Europa League: v Spartak Moscow (H) Pre-Match Thread

[StriderHiryu]

9 minutes ago, gw_leics772 said:

That end bit about leaving player(s) forward. Wtf is vardy doing in our penalty box!

Well I suppose the reason for keeping him is to add another defender in the box, but I can think of at least 3 goals this season that have come from targeting him:

 

Burnley - (Unfortunate own goal, but still Burnley have played the ball into his area because he's shorter than other players).

Brighton - Wellbeck's goal. 

Arsenal - Gabriel's goal.

 

For his size, Vardy is a great header of the ball. But leaving him spare and waiting to counter with him helped us win the league, and whilst he might not be that rapid anymore, he's far from slow.

 

IMO with both him and Daka there is no reason why we can't have one player minimum in that role very game. 

[hejammy]

Does anyone know who is quicker? Vards or Daka? Just out of interest?

[moore_94]

1 hour ago, StanSP said:

But even when we were ridiculously short he still wasn't getting a look in. 

 

Agree about Ndidi and using Amartey instead. But the fact is Benkovic isn't playing for a reason, and that reason must be either because he's simply not good enough or he's just not fit or physical enough, or a combination of both. 

Benkovic couldn't even get a look in at Cardiff and then Leuven last season, in match day squads for 22 games last season and he played just 70 minutes, in which he was absolutely horrendous

 

He seems to just drop in and out of the under 23 squads as well with just 2 appearances 1 month apart, where as Mendy has played in all Under 23 games he has been available

 

It isn't like Benkovic isn't playing for the under 23s because he is in a first team match day squad either

 

I have no doubt there is probably a very good reason as to why he hasn't been given a go

[Matt_Lcfc]

We really need to go for this tonight. With how strong the PL is and how we have played so far, we really need to give Europe our best shot this season. I’d go as far as saying that we should effectively sacrifice the league. With that said, I’d setup as strong as possible tonight and really get at them from minute one. As demonstrated by the away trip to Moscow, they’re very vulnerable at the back. Should we play fast and expansive football, I don’t think they’ll be able to handle it. In an ideal world, we have two or three early goals and then rest key players but I really hope that Rodgers doesn’t do it the other round like he did in Warsaw.

Edited 4 November 2021 by Matt_Lcfc

[Matt_Lcfc]

19 minutes ago, moore_94 said:

Benkovic couldn't even get a look in at Cardiff and then Leuven last season, in match day squads for 22 games last season and he played just 70 minutes, in which he was absolutely horrendous

 

He seems to just drop in and out of the under 23 squads as well with just 2 appearances 1 month apart, where as Mendy has played in all Under 23 games he has been available

 

It isn't like Benkovic isn't playing for the under 23s because he is in a first team match day squad either

 

I have no doubt there is probably a very good reason as to why he hasn't been given a go

Yep - I really don’t understand why people on this forum act like he’s some silver bullet to our defensive woes. I think I’ve seen him play once against Wigan in the cup where he went off injured after about half an hour. And fans who have seen him play such as Cardiff and Bristol City have hardly given him rave reviews.

People on this forum seem to forget that Rodgers and his coaching staff watch him every single day. I’m sure that with our struggles this season, if there was any hope that he was a half decent player then he would have had some game time.

[ren]

Is this on any of the mainstream channels?

[turlo]

Just now, ren said:

Is this on any of the mainstream channels?

BT Sport so should be plenty of dodgy streams going as well

[coolhandfox]

1 hour ago, SixtiesFox said:

Rodgers likes to start off slow sitting back to establish a firm platform and then turn the screw. When will he wake up?! Start fast, get on the front foot and hit them with everything we've got from the off and they'll collapse. The old adage that 'attack is the best form of defence' couldn't be more accurate given that, at the moment, we simply cannot defend.   

How do you know?

 

I don't think I've ever heard him talk in that way?

[turlo]

19 minutes ago, hejammy said:

Does anyone know who is quicker? Vards or Daka? Just out of interest?

Daka over anything more than 5 yards. Under 5 yards closer but I think would still be Daka as Vardy has lost half a yard of pace. Daka is fast enough to make the Zambian Bobsleigh team.

[Matt_Lcfc]

3 minutes ago, coolhandfox said:

How do you know?

 

I don't think I've ever heard him talk in that way?

I just don’t think this is true is it? Watch some of the games from 19-20, we came out the blocks ridiculously fast in so many matches that season.

Edited 4 November 2021 by Matt_Lcfc

[iancognito]

17 minutes ago, hejammy said:

Does anyone know who is quicker? Vards or Daka? Just out of interest?

Know? Not definitely but looking at them Vardy's probably quicker over 10-20 yards. He seems to have a burst of pace. I reckon Daka would beat him in a 100m though.

[iancognito]

31 minutes ago, moore_94 said:

Benkovic couldn't even get a look in at Cardiff and then Leuven last season, in match day squads for 22 games last season and he played just 70 minutes, in which he was absolutely horrendous

 

He seems to just drop in and out of the under 23 squads as well with just 2 appearances 1 month apart, where as Mendy has played in all Under 23 games he has been available

 

It isn't like Benkovic isn't playing for the under 23s because he is in a first team match day squad either

 

I have no doubt there is probably a very good reason as to why he hasn't been given a go

Leuven's not a proper reference as Kingy said in an interview a few months back that neither him nor Benko were wanted by the coach, they were seen as the owner's signings and he didn't feel a need to play them. Between them and a couple of youngsters on loan they all played about two hours of football in a season.

I remember Benko playing in the cup a couple of seasons back (Fleetwood?) and he looked top notch but again picked up a niggle and never featured again so I can only assume it's his general fitness. Maybe just like Matt Jones, Darren Eadie, Matty James and others over recent years the coaching staff just think he's liable to break down with a number of games? Either way, giving him a squad place seems to have been a total waste of time. He'd have been better having his contract cancelled by mutual.

[gw_leics772]

13 hours ago, Vardinio'sCat said:

 

That's my suspicion but others say he is just rubbish anyway. He did have enough fitness to get picked after his initial recovery, so he must have been passable in training and surely the sports science testing would pick it up, but then again it might get missed given he was presumably meant to be regaining his fitness.

 

I guess time will tell.

I thought he was great in the charity shield. **** knows what we've done to him since then. He's probably had some "specialist training"

[gw_leics772]

6 hours ago, Foxy1984 said:

If anyone can collect a paper ticket from Bristol it's theirs for free. I can't go as I have Covid

They could probably print a photo as it's all barcoded isn't it? They will surely have the technology to make sure the same barcode ain't used more than once.

 

 

 

Or...

 

(You could get in anyway 😱🤯🤫)

Segue alert, as we are protecting the vulnerable, who are now pretty much just the unvaccinated, is it time to accept it now, especially with the new morning after pill)

Edited 4 November 2021 by gw_leics772

[Hoopla10]

47 minutes ago, moore_94 said:

Benkovic couldn't even get a look in at Cardiff and then Leuven last season, in match day squads for 22 games last season and he played just 70 minutes, in which he was absolutely horrendous

 

He seems to just drop in and out of the under 23 squads as well with just 2 appearances 1 month apart, where as Mendy has played in all Under 23 games he has been available

 

It isn't like Benkovic isn't playing for the under 23s because he is in a first team match day squad either

 

I have no doubt there is probably a very good reason as to why he hasn't been given a go

I agree I'm sure there's valid reason he's not being played. Didn't he have a good run at Celtic? Was that under Rodgers (18-19 season) just before he came to us?

[cruzFOX]

Blimey this sickness bug is really concerning! Damn arses brought it up with them from London and spread it around. A double whammy after the loss. This could be a dangerous game if we lose control of it. COYF! Daka and Nacho to get the early goals than we defend for our lives.

[Lesta2014]

Be interesting to see which u23s make the bench tonight then if there’s a sickness bug meaning people aren’t fit! Let’s hope we attack and get at them from the start. Let’s not allow them to settle into a defence shape as we are poor when we allow teams to do this! 

[sacreblueits442]

1 hour ago, moore_94 said:

Benkovic couldn't even get a look in at Cardiff and then Leuven last season, in match day squads for 22 games last season and he played just 70 minutes, in which he was absolutely horrendous

 

He seems to just drop in and out of the under 23 squads as well with just 2 appearances 1 month apart, where as Mendy has played in all Under 23 games he has been available

 

It isn't like Benkovic isn't playing for the under 23s because he is in a first team match day squad either

 

I have no doubt there is probably a very good reason as to why he hasn't been given a go

....I  believe there is no conceivable situation that could happen on the pith where the introduction of Benkovic would be used!!!

  I would suggest he is on the bench for any legal repercussions coming from, if in any arbitration, should it be required in respect of him moving to another team.

  I really believe that he will terminate his career and either go into  coaching or more likely a commercial business role.

  Playing football is not something he appears to have any great love for.

[yorkie1999]

One chant before kick off, Attack Attack Attack Attack Attack. Fvck chanting about forrest and derby as well, it's just retarded!!! 

[MattFox]

 

[filbertway]

Wonder if Maswanhise (yes I had to google that) will get a game tonight if Barnes is out.

[volpeazzurro]

1 hour ago, StriderHiryu said:

Well I suppose the reason for keeping him is to add another defender in the box, but I can think of at least 3 goals this season that have come from targeting him:

 

Burnley - (Unfortunate own goal, but still Burnley have played the ball into his area because he's shorter than other players).

Brighton - Wellbeck's goal. 

Arsenal - Gabriel's goal.

 

For his size, Vardy is a great header of the ball. But leaving him spare and waiting to counter with him helped us win the league, and whilst he might not be that rapid anymore, he's far from slow.

 

IMO with both him and Daka there is no reason why we can't have one player minimum in that role very game. 

Leaving him and Barnes or Daka and Barnes etc would make sure that the opposition leave at least 2 or 3 of their players out of our penalty area!

[Ric Flair]

9 minutes ago, filbertway said:

Wonder if Maswanhise (yes I had to google that) will get a game tonight if Barnes is out.

Fallen a bit down the pecking order bizarrely. Gone from training with the 1st team most weeks and being the star in the U23's to barely training with the 1st team to being dropped from the U23's. 

[filbertway]

3 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

Fallen a bit down the pecking order bizarrely. Gone from training with the 1st team most weeks and being the star in the U23's to barely training with the 1st team to being dropped from the U23's. 

Well got damn... When I heard Wanya Marca was in the squad last week I thought it was Mawanhise haha.

 

Who can step up and fill Harveys shoes? Can we lob Alves in against some burley eastern europeans and hope for the best?

[Ric Flair]

1 minute ago, filbertway said:

Well got damn... When I heard Wanya Marca was in the squad last week I thought it was Mawanhise haha.

 

Who can step up and fill Harveys shoes? Can we lob Alves in against some burley eastern europeans and hope for the best?

Alves is very very lightweight but the club seem determined to play his way through the ranks to enable him to cope. Fcuk it, throw him in, his level of skill makes Mahrez look like Karl Henry.