Do we actually have squad depth?

[shailen]

A lot of pundits were talking about how much squad depth we have throughout the season but injuries to Ricardo, Maddison and Chilwell has literally made us look like relegation candidates from potential title challengers. I'm sure everyone knows how key are fullbacks are in our system so losing them both is a big blow, but to not have a competent pair to come in (harsh on Justin, I know) is an oversight on our recruitment/BR. 

 

We are a lot further away from where a lot of us thought we were in terms of completing our team and we've got a big summer ahead of recruiting competent players who can do a job for us. We have a good starting XI but it crumbles if we lose 1/2 players in key positions. 

[Fox92]

Well no, not great squad depth, but who does aside from the big clubs?

[TrentFox]

Nope. I’m incandescent with rage after the shitshow this evening, but Praet is a truly awful and ineffectual footballer. My heart sinks when I see him enter  the fray. 

[Guest Mee-9]

Don’t worry, we’ll have Adam Lallana next season.

 

He’ll add that vital strength in depth needed for a relegation dogfight. 

[Mark]

1 minute ago, TrentFox said:

Nope. I’m incandescent with rage after the shitshow this evening, but Praet is a truly awful and ineffectual footballer. My heart sinks when I see him enter  the fray. 

Agreed, I've never thought the signings Perez and Praet were good enough. Games just seem to pass them by.

[hejammy]

No. We have Vardy and Nacho as strikers..... Then? 

[Tuna]

Chilwell and Ricardo are huge losses from the starting eleven but our squad depth has been badly exposed.

[Hales]

One word - NO! 

[shailen]

2 minutes ago, Fox92 said:

Well no, not great squad depth, but who does aside from the big clubs?

Fair point, but we do not have direct replacements in a number of positions if we lose a player. For a club with our ambition, we should be able to bring a competent player to fill in when we lose a key player. Instead we change our system to fit around the players we have. Why have we reverted away from 4-3-3/4-1-4-1 which was so good for us at the start of the season? Surely it's because BR doesn't think we have the squad depth to play that way come a few injuries. It's poor planning in my opinion when it's not like we've had bad luck with injuries this season. 

[fuchsntf]

Ist like listening to English cricket pundits..foxes squad depth is as wrong es the English Teams tail batsman...!!

[StanSP]

Nope and it's been an issue for the past season at the very least.

 

The lack of striking options, the lack of wingers when we played with a formation that required it.

 

The loss of Ricardo has hurt us, same with Maddison. 2 very influential and creative players who had impacts in most games this season. The lack of depth is concerning considering we'll have several more games next season if we want to do well in Europe...

[shailen]

2 minutes ago, StanSP said:

Nope and it's been an issue for the past season at the very least.

 

The lack of striking options, the lack of wingers when we played with a formation that required it.

 

The loss of Ricardo has hurt us, same with Maddison. 2 very influential and creative players who had impacts in most games this season. The lack of depth is concerning considering we'll have several more games next season if we want to do well in Europe...

I'm actually worried we'll have a season like 16/17, if we go into next season without bolstering the squad massively. We need a fair few players without losing any key players. 

[Captain...]

We don't have strength in depth, we had a fantastic 11 that worked well at the start of the season. Injuries to Vardy to Ndidi unsettled us mid season. Individually our squad players are decent, but they don't just fit in like for like. Vardy, Ricardo, Maddison, Ndidi, Evans cannot just be swapped for their respective understudies, because they are all crucial to our way of playing.

 

We now have 3 of that 11 injured, Cags suspended Albrighton also injured.

 

To be a top 4 team we need to have a top four mindset, that is no fixed first 11, players that come in and out without disrupting the team.

 

[Leicester_Loyal]

Our squad depth was pretty poor even before the injuries to key players.

 

Not signing anyone in January other than Bennett was criminal, but it's just one of many stupid decisions we seem to have made this season. 90% of us on here were calling for reinforcements, yet none came. The only excuse would be if we genuinely couldn't afford anyone, I'd accept that.

[Ric Flair]

Well I thought we were coping OK without Chilwell and Maddison as we'd changed systems and style of play to get Iheanacho, Vardy and Perez involved and it was working. But as soon as he reverts to this possession football that has only worked when we are confident and have nearly every key player fit, then no we have no squad depth.

[coolhandfox]

Doesn't matter how strong or weak your squad is if the mentally is wrong and you can't do the basics right!

[SecretPro]

We have a squad.

[Ian Nacho]

We have a Championship bench. Had two decent players on there tonight, Barnes and Praet.

[SecretPro]

Seriously though, our subs bench looks like poo most match days. No match winners, no game changers. 

[shailen]

Just now, Captain... said:

We don't have strength in depth, we had a fantastic 11 that worked well at the start of the season. Injuries to Vardy to Ndidi unsettled us mid season. Individually our squad players are decent, but they don't just fit in like for like. Vardy, Ricardo, Maddison, Ndidi, Evans cannot just be swapped for their respective understudies, because they are all crucial to our way of playing.

 

We now have 3 of that 11 injured, Cags suspended Albrighton also injured.

 

To be a top 4 team we need to have a top four mindset, that is no fixed first 11, players that come in and out without disrupting the team.

 

Completely agree, it's the inability of the players coming in to do a job that's the biggest worry for me. Man City have two/three teams that could do the job for them whilst we have 4 defensive mids on the bench. 

[That_Dude]

Nope. We don't even have a decent starting winger. 

[tom27111]

No. Close thread

[Leicester_Loyal]

4 minutes ago, Captain... said:

We don't have strength in depth, we had a fantastic 11 that worked well at the start of the season. Injuries to Vardy to Ndidi unsettled us mid season. Individually our squad players are decent, but they don't just fit in like for like. Vardy, Ricardo, Maddison, Ndidi, Evans cannot just be swapped for their respective understudies, because they are all crucial to our way of playing.

 

We now have 3 of that 11 injured, Cags suspended Albrighton also injured.

 

To be a top 4 team we need to have a top four mindset, that is no fixed first 11, players that come in and out without disrupting the team.

 

Not often we agree Captain but you're spot on here

[shailen]

2 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

Well I thought we were coping OK without Chilwell and Maddison as we'd changed systems and style of play to get Iheanacho, Vardy and Perez involved and it was working. But as soon as he reverts to this possession football that has only worked when we are confident and have nearly every key player fit, then no we have no squad depth.

Fair point, but having to change system to fit players in is a bad sign unless we've been really unfortunate with injuries. We are a 4-3-3 team and we have done really well playing that, so we shouldn't have to fit players in, rather they should be able to fit into our system. 

[Ric Flair]

Just now, shailen said:

Fair point, but having to change system to fit players in is a bad sign unless we've been really unfortunate with injuries. We are a 4-3-3 team and we have done really well playing that, so we shouldn't have to fit players in, rather they should be able to fit into our system. 

Ordinarily I'd agree but it was quite clear we are a huge work in progress and the style of play had lost effectiveness. I was impressed that he had finally found the initiate to try another way of playing and it seemed to be the kick start we needed just when it was starting to slip away from us, however its now just undone all that and then some. I don't see how they pick themselves up after tonight. Soyuncu banned as well is a big problem as a 3 man defence of Fuchs, Evans and Bennett or Morgan is vulgar.