Phube Posted 4 February 2019 Posted 4 February 2019 https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-game-dissected-safety-first-approach-that-makes-claude-puel-s-leicester-city-hard-to-love-s7nktzqx3 Although you have to Subscribe to read it (2 free articles per week). Really good tactical breakdown of our game vs Man U. Although I take issue where he says Puel instructs Mendidi to pass it cautiously, when he himself is saying they need to pass is forwards and more quickly!
Phube Posted 4 February 2019 Author Posted 4 February 2019 1 minute ago, Stadt said: Can you paste/screenshot it? It’s BIG!! Take about 20 screen shots! its free to register... just need a name and email. No cards etc.
Legend_in_blue Posted 4 February 2019 Posted 4 February 2019 Can't you just copy and paste the text in here?
Phube Posted 4 February 2019 Author Posted 4 February 2019 Just now, Legend_in_blue said: Can't you just copy and paste the text in here? You kind of need the pictures as well, screen shots from the match.
Stadt Posted 4 February 2019 Posted 4 February 2019 Just now, Phube said: It’s BIG!! Take about 20 screen shots! its free to register... just need a name and email. No cards etc. I'd registered before and had previously had trouble trying to view things. Worked this time though. The article is nothing ground breaking, confirms what we already know. Our issues in creating chances are hampered with Mendy and Ndidi in a pair but even with Tielemans in the side we have systemic issues and better players masks the issue.
Nicolo Barella Posted 4 February 2019 Posted 4 February 2019 I saw this epic hack where you add something to the url and it will drop down all paywalls. I've forgotten the thing you add though so not much use.
mod hero Posted 4 February 2019 Posted 4 February 2019 He’s the manager who has beaten Chelsea and Manchester City and pinched a point at Liverpool this season but Claude Puel still divides opinion. The Leicester City coach has come under increasing pressure from fans and his own players for his style of play. So what are Puel’s Leicester all about? For this week’s Game Dissected we take a look at their strengths and weaknesses. Two numbers: one weakness, one strength Two hundred and twenty. That is how many chances Puel’s Leicester have created in the Premier League this season, which puts them 13th among Premier League teams, with fewer chances than Fulham (252), Crystal Palace (232) and Southampton (231), who are all farther down the actual table. Thirty one. That is how many goals Leicester have conceded in the league. Only Liverpool (14), Manchester City (20), Chelsea (23) and Tottenham (24) have conceded fewer. Here, in a very crude and simplistic way, lies the crux of the Puel dilemma. His sides can be tough to beat but they tend to be a bit laboured in possession and a bit predictable in their build-up play, struggling to score. They have scored three goals or more only three times this season. They beat League One Fleetwood 4-0 in the EFL Cup, beat Huddersfield 3-1 in the league and scored three against Wolves but lost 4-3. They may be low down the rankings when it comes to chances created but the graphic below tells a story about how they like to attack. With players providing good set-piece delivery, like James Maddison and Ben Chilwell, it is unsurprising to see Puel’s side having created the second most chances from corners and free-kicks. With tall players such as Harry Maguire, Jonny Evans, Wes Morgan and Wilfred Ndidi in their team it is a sensible approach. The other statistic is also telling in terms of Puel’s style. Along with Bournemouth, Leicester have scored the most goals from fast breaks. Indeed counterattacking suits Leicester under Puel and it served them well in their wins over City and Chelsea. The graphic below shows the average positions of Leicester’s starting XI in those two surprise victories. In both games Leicester had only two players positioned predominantly in the opposition half. In both games they scored goals with fast breaks after winning the ball back: one by Marc Albrighton to equalise against City and the other Jamie Vardy’s winner against Chelsea. Ricardo Pereira’s winner against City came from a corner. When given the chance to counterattack Leicester play some impressive football, with fast-paced passing, clever movement and their forward players often finding space. The only problem is that they need the space to cause problems. When the opposition sit off Leicester a bit more and allow them to have the ball, they struggle. This was shown in Sunday’s defeat against Manchester United. The average position maps for both teams are shown below. As we can see Leicester had six players in the United half and centre backs Maguire (15) and Evans (6) are not as deep in their own half. By contrast it is United with more players in their own half. Possession also fits into this understanding too. Puel’s side surrendered possession in the wins against Chelsea (27.9 per cent) and City (33.9 per cent) but they had 44.8 per cent of the ball against United. Too slow, too cautious So how does this style play out on the pitch? The image below is from the early stages of Leicester’s defeat against United. United’s Paul Pogba has got down the left wing but is faced with a Leicester side in good defensive positions. They have seven players back in their own box with defensive midfielders Nampalys Mendy and Wilfred Ndidi in front of the defence. Pogba attempts a pass to the edge of the area where Jesse Lingard (and Ander Herrera next to him) are lurking. Mendy easily pinches the ball back (he has made 49 interceptions this season, the seventh most of any player in the league) and releases James Maddison. A potential counterattack is thwarted by a clumsy foul by Lingard. This is what Leicester wanted against United: to sit deep, frustrate and pounce while United players are out of position. The only trouble was that, having conceded an early goal after a poor pass by Pereira, United could play Leicester at their own game. Playing Mendy and Ndidi as a two-man midfield is perfect for Leicester’s Plan A. They were less effective when United sat off. The image below shows Mendy on the ball just over the halfway line and with every United player back behind the ball. As we can see, both the left back Chilwell and the right back Pereira are pushed high on the wings. Chilwell and Demerai Gray are both standing in space with arms raised calling for the ball, a pass which is very much on and would release two Leicester players in threatening positions. Vardy is also calling for the ball, a more difficult pass which would have to split Pogba and Nemanja Matic. As the image below shows Mendy plays safe and passes sideways to Pereira. The right back gives the ball back to his midfield team-mate who passes sideways to Ndidi who collects the ball in the position shown in the image below. Again there is a potential pass to Leicester’s left and, with United still shifting across the pitch, a quick ball to Chilwell could give the left back chance to create with Gray and Maddison. But, like Mendy, Ndidi slows the play and is too cautious, delaying his pass to Chilwell. By the time the left back gets the ball United have moved across the pitch and Chilwell’s cross is blocked. Maddison is one of Leicester’s most creative players. He has created 57 chances in the league this season; not only is that by far the most of anyone in his side but it’s also the fourth highest for any player in the Premier League (it was no surprise to hear boos from the home side when Puel took him off halfway through the second half). But against teams defending as United did, the space for Maddison to shine is limited which is why Leicester’s full backs are important to their play. Chilwell is Leicester’s second-most creative player with 25 chances created while Pereira has created 20, fourth behind Marc Albrighton (21). But if midfielders like Ndidi and Mendy — whom United seemed happy to sit off and have the ball — aren’t braver on the ball and willing to play quicker, more incisive passes then Chilwell and Pereira will struggle to get on the ball in threatening positions and in space. Perhaps a reflection of how Ndidi and Mendy are told to play safe is shown in two examples below. The image below shows Ndidi — with Chilwell and Pereira both out wide — playing an easier pass to Maguire. Perhaps frustrated by his team’s struggles to break down United, the centre back carries the ball more than 50 yards, as the image below shows, eventually winning a throw-in off Ashley Young. The image below again shows Maguire setting an example to his team-mates. With United pressed back on the edge of their area the ball falls to Maguire who, unlike his midfield team-mates who are nearby, does not delay his pass, fizzing a first-time ball between United’s midfielders and wide to Chilwell who wins a corner. Maguire stepping out with the ball not only highlights what a promising modern centre back he is but also shines a light on the cautious approach of Leicester’s midfield. If it takes a 50-yard run from a centre back to drag the opposition out of position it suggests that their play is a little too predictable. It was not until the second half that Leicester upped the tempo but still couldn’t create many clear-cut chances. The example, below, arguably their best chance, came from a late counterattack. With United on the ball near the Leicester corner flag Ndidi intercepted a poor pass from the United right back Young and released Harvey Barnes. The young winger beats two United men before returning a pass to Ndidi, below. The midfielder does well with the ball on this occasion, flicking it on to Shinji Okazaki who, as the image below shows, fizzes a first-time pass into the space vacated by Young. This was Leicester at their best: tenacious in winning the ball back and taking advantage of the space left by their opponents. Barnes shows great pace to collect Okazaki’s pass and gets into the box as the image below shows. With the United centre back Eric Bailly drawn out to close down Barnes and Ander Herrera not quick enough to get back, Vardy is able to find space in the box and should do better after Barnes plays the ball straight to him. The United match was a frustrating watch for Leicester fans (I’m not just guessing at that either, I was sat with three of them when watching it) and it summed up the issues with Puel’s style. It can bring impressive results against big teams but is a little limited. It’s important to say that in singling out Ndidi and Mendy I do not think that they are bad players. Both are excellent defensive midfielders but can seem lacking when tasked with breaking down defensive opponents. Perhaps the addition of Youri Tielemans, recently signed on loan from Monaco, will help add that missing midfield link and help the likes of Maddison, Barnes and Vardy shine. But will Puel be brave enough to sacrifice defensive solidity for added midfield creativity? He may have to if he is going make the Leicester fans happy.
daverollo Posted 4 February 2019 Posted 4 February 2019 It’s a ver good article and final paragraph summaries if nicely. Both centre DM’s are too cautious and I believe limited in their ability to play incisive passes. having said that N’Diddi looked good on Sunday in the last 15-20 mins when we had more urgency and he was passing instinctively without thinking or bein so deliberate.
Hammo Posted 4 February 2019 Posted 4 February 2019 Excellent. We who watch the team every week know all this, but it is good to have an outsider in a reputable newspaper highlight the Puel Problem in such detail.
urban.spaceman Posted 4 February 2019 Posted 4 February 2019 Can someone make the text a bit bigger for those of us with poor vision? Thanks x
GingerrrFox Posted 4 February 2019 Posted 4 February 2019 The part about being brave enough to play Tielemans instead of Ndidi or Mendy, is the be all and end all to the rest of our season.
Vacamion Posted 4 February 2019 Posted 4 February 2019 People quoting the whole article, causing me to get RSI scrolling down it, can get in the bin.
Scotch Posted 4 February 2019 Posted 4 February 2019 It does highlight that we are potentially one player off being a very good team. (Possibly two if Vardys form doesn't pick up) hopefully that player is Tielemans. He certainly looks like the exact player we need
Sunbury Fox Posted 4 February 2019 Posted 4 February 2019 It's a good article but it definitely overblows our threat from set pieces. Have we scored directly from a corner all season?
Beechey Posted 4 February 2019 Posted 4 February 2019 10 minutes ago, NotTheMarketLeader said: ‘Good delivery’ from Chilwell ? Is he our second most creative player by just heading the ball then?
NotTheMarketLeader Posted 4 February 2019 Posted 4 February 2019 1 minute ago, Beechey said: Is he our second most creative player by just heading the ball then? You cannot seriously claim he is a good crosser of the ball
Beechey Posted 4 February 2019 Posted 4 February 2019 2 minutes ago, NotTheMarketLeader said: You cannot seriously claim he is a good crosser of the ball I didn't say that, most crosses fail for every player, but he's creating chances for sure. Better from dead ball situations I think, personally. Puts a mean ball from the wide left, less direct free kicks. I'd rather he whip them in than float them.
Freeman's Wharfer Posted 4 February 2019 Posted 4 February 2019 13th for chances created. 5th fewest goals conceded. Ndidi and Mendy not playing forward passes. Therein lies the problem. Puel shackles us with too many defensive players and a safety-first approach. It’s football to not lose first and it’s awful to watch. The only time it hasn’t been has been when we’ve been playing in a style he was brought in to ‘transition’ us from. I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would want another season of this.
Grebfromgrebland Posted 4 February 2019 Posted 4 February 2019 So basically we need a creative midfielder. We have just got a creative midfielder. Happy days.
Tom12345 Posted 4 February 2019 Posted 4 February 2019 1 hour ago, Hammo said: Excellent. We who watch the team every week know all this, but it is good to have an outsider in a reputable newspaper highlight the Puel Problem in such detail. Fully agree. Excellent analysis confirming what many of us already know and have written extensively in Ndidi and Puel related threads. The problem with using Ndidi and Mendy is absolutely correct. It is not their fault I guess but we needed to vent our frustration at them only so that Puel knows. But he doesn’t. Ndidi is still the bigger problem for me as his technical skills are quite limited though Mendy has been poor last few games with errors committed regularly. The middle is absolutely crucial to us. Ndidi/Mendy vs Kante/Drinkwater is no comparison and the latter combination was a big reason why the rest of the squad was so much more effective including Mahrez and Vardy. Come to think of it, it was a miracle Mahrez still did ok last season even though fans criticized him. Vardy must be extremely frustrated. Back to the article, I cannot agree Maddison and Chilwell are our two most creative players. The chances they create are pretty ordinary. Ricardo, Albrighton and now hopefully Barnes are so much better. Maddison can improve - he just needs to be a bit less of a show pony and get down to work. Chilwell I feel has reached his limitation. Bigger problem still is Ndidi/Mendy. They effectively make it a necessity for us to have some individual brilliance on the sides to break down defense, which is difficult to do in and of itself especially against teams that sit back.
Tom12345 Posted 4 February 2019 Posted 4 February 2019 15 minutes ago, NotTheMarketLeader said: You cannot seriously claim he is a good crosser of the ball Agree re Chiwell. He waits too long. Decision making is suspect. Fuchs is much better.
Tom12345 Posted 4 February 2019 Posted 4 February 2019 14 minutes ago, Freeman's Wharfer said: 13th for chances created. 5th fewest goals conceded. Ndidi and Mendy not playing forward passes. Therein lies the problem. Puel shackles us with too many defensive players and a safety-first approach. It’s football to not lose first and it’s awful to watch. The only time it hasn’t been has been when we’ve been playing in a style he was brought in to ‘transition’ us from. I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would want another season of this. Ironically we often go down 1-0 first. Definitely has backfired a bit too much.
FLAN Posted 4 February 2019 Posted 4 February 2019 Stopped reading st Chilwell delivering good set pieces ?
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