'We're all in'

[Guest Chocolate Teapot]

Interesting words from Rodgers after the game, and I have some sympathy for him after last nights game - he really couldn't afford more injuries. I've become accustomed to watching european games hoping we don't get anymore injuries more than anything about the result.

 

Since the Stoke game when we almost had a fully fit squad we've been losing on average a player a week.

 

January

Newcastle - Under, hamstring, 1 week

Stoke - Praet, hamstring 3 months

Chelsea - no injuries

Southampton - no injuries

Brentford - no injuries

Everton - Wilf, 2 weeks hamstring

Leeds - Fofana, 5 week thigh, Vardy, 2 weeks operation

 

February

Wolves - no injuries

Brighton - Justin, ACL

Liverpool - Perez, knee

Prague - no injuries

Villa - Maddison, hip

Prague - fingers crossed no injuries

 

*May have missed a game or an injury here.

 

8 injuries in 13 games - we really cannot sustain that for the rest of the season. The biggest challenge for Rodgers is managing a squad that's tired with lot of injured players and probably a lot of players performing in the 'red zone'. I think next season we'll see a very different approach from the club - players like KDH and Sowah probably won't be sent on loan, and we'll look to have a much bigger squad I'd imagine if we can afford it. It'll be interesting for players like Tavares and VDC too - whether they get loan moves. This is with the caveat of if we qualify for Europe.

 

It may be viewed as arrogant to rest players last night, but in the context of the season, the fact that we'll probably see us go full strength for the majority of the rest of the season, and hopefully give us time to get players like Fofana, Perez, Maddison and Praet back should enable us to have a real go at the FA cup. Rodgers has talked about his preference to operate with a relatively small squad, I think we'll see him operate with a slightly bigger one next year assuming we're either in the Europa or Champions league.

 

 

[jmono84]

Let’s hope so.

 

If we qualify next year I want to see investment in attacking players! Other than Barnes, Vardy and Maddison the rest ain’t really good enough for a team wanting to push for Europe every year.

[lcfc cowboys]

Just now, jmono84 said:

Let’s hope so.

 

If we qualify next year I want to see investment in attacking players! Other than Barnes, Vardy and Maddison the rest ain’t really good enough for a team wanting to push for Europe every year.

We should have invested in January where most fans could see we needed a new striker because of vardy injuries  and other injuries to players but again the club dragged its heels again and bought no one.if we want to be one of the big 6 we have got to be ambitious and for godsake I don't want to hear about covid 

[Jazzy_Jeff]

I really hope that Perez and Iheanacho get loads of game time for the rest of the season and shut the boo boys up 

[goose2010]

2 minutes ago, lcfc cowboys said:

We should have invested in January where most fans could see we needed a new striker because of vardy injuries  and other injuries to players but again the club dragged its heels again and bought no one.if we want to be one of the big 6 we have got to be ambitious and for godsake I don't want to hear about covid 

Why dont you want to hear the truth to why we did sign anyone? get out of your fantasy world and open your eyes. 

[Simonb]

3 minutes ago, jmono84 said:

Let’s hope so.

 

If we qualify next year I want to see investment in attacking players! Other than Barnes, Vardy and Maddison the rest ain’t really good enough for a team wanting to push for Europe every year.

I think that's a given.... but I also don't anticipate there being anywhere near the amount of injuries next season.... the pile up caused the first few, which then meant others were being over used and therefore picking up wears and tears.... it's been across every team in the division, BAR maybe someone like West Ham, who've done well, bar a short term loss to Antonio, but then again, I don't think they're left in the FA Cup?? went out the League Cup early and no Europe, so had more of a rest

 

Genuinely feel we've been one of the worst hit though... I don't think thats the medical teams fault, I think we've just been really unlucky. Liverpool spout on about their injury list, but all I see is a couple of defenders out, there fault as champions, they didn't have strength in depth... other than that they have midfield and attaching options in abundance.... We've players in every single position this season, which we've covered... but like JMono points out, the attacking replacements are dire really

 

Under is not the Turkish Messi, he's the Turkish Demarai Gray

[HighPeakFox]

4 minutes ago, lcfc cowboys said:

We should have invested in January where most fans could see we needed a new striker because of vardy injuries  and other injuries to players but again the club dragged its heels again and bought no one.if we want to be one of the big 6 we have got to be ambitious and for godsake I don't want to hear about covid 

It's just that easy, isn't it?. And whether you want to hear it or not, it's a massive factor.

[Pliskin]

It is ultimately a blessing in disguise, it is just a shame we couldn't have gone out to a more suitable opposition, because they as a club deserve nothing due to their embarrassing behavior on and off the pitch. But we simply could not carry on like we were, other wise we might have completely fallen apart. 

 

At least now we get some rest, and don't have to travel to the arse ends of Europe to play in a cold empty stadium. Important few weeks coming up, if we can go into the last few months of the season with a near fully fit squad then we should be okay. 

[Simonb]

2 minutes ago, Jazzy_Jeff said:

I really hope that Perez and Iheanacho get loads of game time for the rest of the season and shut the boo boys up 

Not a boo boy, but I don't rate Perez... just seems lost 24/7 to be

 

Kelechi though, I wouldn't mind seeing him start Sunday... shame he couldn't play last night... Everyone knows Vardys game plan, and to me, he looks like he's lost a yard or two's pace, and I genuinely think a rest would be more beneficial than running him into the ground before the final run in

[goose2010]

15 minutes ago, Chocolate Teapot said:

Interesting words from Rodgers after the game, and I have some sympathy for him after last nights game - he really couldn't afford more injuries. I've become accustomed to watching european games hoping we don't get anymore injuries more than anything about the result.

 

Since the Stoke game when we almost had a fully fit squad we've been losing on average a player a week.

 

January

Newcastle - Under, hamstring, 1 week

Stoke - Praet, hamstring 3 months

Chelsea - no injuries

Southampton - no injuries

Brentford - no injuries

Everton - Wilf, 2 weeks hamstring

Leeds - Fofana, 5 week thigh, Vardy, 2 weeks operation

 

February

Wolves - no injuries

Brighton - Justin, ACL

Liverpool - Perez, knee

Prague - no injuries

Villa - Maddison, hip

Prague - fingers crossed no injuries

 

*May have missed a game or an injury here.

 

8 injuries in 13 games - we really cannot sustain that for the rest of the season. The biggest challenge for Rodgers is managing a squad that's tired with lot of injured players and probably a lot of players performing in the 'red zone'. I think next season we'll see a very different approach from the club - players like KDH and Sowah probably won't be sent on loan, and we'll look to have a much bigger squad I'd imagine if we can afford it. It'll be interesting for players like Tavares and VDC too - whether they get loan moves. This is with the caveat of if we qualify for Europe.

 

It may be viewed as arrogant to rest players last night, but in the context of the season, the fact that we'll probably see us go full strength for the majority of the rest of the season, and hopefully give us time to get players like Fofana, Perez, Maddison and Praet back should enable us to have a real go at the FA cup. Rodgers has talked about his preference to operate with a relatively small squad, I think we'll see him operate with a slightly bigger one next year assuming we're either in the Europa or Champions league.

 

 

Totally agree we are still a small fish in a massive pond. 

 

To compete at 3 levels with our squad size and money in a compressed season was always going to be a tough ask. 

 

If we didn't go out last night we would of eventually ran into a team like Ajax who are 6 clear at the top of their league and can afford to rest 7 or 8 players in the run up to the games. 

 

Like Rogers said last night 'we will learn from this' not sure that was aimed at the players to be honest. I honestly think it was aimed at the club / management and owners. 

 

If we want to compete we need to be a little better prepared but we have had rotten luck with injuries in the last 8 weeks. 

 

We just need to keep pounding and look after our star players for as long as poss and hope when a few come back from injury they come back firing. 

[goose2010]

3 minutes ago, Simonb said:

Not a boo boy, but I don't rate Perez... just seems lost 24/7 to be

 

Kelechi though, I wouldn't mind seeing him start Sunday... shame he couldn't play last night... Everyone knows Vardys game plan, and to me, he looks like he's lost a yard or two's pace, and I genuinely think a rest would be more beneficial than running him into the ground before the final run in

Perez looks OK as a 10 and the massive advantage of him playing there if Maddison is injured is that it pushes Youri back to his strongest position. 

 

Vardy obviously isnt 100% but he will get back to it he always does. 

[Simonb]

Just now, Pliskin said:

It is ultimately a blessing in disguise, it is just a shame we couldn't have gone out to a more suitable opposition, because they as a club deserve nothing due to their embarrassing behavior on and off the pitch. But we simply could not carry on like we were, other wise we might have completely fallen apart. 

 

At least now we get some rest, and don't have to travel to the arse ends of Europe to play in a cold empty stadium. Important few weeks coming up, if we can go into the last few months of the season with a near fully fit squad then we should be okay. 

Over the next few weeks it won't take much effect, but 100%, once the next rounds start, like you state, our players will be blessed with a 6 to 7 day rest in between games and hopefully by then everyone should be back (except JJ)

 

JJ was the most gutting one IMO, but Praets the one whose hit us hardest. He is the only one who can offer Tielmanns a rest, could have done a decent role in the 10, and although not a winger, has covered those role effectively... Losing him exposed the lack of quality in back up in the 3 behind Vards and is running Tielmanns into the ground,, After this weekend, we need to start killing games off by 60 minutes to start giving Youri a break

[Ashley]

So fofana should be next week/week after? Any real time scale but on Maddison? 

[Dahnsouff]

5 minutes ago, goose2010 said:

Perez looks OK as a 10 and the massive advantage of him playing there if Maddison is injured is that it pushes Youri back to his strongest position. 

 

Vardy obviously isnt 100% but he will get back to it he always does. 

Perez would have been very useful last night with Maddison being out!

[Simonb]

3 minutes ago, goose2010 said:

Perez looks OK as a 10 and the massive advantage of him playing there if Maddison is injured is that it pushes Youri back to his strongest position. 

 

Vardy obviously isnt 100% but he will get back to it he always does. 

Agree with that, like I said earlier up, I'd have rather played Jakupovic in the 10 than Tielmanns... lose too much taking him out his usual role.... Not a fan of Perez, only time I ever like seeing him is when Riccys at RWB because they link up so welll and it's usually a Perez flick round the corner thats players out and drags Pereira upfield. Id give that Tavares a go at Arsenal, looked decent enough on the ball to be trusted

 

Vardy, yea I'm not slating he, blokes a legend and still has it, I just think a rest is due now before he pulls up for a couple of months... If he gets a rest, I think we'll get another Vardy blast of something like 8 goals in 6, winning all those games which gets us over the line... if we keep playing him as he is, he'll be in the physio room

[Collymore]

It wasn't the fact we got knocked out but it was the manner in which we went about both ties. If we had played even ok and got knocked out, it would have been disappointing but I think a lot could have been forgiven. 

 

It really did look like we underestimated these and thought turning up was going to be enough. You'd have thought that Rodgers would have had enough experience to really make sure we were on it for the 180 minutes. 

 

Everything about these fixtures screamed "not too bothered" from the club in my opinion. 

 

 

[goose2010]

1 minute ago, Dahnsouff said:

Perez would have been very useful last night with Maddison being out!

100% he is a clever player and playing just behind Vardy would have given us a better chance. 

 

Youri was just trying to do too much 

[Simonb]

2 minutes ago, Ashley said:

So fofana should be next week/week after? Any real time scale but on Maddison? 

Madders ones weird, because you'd have expected some sort of timescale by now... literally nothing to go off

 

whens Perez back?

[goose2010]

2 minutes ago, Simonb said:

Agree with that, like I said earlier up, I'd have rather played Jakupovic in the 10 than Tielmanns... lose too much taking him out his usual role.... Not a fan of Perez, only time I ever like seeing him is when Riccys at RWB because they link up so welll and it's usually a Perez flick round the corner thats players out and drags Pereira upfield. Id give that Tavares a go at Arsenal, looked decent enough on the ball to be trusted

 

Vardy, yea I'm not slating he, blokes a legend and still has it, I just think a rest is due now before he pulls up for a couple of months... If he gets a rest, I think we'll get another Vardy blast of something like 8 goals in 6, winning all those games which gets us over the line... if we keep playing him as he is, he'll be in the physio room

We have nothing to lose by throwing Tavares in against Arsenal if you ask me. Even if he gives us 60 mins that will give someone else a rest. 

 

The international break coming up will give Vardy a week off and it cant come soon enough. 

[Fox92]

Sorry but the team yesterday still should have been goood enough to beat Slavia Prague. Vardy, Tielemans, Ndidi, Evans, Soyunchu all started.

 

I don't buy it's a blessing in disguise as it was a shot at winning a trophy (although I never thought we would win it). What's the point in qualiyfing for it and playing group games if it's a blessing in disguise we're out.

 

People need a reality check if we make the top 4 because if we can't perform over two legs against Slavia Prague then we ain't gonna do it against better teams in the CL. We're not gonna make the top 4 and then suddenly bring in 3 or 4 top quality World Class players. We're still Leicester City and it'd still be one season in the top 4. People bang on about how it would make us great and rich, so why didn't it for Spurs? They finished there consistently under Poch but still won nothing.

[Simonb]

2 minutes ago, goose2010 said:

We have nothing to lose by throwing Tavares in against Arsenal if you ask me. Even if he gives us 60 mins that will give someone else a rest. 

 

The international break coming up will give Vardy a week off and it cant come soon enough. 

still 3 or 4 weeks ago though isnt it, I'd leave him on the bench Sunday and start Kelechi.......... I'm hoping saying that means if Vardy starts he proves me wrong, runs them ragged and bags a brace.... not like Arsenals CBs have legs themselves

 

I think Sidnei should start... moving Youri don't work, Madders will be out, better experienced back up options are out or unfit, and Under is dogsh** - give the young lad a go to prove himself, could be priceless in the run in if he's ready

[murphy]

24 minutes ago, lcfc cowboys said:

We should have invested in January where most fans could see we needed a new striker because of vardy injuries  and other injuries to players but again the club dragged its heels again and bought no one.if we want to be one of the big 6 we have got to be ambitious and for godsake I don't want to hear about covid 

If we want to be one of the big six we need to find a way of doubling our turnover (Arsenal) or even tripling it (United).  We really need to get our heads around the fact that we are not one of the big six, it's pie in the sky.

 

 

[StanSP]

1 minute ago, Fox92 said:

I don't buy it's a blessing in disguise as it was a shot at winning a trophy (although I never thought we would win it). What's the point in qualiyfing for it and playing group games if it's a blessing in disguise we're out.

 

Has to be some context here. This isn't to say I'm happy we've gone out but if we're just talking about injuries*, I can see why people think it's a blessing in disguise. As in, less risk of more players getting injured and potentially derailing our season even more than it already could have been. 

 

*disclaimer - I obviously don't think it's just about injuries but every manager who has to go through something like we do has to manage their squad. I very much doubt Rodgers and players are sitting with their feet up this morning, smiles gleaming across their faces cos we've been knocked out of a competition. It's not what this squad is like and they'd have wanted to win. It didn't happen for various reasons. The 'blessing' bit is probably more to do with looking ahead - in the league and FA Cup maybe we can manage our squad better with slightly fewer games but also a bit more rest in between. It was quite clear fatigue affected some players last night and had set in a little. 

 

I guess it's some way of finding a positive out of a negative situation. Majority of fans will be devastated that we've been knocked out (have seen some say they're not bothered and that's fine, entitled to own opinion). But looking ahead, let's give our all to securing top 4 and maybe winning the Cup! I believe in Rodgers and the squad to deliver that. The squad were praised for their mentality so far this season in recovering from the collapse of the last season. One game last night doesn't change it back. We have the talent and mentality to keep going in the league at least, in my opinion. 

[goose2010]

Just now, Fox92 said:

Sorry but the team yesterday still should have been goood enough to beat Slavia Prague. Vardy, Tielemans, Ndidi, Evans, Soyunchu all started.

 

I don't buy it's a blessing in disguise as it was a shot at winning a trophy (although I never thought we would win it). What's the point in qualiyfing for it and playing group games if it's a blessing in disguise we're out.

 

People need a reality check if we make the top 4 because if we can't perform over two legs against Slavia Prague then we ain't gonna do it against better teams in the CL. We're not gonna make the top 4 and then suddenly bring in 3 or 4 top quality World Class players. We're still Leicester City and it'd still be one season in the top 4. People bang on about how it would make us great and rich, so why didn't it for Spurs? They finished there consistently under Poch but still won nothing.

because its a long term project? I don't think anyone thinks we are going to qualify for the champs league and then spend 200mill on players and go on and win it? I don't think anyone thinks that. 

 

This compressed season is rare and hopefully wont happen again. We have another 3 games before a week on Sunday! that doesn't happen in a normal season week on week and when it does its about squad management and unfortunately last night the players that came in to support the 5 you mentioned didnt do what our strongest 11 would normally do. 

 

 

 

[Fox92]

2 minutes ago, goose2010 said:

because its a long term project? I don't think anyone thinks we are going to qualify for the champs league and then spend 200mill on players and go on and win it? I don't think anyone thinks that. 

 

This compressed season is rare and hopefully wont happen again. We have another 3 games before a week on Sunday! that doesn't happen in a normal season week on week and when it does its about squad management and unfortunately last night the players that came in to support the 5 you mentioned didnt do what our strongest 11 would normally do. 

 

 

 

My point about not bringing in top quality is because when we don't then how are we gonna sustain it next season? Say we finish top 4 this season then next season we're gonna be in the CL obviously. CL football, PL football and two domestic trophies... squad rotation is bound to happen again. Games might not be crammed in as much but we'd still be playing Tuesday/Saturday and against better oppostion too.

 

I get that it's a "long term project" which is why I made the point about Spurs. Poch got them top 4 every season and they've been top 6 regulars but what have they won in that time?