Newcastle (H) Post match thread

[foxfan92]

Lots keen to criticise the performance tonight, which is fair, we weren't able to trouble the Newcastle backline all night, but I feel like it's more a case of we used the wrong tactics than anything good Newcastle did. 

 

I like the twin focal points of Tilemans and Madison. I feel like we could really create something utilising the two number tons behind Vardy, but we cant then play Barnes and Gray so narrow. We were far too narrow tonight and made it easy for Newcastles back 5 to shut shop. 

 

We need Riccardo and Chilwell to double up with Gray and Barnes and stretch the opposion defence to allow the gaps in the middle to open up. Then we can play the threading through to the feet of Vardy football we failed to play today.

 

The danger of playing this style is it leaves Ndidi very exposed.

[baldeagle]

1 minute ago, Ian Nacho said:

One of Vardy's worst games in a while. Also Iheanacho was on for 25 minutes. Did he even do anything?

Yep made some great runs but was totally ignored  

[Clarkey123]

1 minute ago, baldeagle said:

Wilfs been a beast the last few games but I think he was singled out tonight because as good as he is at breaking up play his ball  control , passing and composure are the  complete opposite 

 

 

•  

Agreed pressure him and he will make mistakes, confidence fades easily and resorts to safe play, exact opposite of what we needed after going down a goal 

[South Shire Fox]

As others have said it was very Puel esk tonight, we played far too narrow the whole game against a compact team and only started looking dangerous as soon as Albrighton came on and provided width. As Jamie Carragher said, Gray was marking himself the majority of the game instead of being out wide so can only assume that was the managers tactic? 

[Nickfosse]

If I’ve learned one thing tonight, it’s that few can master the term Puelesque. ?

[martyn]

Newcastle closed down the passing angles into Maddison and Tielemans very well, especially first half, and meant we couldn't build up any head of steam going forwards. Chilwell was the only outlet and he kept running up blind alleys time and again. Him and Barnes need to work on building up an understanding as they played like strangers. 

 

Second half we worked the ball into more dangerous areas and managed to free up Tielemans and Maddison a bit more but execution of the final ball simply wasn't there or the interplay wasn't anywhere near as crisp or precise as it needed to be. 

 

Deserved win for Newcastle. 

 

Edited 13 April 2019 by martyn

[Chairman of the Bored]

Hopefully that’s the last we see of Gray in a Leicester shirt. Get rid. Chilwell, £75m to Man City? Yes please. Macguire to Manu? Cheerio. Rodgers has a big building job to do. Shinji, Fuchs, Iheanacho, Gray, Ghezzal, Chilwell, Macguire all out. Many holes to fill. Wes our best player tonight, which says a lot about the rest of the team. The weekend was over before it had begun. Poor. 

[bpfox]

the reason we got beat today, was we played backwards more than we went forward in the 1st half. even when a player could turn and go forward we went backwards it is boring to watch and it gives the opposition chance when they break. i hope rodgers is not going to continue with this crap football.

[Bert]

They got in our faces and gave us next to no time or space where we could hurt them, got nearly everyone behind the ball and crowded us out in and around the box. 

 

We also didnt move the ball quick enough first half which against a set up like that is never going to work. Second half was better, we controlled the game but did we force their keeper into any real save? No. Our clearest chance was skied from 8 yards out. We simply have to learn how to play against teams that set up like this. We’ve never ever been good at getting results from teams that come to frustrate but if we are going to challenge for where we want to be next season, this is a necessity. 

[AKCJ]

Hopefully that will finally end the people on here clamoring for Benitez and Rondon.

 

Newcastle won because we were dreadful. No "tactical masterclass" as some have said on here  

 

Playing 5 at the back with two holding midfielders must be pretty horrendous viewing every weekend for the Newcastle fans. We were properly shit tonight and they still couldn't string 2 passes together.

[AKCJ]

4 hours ago, BecauseOfBoxingDay said:

Tactics. Rafa 1, Brendan 0

 

4 hours ago, Col city fan said:

Very clear why tonight happened

Benitez 1 Rogers 0

Tactical masterclass from Rafa

 **** me 

[Deeg67]

I don't much like Morgan and Maguire as a pairing.  One or the other okay, but with two CMs that move in geologic time the pace of the entire team slows down.

 

No one was really good, but Ndidi was especially poor I thought.  Gray as well.  Gray simply needs replacing by someone better next season, but the problem with Ndidi is when a team is smart and does what Newcastle did - lay off him and force him to be the one to make decisions with the ball.  Gray and Barnes also helped them out by playing far too narrow for most of the match.  Albrighton was better for the simple reason that he knows how a winger is supposed to play, but that position has to be a priority for next season.

[HybridFox]

One of those games I will not bother analysing.

 

When the performance was so bad, I think it's better we just move on.

 

Europe's gone now so hopefully they can put in a shift for these remaining games.

[UPinCarolina]

Takeaways from tonight for me: 

 

Maguire is absolutely for sale. 

Morgan is not a liability unless paired with Maguire. 

Vardy’s finishing has been poor this season and the trend continued today.

Barnes, while uber-talented, lacks end product at the moment and doesn’t seem to shoot with conviction. 

Ndidi is the player most exposed when teams park the bus. 

[shilton_fox]

Puel out 

[Deeg67]

Barnes would be more effective playing more centrally, but clearly that's not his role for us right now so it's on him to learn how to thrive playing wide.  First suggestion - actually play wide.

[Royston.]

Looked forward to that all day. 

At work last night so recorded the game to watch when i got home.

 

Fůcking garbage. They were all half asleep.

 

 

[WigstonWanderer]

Disappointing but not the end of the world. 7th now not attainable.

 

Vardy not really on his game and at several points during the match it seemed like men against boys.

Edited 13 April 2019 by WigstonWanderer

[WigstonWanderer]

7 hours ago, murphy said:

Very disappointing performance.  Especially being outfought and outmuscled.

 

It does make wonder whether a plan B  'lampost' is on order.

 

If teams come to sit back and frustrate us and squeeze the space, we are not good enough to break them down.  If teams are going to sit back and let us have the ball, I really think we should go medieval on their ass, bypass the banks of defenders and pump the ball into the box to a big target man if we can't play through them.

 

It might not be pretty and I'm not advocating it as plan A but it could be effective.  Tonight would have been the perfect game to unleash a bombardment.

 

 

Instead of bringing on Nacho we could have brought on Evans and stuck Maguire up front for this.

[WigstonWanderer]

7 hours ago, Dan LCFC said:

Not having the Rafa slating in here what so ever. Pure Spurs / Arsenal behaviour. They've got nothing like our resources. They've won away here two years on the trot. There's a reason their fans love him.

 

I say this as someone totally behind Rodgers and think he's the ideal man but I'm not having Rafa ridiculed after that.

Broadly agree with what your saying, but why have they got less resources? Still get TV money and more gate money.

[foxinsox]

Rogers and the team pulled of a blinder tonight. Dodged the banana skin of away in Kazakhstan in July, and kept other teams interest in Maddison, Tielemans, Ndidi from becoming a problem. A stroke of genius! 

 

 

[Claridge]

Wilf is a big problem in games like this. May win the ball back, but has no creativity. Just got in the way today with  masses of touches passed backwards to the player he received it from.

[Nicolo Barella]

I think the big problem was getting proper width. If we're to play with two No 8/10s, we can't have inside forwards as wingers as they all crowd the same area. Obviously a lot on here are overreacting. 

[Haywood_6]

We were gash last night. 

 

 

[Foxhateram]

9 hours ago, BlueSi13 said:

Horrible from 1st minute to last.

 

Far too easy for Newcastle and their Benitez bus.  Rodgers has to develop a plan B and plan C in those situations.  In truth we were lucky to escape with just a 0-1.  

 

Gray surely has to be shipped out in the summer.

 

Ndidi I think remains a bit of a myth.

 

Barnes severely lacking (should he still be learning in the Championship?)

 

Also forget the last time we had a good game on TV.

 

A bad night and surely ends our hopes of European football next season (again).

How does it end our European hopes? We're level points with Wolves. Admittedly they've got 2 in hand now, but they won't win both. We can still catch a 3 point gap. (Edit just seen how close Everton and Watford (2 games in hand) are. Maybe it is over, almost)

 

It's still on. Newcastle frustrated us last night. But Rogers said all the right things in the analysis. Too slow build up, sloppy in the final third, not enough playing between their lines.... It's all the right things to say and all the things we moaned at Puel for not recognising. 

 

This was the first team so far under Rogers that has sat in and parked the bus, we struggled against their pace, we need a pacey CB, Soyuncu should have played really. Then we can commit more forward. We ended up keeping 3 back, even when they had 11 in their half, as we were petrified of their pacey counter attacks. They did a 2015 Leicester on us. 

 

As Rogers has said, we're still learning, there is a long way to go.  But this is a young side on the verge of something special. Onwards and upwards.

Edited 13 April 2019 by Foxhateram