them to play 'wiz a gud tempo' ? and that the slow starts annoy him too. I think some of this is down to a mixture of age, inexperience and occasional lack of self belief at times. 

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1 hour ago, yks said:

I want to counter-balance on some negative points :

- The Golden opportunity to get into Europe :

I think we should stop acting and thinking like there is our team and a bunch of NPC teams who are obvioulsy weaker than us.


- Signed three new CBs but plays the same 2.

Benkovic is loaned, Evans played and wasn't really better than the club's captain, Soyuncu was obvioulsy not ready yet.

- Square pegs in round holes. The Ricardo situation as a primary example. 

Do you have other examples ?
Concerning Ricardo, maybe it was always considered he would have to bulk up a bit before being regularly selected RB

-
Too much chopping and changing for many. 

I absolutely don't get this one. A football team isn't 11 regular starters + substitutes.
To be competitive for a whole season all your players must be involved, motivated, decently happy and able to replace another without it being a huge flaw because the new player is unadapted to the tactics and or/ his partners.
It's a delicate alchemy to find between having a core of players who play almost anytime they're available and making rotation to avoid some players being too comfy or anticipating future issues.
Guardiola never align twice the same team and heavily rotates his players for that reason.

The irony in that is most of those who are angry about team rotation are the most vocals about immediately benching players because they had one or two bad games.

 

Agree with this.

 

Just to add:

3 new CBs. Loaning one of Soyuncu/Benkovic was always going to be the case, and I think we'll reap the rewards of it when we bring Benkovic back in January/next season. Probably wouldn't have settled into the PL quite as quickly as he's done north of the border. Soyuncu and Evans have both had injuries early in the season, and Soyuncu has had the language barrier to contend with as well. They're both very capable players who'll do well for us long-term. Morgan should have been capable of holding his position until they could be eased in properly, but he's having the season from hell at the minute unfortunately. Puel couldn't have foreseen that combination of events.

 

Square pegs. A lot of this is because Ricardo isn't a RB, but a RWB. As a result he needs defensive support from his RCB (and in turn, the RCB needs support from a defensive midfielder for cover). For various reasons this hasn't quite come to fruition with the defensive unit now quite clicking yet. Our players are all individually talented but as a unit it's not there just yet. A bit of consistency and we'll become much more solid.

 

Chopping/Changing. As you say, changes are always going to happen. Puel's hand has been forced somewhat with THREE red cards in 8 games, and injuries to Gray/Evans etc.

 

 

Ultimately, we have a young squad with a number of new signings, being asked to play a different style to what some of them are used to. All of this whilst contending with injuries and suspensions. To come out of our first 8 games in the position we're in, arguably deserving more from some games (Liverpool/Utd/Everton spring to mind) I think is a reasonable standard to be setting so far. We look reasonably comfortable if unspectacular, and we have LOADS of room to improve. I'm optimistic.

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Square pegs in round holes. The Ricardo situation as a primary example. 

 

Please please, somebody tell me, where in any other positions this is happening..

Plus this statement would be true if he had Morgan as WBack...

Puel coaching staff using/trying 10 games plus Ricardo in 2-3 positions is legitamate,and for a new player with a spread of qualities,

is far from a Square Peg.  It's absolute twaddle this use of phrase!!!

 

If any of you followed football,many a club player with that utility flexible skill-set experiences through their careers and change of clubs,

Spending many a game away  from what his first profile might have him down has....

Also putting a team out on paper doesn't mean they will play a central/left/right wing position,accept maybe for the back 4 and a central

Striker,the team set up on the field changes according to team plans for the gameday,or run of games,or for deliberate interchange

during a game...With a group that is going to be evolving,tested just  like tactics there will be positions that will on a rotation/experiment basis.

 

It seems like chasing non-events, or irrelevant issues, long lost shadows ..Then for some wild reason use it to have a go at the manager and coaching staff.

Under all regimes,top clubs or struggling clubs,try several players in 2-4 positions,and leave the individual idea,then return to it....

It ain't any longer Rocket science...I could go through modern teams...but D.Nish,A.Todd,L.Glover,G.Cross,Mcklintock,K.Weller E.Hughes,

Milner,in Germany...Matthaus and P.Lahm were often shuffled around the pack...Just to prove its just not a new thing...

 

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1 hour ago, Livid said:

He's not really loved is he, I'm pretty sure that bar pulling off a Claudio that will never change.

Reflects badly on our fanbase then if that's the case, because IMO it wouldn't take much for me to be thrilled with him.  If we can get a few slicker / better  winning performances and rise two or three places up the league, then he's doing about as well as you could expect.

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6 minutes ago, fuchsntf said:

Square pegs in round holes. The Ricardo situation as a primary example. 

 

Please please, somebody tell me, where in any other positions this is happening..

 

Maddison/Iheanacho being pushed out wide? Can't think of any others really, and even that one isn't strictly true as those roles behind the strikers are more 'free' in their positioning...

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We did shockingly won the title with this lineup. 

590250106_lineup(4).png.738ee28ffc4bd21d6d2b67e117c8bdcf.png

 

 

 

Years later, Ranieri still played with largely same team. In the absence of Kante, he played mendy, who get injured ASAP and amartey later. Slimani replaced okazaki.the rest are simmilar team. But somehow we played with different form and intensity during that season. Ranieri tried to tinker some time like playing 3 at the back, diamond formation, but no avail. 

 

He then got sacked and Shakespeare replace him. Shakey immediately reinstalled the old squad, the only difference was ndidi for kante but that was necessary since kante is gone. . The team get back in form and rose high to the 9th placed. 

 

The season after, the old team  (minus maguire for injured huth and james for departing drinkwater) started to show simmilar struggle with the year before. Particularly to the team with deep defensive line. We got hard time to broke them down and lost few points, even at home. Then puel comes. Here's his debut lineup

971755081_lineup(5).png.2d695b10b952ad90080ae7676b4a6a16.png

 

Notice the 2 player he drop, albrighton and okazaki. The 2 powerhouse of the team. Aside vardy, mahrez, fuchs, and Schmeichel, they are among most favourite player. But he drop them ASAP. They didn't play badly lately, what went wrong? 

Instead guys like gray and Chilwell played. I remembered lot of people wishing schlupp still here so we can loan them both since they aren't ready. But then what?? 

Screenshot_2018-10-22-20-35-43-609.thumb.jpeg.8e9cb2ec1147d55c74f01ada353025e1.jpeg

Fuchs get dropped. 1 game, 2 game, and so on

Suddenly chilwell who keep making mistakes taking over reliable fuchs. 

 

Gray played so often in okazaki positions, while he isn't that special. 

 

But the result is going well. The team are still with new manager bounce effect. So there's not much complain. 

 

Then, Morgan and Simpson got injured. But james got back in. 

Screenshot_2018-10-22-20-40-44-530.thumb.jpeg.035913a6b98acca9b17fabdc57638f82.jpeg

I remembered how some fans. Are fancy with puel 'silent renovations with the defence'. How he phased out morgan and Simpson for younger player. 

 

But then the honeymoon period is look ended

 

We have period when we start to get numerous draw and few losses. Coincidentally with mahrez saga. 

 

We start to blame James but puel persist 

 

Morgan comeback while drago show nothing wrong. 

 

And, as usual fans habit, when things goes bad, those around the pitch, who's not on the pitch are hero. Bench player and another manager look like world beater. This continues towards the end of the season. 

 

This season starts with some bright hope. We sign 3 cb, attacking rb, no. 10. Those we cried for 3 years. Despite we lost our best player. 

 

Unfortunately, our bridge, evans, suddenly injured. Right before the season starts. 

 

Team start to find out that Ricardo is exploitable as last season chilwell 

 

Our cb is shockingly struggling with adaptation while we sent other on loan instead of him. 

 

We score half goal from set pieces and counter attack. 

 

Puel tried to put evans right when he's cured despite Morgan is available . But he's look badly match fitness and exploit badly during wolves. With another cb struggling with adaptation. Morgan comebacks. 

 

And there's 2 red for him

 

As usual the old habit comeback. The result sometimes again us. We start to blame the player on the pitch and the manager. The one on the bench, stands, and another manager look like world beater. 

 

Also our team yo-yo epl standings didn't help. What kind of team we are??? We head down towards relegation zone, but we won the title and almost qualify for Europe. We spend many money but losing our great player. We develop youth but we persist with old player, despite just one. 

 

So in my opinion I conclude 3 problem. 

 

1.bad habit for treating those outside the pitch as world beater, no matter what. 

 

2. Uncertainty about the club true potential. Our yo-yo form made us too unpredictable. We know who's challenging for the title, who's the top 6 and who's battling for survival, but who we are now? 

 

3. Some strange decision from the coach which I both disagree with his decision and the media for not ask him why

 

Lot of the puel out keep mentioning things without seeing the context. Strangely, there are things that should be critize, yet they choose to critize another things which are either just random moaning, or already happened. 

 

 

And the hate already started since when he's drop okazaki, albrighton, and fuchs.. 

 

lineup (3).png

Screenshot_2018-10-22-20-29-01-216.jpeg

Edited by Hanan96
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5 minutes ago, Xen said:

Maddison/Iheanacho being pushed out wide? Can't think of any others really, and even that one isn't strictly true as those roles behind the strikers are more 'free' in their positioning...

Considering Ricardo WAS a winger only a few years back, it's pushing the "Square peg, round hole" thing a little bit I think. We're trying to convert Amartey into a right back, and I think he's got the attributes to play there if we can, plus he's played there and done ok enough time. The only one really is Maddison being pushed wide like you say. If Gray was fit then we probably wouldn't be doing that IMO.

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1 hour ago, Livid said:

He's not really loved is he, I'm pretty sure that bar pulling off a Claudio that will never change.

Not loved by who? 

 

Maddisons admitted he signed because of Puel. Mendy is like a new signing. Ricardo signed for Puel. 

 

The fans may not love him who cares. A lot didn't like Mon how wrong where they. I didn't want CR. I think my reaction was

 

WTF. How wrong was I? 

 

Let the guy get on with a huge job and give him time. 

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