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Col city fan

Midfield experienced General

By Col city fan, in Leicester City Forum

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Lambert09

Lambert09

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, adam95581 said:

I think the point about how we cope when going a goal down was made in another thread and it was shown that we’ve actually got a pretty good record of recovering points. 
 

The bigger issue is what players we have on the pitch when we go a goal down to make the difference. Take the last two games - against Fulham we clearly had the wrong setup and team out but once we changed that (by bringing Under and Barnes on) we looked more balanced and had more of a threat. Last night we made changes so that we could rotate (as BR quite rightly had to do) but with Under, Maddison and Barnes on the pitch we did look more of a threat. 
 

We need to just make sure that we have the right attacking outlets on the pitch. I still think we’re a winger short, especially if we’re trying to fit Praet into a front 3. He’s a good player but he isn’t a winger. 

I agree with the Praet point. He’s a utility player but for me he is best in the number 8 role and as youris back up. 
 

I think we would have seen a different game if he’d played there and Hamza just subbed on for wilf at half time. 
 

ayoze could and imo should have started in the #10 role. With Madison coming on if things didn’t pan out.

 

The fact Perez isn’t even getting games for our reserve 11 is a worry 

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Stadt

Stadt

Posted
Posted (edited)

Tielemans, Mendy and Maddison (less so tbf) lack mobility and running power so we’re east to play through with them.

 

Look at the defensive numbers on the left hand side 74332C1E-3E08-4223-8410-3B55033423FE.thumb.jpeg.3d63a3d02849c506d1f3e39465fcddd6.jpeg

 

E47A5C77-43B5-4095-AD02-6B57C9E3DD33.jpeg

Edited by Stadt
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Clever Fox

Clever Fox

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, Shane said:

The best midfielders in the league recently (De Bruyne, Bernardo, Liverpools midfield, etc) all have technical ability, but also do the dirty work like tracking back, pressing high & even committing fouls if necessary. 
 

Tielemans, Maddison & Praet quite simply do not have the physicality to match that intensity. Praet does do the dirty work to be fair, but it’s minute compared to some of our rivals midfielders such as Wijnaldum, Holjberg, Sissoko or even midfielders outside the top 6 like McGinn, Ward-Prowse & Soucek.

 

It’s ok to have technical players, but we also need more physical options in the midfield to provide a good balance. For example, Alex Ferguson had technically gifted players like Scholes & Carrick but would always play Darren Fletcher/Ji Sung Park in big games because their workrate, energy & desire was invaluable. We desperately need a Darren Fletcher and Ji Sung Park.

This is not a new problem and I've been saying it for a long while,  It's been there since Cambiaso left despite a lot of good results in the meantime.

.The team has to be balanced and we haven't been balanced for a long time. you can have all the best footballers and while they will win a lot of matches in the bigger games they tend to struggle against the better teams who have both ability and a physical presence. Sometimes you have to forgo a little ability for the physical attitude a player can bring to a team.

The other problem we have which is brought on by the same problem is we allow teams onto our box before we stop them by smothering the area with players until we get a nick on the ball.

This method is fraught with danger as like Fulham or Villa they get through or the Toure strike from Man city 2 years ago. Then you are chasing the game.

We need to move that defensive line closer to the half way line, and to do that we need someone with NDiddi in their. Barkley would have been a good signing or Dacoure from Watford.

Out of what we have Mendy is the only one who can offer something but not perfect either. Which is why we need to sign someone in the January Window or Summer.

Another option I was thinking about over the past two weeks but is now scuppered by the injury to Soyuncu. What I'd like to try is move Fofana into midfield alongside NDiddi. He has the physical presence to win the ball back frequently, The pace to move around and the footballing ability to cope. And Youri in their with them. I guess with the new injury to Soyuncu he'll be needed as a CB for the foreseeable future. So we'll just have to sign someone. 

 

 

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StriderHiryu

StriderHiryu

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, honeybradger said:

Eriksen is not even close to cambiasso, mentality wise cambiasso is a winner whereas eriksen was always one of the first players in that spurs team to drop his head, i remember during that CL run which was one of the biggest moments in spurs history he had his head down and was strolling around against man city, ajax and liverpool and his teammates were the ones to put their all in and dig themselves out of the muck for their comebacks. Loads of talent but eriksen is a serial loser, probably the biggest in that spurs side, not someone we want for leadership qualities.

I'd agree, and it's the reason why Inter want rid of him no doubt. But from a technical perspective he is very good and Denmark's best player. 

 

I too would avoid him, but thinking about realistic targets it's known he's available. Vidal who is also at Inter would be a better fit for what we need even if not a technical player as he's got that winning mentality, but we can't get someone like him. Such players are pretty hard to get hold of and we are lucky we have at least one! 

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CosbehFox

CosbehFox

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, sacreblueits442 said:

. he is not a leader...!!!

What we are discussing is a leader in the midfield who has the respect of all around him and can dictate the game.

  We need a minder for Tielemans, to allow him to go forward whilst this player shores up the midfield.

 I have touted Ibrahima Diallo  to come in, better passing range than Wilf, can go forward or hold the midfield. If you can imagine a live wire like Ricardo in the Central midfield and the energy he brings, you will  get to understand what I mean. 

How do you define leader though if you are signing a player? It’s not a sure fire trait. One player can be a leader with one team, not so in other. 
 

Alongside that the clubs mantra on signings to develop players and ensure that they are sold for more than bought. 

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Col city fan

Col city fan

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Posted (edited)
28 minutes ago, StriderHiryu said:

I'd agree, and it's the reason why Inter want rid of him no doubt. But from a technical perspective he is very good and Denmark's best player. 

 

I too would avoid him, but thinking about realistic targets it's known he's available. Vidal who is also at Inter would be a better fit for what we need even if not a technical player as he's got that winning mentality, but we can't get someone like him. Such players are pretty hard to get hold of and we are lucky we have at least one! 

Erikssen is a lovely player and I’d like him here at City

But again, not the type of player I’m talking about. He’s another Tielemans, Maddison, Ayoze type player
The 2016 Drinkwater was a good shout. Playing alongside Kante made Drinkwater of course, but he had energy, a bit of a gob on him and could get us driving forward whilst still being able to get his foot in

Edited by Col city fan
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sacreblueits442

sacreblueits442

Posted
Posted
7 minutes ago, Cardiff_Fox said:

How do you define leader though if you are signing a player? It’s not a sure fire trait. One player can be a leader with one team, not so in other. 
 

Alongside that the clubs mantra on signings to develop players and ensure that they are sold for more than bought. 

...someone who is willing to hold his hand up and take responsibility on the pitch!!!

For our scouting team this would be very easy for them to evaluate as potential purchases are not just viewed by their ball playing skills but temperament as well.

  Cambiasso was a player many would have looked to be our general, can organise, football intelligence and commanded the respect of those around him. Such attributes can easily viewed by football supporters and looking at our roster, we do not have a player that fits that description and the only player that is in the correct position and has some of those attributes is,Tielemans, but he is inconsistent and he needs reassurance when things are not going right.

  The financing in regards to the sale of a player is not just to recoup funds, we can source a "midfield General" in the transfer window without looking to offload him 18 months later, we can build the team around him.

 

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shailen

shailen

Posted
Posted

Our midfield three is fine imo, we control most games and with Ndidi we have the best intercepter and holding midfielder in the league imo. He will bring that enforcer type role back. 

 

Our problems are more in central defence in that we seem to concede some really soft goals due to individual errors or bad positioning of our centre backs. Both Fulham's goals were due to errors at the back, the first was Fofana being rash to come out and the second was a poor tackle and very clumsy of Fuchs. We controlled the midfield and the duo of Tielemans and Mendy did very well. 

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sacreblueits442

sacreblueits442

Posted
Posted
30 minutes ago, Cardiff_Fox said:

Personally I actually think we need the opposite, we desperately miss a midfield link player between defence and attack. We have Maddison and that’s it. We have very few players who dont mind having it in tight spaces. 
 

Come back Rashid 

...it is about the mentality of the team, and we are far too weak and incapable of motivating ourselves when things are going wrong!!!

Riyad did not have to track back to support the defense, he was a very influential player within the team, he was not the team or who drove it.

 

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CosbehFox

CosbehFox

Posted
Posted
8 minutes ago, sacreblueits442 said:

...it is about the mentality of the team, and we are far too weak and incapable of motivating ourselves when things are going wrong!!!

Riyad did not have to track back to support the defense, he was a very influential player within the team, he was not the team or who drove it.

 


I believe we are one of the best in the Premier League coming from behind. So it’s a myth 

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CosbehFox

CosbehFox

Posted
Posted (edited)
59 minutes ago, sacreblueits442 said:

....this season  Burnley, Man. City and Fulham are the league games we went behind in, by a single goal!!!

I would suggest most teams have a similar record so far. We are weak mentally.

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/premier-league/punktenachrueckstand/wettbewerb/GB1

 

Only two teams have achieved more - Man United and Liverpool. 

 

We have been better than 16 teams at coming back from losing position. 

 

Alongside that, we've claimed a draw from being at Braga despite conceding in the last minute and won away in Athens defending a single goal on an absolutely awful pitch. 

 

Last season we're ranked 7th in coming from losing positions to gain points. 

 

So 'most teams have similar records' is false. 

Edited by Cardiff_Fox
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Dan LCFC

Dan LCFC

Posted
Posted

I do agree with the general gist of this thread. I think the problem becomes a lot more noticeable when we never seen to get Ndidi in the team for any decent length of time anymore. He's had a pretty torrid 2020, largely through bad luck but he was hitting levels in 2019 where I was starting to think he'd play at an elite level. It may still come but he's just had too many setbacks this year.

 

I do think we have a collective problem in midfield though. There's very little physicality or athleticism in that midfield and it's an issue. Even Dewsbury-Hall who is earning rave reviews at Luton is a shorarse. I've never really subscribed to the whole height argument but I do think it's becoming a more frequently exposed weakness of ours. The worst set piece side in the league statistically.

 

I said it in another thread but I think Doucoure would've been a decent addition for us. Someone of his ilk - a steady 7/10 player who'll chip in with 6-8 goals a season, who might actually touch the ball when we go to Anfield. 

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