LCFC 1-1 Spartak - Post-Match Thread

[Matt]

1 minute ago, Vestan Pance said:

Every home game is like that now, I think our style of play and pretty terrible home form has set the tone for the atmosphere. Even the Man U game was poor until we scored.

Feels like we're just going through the motions now quite frankly.

[MalletFox]

2 minutes ago, DerbyshireFox said:

Totally in control, but no urgency, sluggish, dare I say expectant. That was the most boring display of the season! If we had have played with any tempo or aggression we would have blown them away. Comfortably the poorest opposition we’ve had at our place in a very long time. But give them their due, they got what they came for. It’s starting to feel very much like a transition year this season. The worry is what are we transitioning to. We are very much resembling latter Wenger years Arsenal. Flashes of brilliance, but go missing when the heat is on

Spot on … the one key word … INTENSITYYYYYY!!! If we had fired into them first 15, played with real intent and aggressive ambition, moving the ball quickly we could have got the job done early. As it was, we were happy to nudge the ball about and make the assumption “well, we’ll score at some point I’m sure”. It was far too pedestrian and it was pretty bloody obvious to see!

[lcfcsnow]

Why do teams not let the best penalty taker take the penalty? I'm never confident with Vardy, but I'm pretty sure Tielemans would have put it away given the chance.

[dmayne7]

Just now, Zaphod Beeblebrox said:

So rather than saying not a back 5 what and who would you have played instead? 2 wingers ill and Lookman was shite when he came on. 

 

Entitled is 100% what we are becoming if we do not take into consideration which players were missing today and so far this season. 

I've just offered a different solution. There were plenty of options. Ryan Bertrand at wingback is stupid. Lookman wasn't great granted but as if to show his rigidity, Rodgers didn't change the system which was obviously not working. Could have played a diamond in midfield instead? 5 at the back, and without genuine wingbacks is so negative at home to inferior opposition. You're genuinely happy with that.

 

How does that make us entitled? Everyone I've seen has taken that into account but we should still be doing better. You could argue we're lucky to have the points total we do in the league.

 

We made big steps to strengthen the squad in the summer? We've been unlucky in defence with injuries which hasn't helped but what's the excuse for not breaking down teams like Spartak or Legia? There is none.

[South Shire Fox]

6 minutes ago, dmayne7 said:

People surely didn't say that? There's no debate to be had that was poor, the question is where it sits on the scale for you.

Plenty were saying it but then i assume they just listened to the radio as Matt Piper said we played well. Heskey and Savage in the BT studio said we were unlucky, Then Brendan Rodgers said we played well? 😂 watched a different game to the rest of us i think because if thats his idea of playing well then im seriously getting worried

[Basildon Fox]

3 minutes ago, dmayne7 said:

I've just offered a different solution. There were plenty of options. Ryan Bertrand at wingback is stupid. Lookman wasn't great granted but as if to show his rigidity, Rodgers didn't change the system which was obviously not working. Could have played a diamond in midfield instead? 5 at the back, and without genuine wingbacks is so negative at home to inferior opposition. You're genuinely happy with that.

 

How does that make us entitled? Everyone I've seen has taken that into account but we should still be doing better. You could argue we're lucky to have the points total we do in the league.

 

We made big steps to strengthen the squad in the summer? We've been unlucky in defence with injuries which hasn't helped but what's the excuse for not breaking down teams like Spartak or Legia? There is none.

And who would you have played instead with the players we had unavailable tonight? 

 

You could argue we should be sitting 3 points higher in the league as we had daylight robbery against Brighton... 

Edited 4 November 2021 by Zaphod Beeblebrox

[fox_up_north]

Rodgers has done amazingly to get us into Europe twice in a row and bring home the trophy that's eluded us for our entire history...

 

BUT...there's that pattern forming again that's been seen at Liverpool and Celtic. At Liverpool, he didn't actually win anything with a team that had peak Suarez and Sturridge. I think the thing that concerns me most is that he learned under Mourinho but I daresay he's probably picked up some of the guy's negative traits - he's got his way of playing and that's it. When I think Mourinho, I don't think intensity. 

I don't think we're anywhere near Rodgers Out and I'm certainly not. Managers need time and longevity. If having a naff season now means next time we finish 6th (don't forget, that would be our third highest finish) and put in a better show, then fine. 

 

But he has to show us that he's also picked up Mourinho's desire to win. Play shit football all you like, if you're picking up wins but you've got the talent on the pitch to put these away 2-0, easily. 

[Arkie Bennett]

We play largely risk-free football, possession at all costs. Very reminiscent of Villa under John Gregory around 2000/01. When teams, especially competent teams like Spartak, pack their defence, we invariably struggle to break them down because our plodding, formulaic football doesn't work. We don't do something unpredictable often enough. Sometimes things fall into place and we happen upon a chance that we convert. Our defence is ropey when teams run at it and it is easily found out. We had opportunities to stop them early in the move that led to their goal but we flapped around as we are often prone to do.

[Rigga]

Felt like a preseason friendly really.,

Crowd was pretty quiet but when we as a team play in the slow manner that we do, it’s not going to get the crowd entertained and lifted..

 

it was obvious they were going to sit deep, and yet again we failed to break down what is a very average team.

[dmayne7]

Just now, Zaphod Beeblebrox said:

And who would you have played instead with the players we had out tonight? 

 

You could argue we should be sitting 3 points higher in the league as we had daylight robbery against Brighton... 

I don't have a definite, this is the team, I would have played because I don't know the whole availability and fitness so you can give him some leeway for that. Might have gone for something like:

 

Kasper

Castagne Evans Soyuncu Thomas

Tielemans Soumare

Perez Iheanacho Lookman

Daka

 

Better players in that team and more attacking by a mile.

 

Second bit is true. But got lucky against Wolves, Norwich, Brentford

[Lad1966]

I was at the game and we controlled the game, but lacking edge. I think I problems is the balance of the side. Castagne was good tonight, but on the left Bertrand was crap. I’m sure had pereira played we would have been better balanced. Pereira also overlaps which itself creates space of others and as of not overlapping we move the ball into the middle where it’s totally congested and the attack breaks down. Soumare hit the post and Vardy missed a penalty- that’s sums up our luck at the moment. We have flashes of brilliance in most matches, but we cannot finish the job off!🏆🏆🏆

[Stuntman_Mike]

That was a truly diabolical performance. Felt like the early rounds of the FA cup rather than a competitive and crucial European tie. Flat in the stands, flat on the pitch and just completely disappointing. I can take dropping points when you have a go, but that was unacceptable against a very poor side.

[iamafox]

That was probably our easiest game in the group but we still couldn't win it.

 

Anything less than a victory against Legia would surely mean elimination.

[beepee1984]

5 minutes ago, Lad1966 said:

I was at the game and we controlled the game, but lacking edge. I think I problems is the balance of the side. Castagne was good tonight, but on the left Bertrand was crap. I’m sure had pereira played we would have been better balanced. Pereira also overlaps which itself creates space of others and as of not overlapping we move the ball into the middle where it’s totally congested and the attack breaks down. Soumare hit the post and Vardy missed a penalty- that’s sums up our luck at the moment. We have flashes of brilliance in most matches, but we cannot finish the job off!🏆🏆🏆

We did completely control the game, we controlled it at a very slow pace. Why did we never try to increase the tempo instead controlled it right into the draw without looking like we were interested in more.

The team lacked creativity, the midfield looked short of ideas, the wing backs played higher up the field than they are used to, put immediately looked for their CB to pass back to. 

Soumare hitting the post was a great strike a bit like Tielemans 2 recently, but we cannot continue to rely on long range efforts or getting penalties.

We could have won today with the penalty and/or bit more luck, but overall we continually do not create enough real chances for the amount of possession we have.

[Happy Fox]

I didn’t watch the game, I have just seen the stats 3 shots on target that’s f**king abysmal

[splinterdream]

35 minutes ago, Nod.E said:

I'm Rodgers in, but in the same way a couple 40 years into a miserable marriage is 'in'. 

 

No real alternative.

Comfortable.

Not really enjoying it either.

 

We'll just have to wait until someone dies and we can start dating again.

I’m 11 years in…..40 years in, jeez that’s bad 

[beepee1984]

4 minutes ago, Happy Fox said:

I didn’t watch the game, I have just seen the stats 3 shots on target that’s f**king abysmal

But 77% Possession and 41% of the game played in their defensive third. (And worryingly our defence is worse than our attacking)

Edited 5 November 2021 by beepee1984

[Nod.E]

Just now, splinterdream said:

I’m 11 years in…..40 years in, jeez that’s bad 

 purely metaphoric. I'm not married. In fact I've not even had 40 years on the planet.

[Alf Bentley]

Qualification looks tricky now, even if we beat Legia.

 

If we do beat them (and we'd need to improve on tonight) and Napoli beat Spartak, then going into the last match the table would read.....

 

Napoli 10pts

Leicester 8pts

Legia 6pts

Spartak 4pts

 

......but Legia would be playing at home to a team that was already eliminated;

.....and if they won (likely), we'd need a result away to Napoli, the best team in the group, to qualify. 

[suffolk fox]

Boring, turgid, negative  crap sideways n backwards football. It's bloody dire to watch.  What summed it up for me 2nd half we have a corner.  They pull everyone back.  We still have 2 players standing on the halfway line plus kasper in goal wtf?  We concede a corner we pull everyone back zonal shit marking marking feck all.  Is this the Mike Stowell school of coaching?  Should be Mike bloody Bassett.  We are in a rut I genuinely don't think we know how to get out of it. 

 

[CosbehFox]

9 minutes ago, Alf Bentley said:

Qualification looks tricky now, even if we beat Legia.

 

If we do beat them (and we'd need to improve on tonight) and Napoli beat Spartak, then going into the last match the table would read.....

 

Napoli 10pts

Leicester 8pts

Legia 6pts

Spartak 4pts

 

......but Legia would be playing at home to a team that was already eliminated;

.....and if they won (likely), we'd need a result away to Napoli, the best team in the group, to qualify. 

Yeah not great at all. Just beat Legia to ensure European football after Xmas please 

[Lako42]

I'm sorry but the manager needs to start fronting up. 

 

We won the FA Cup and Charity Shield and proceeded to show all the confidence of Norwich. 

 

There is something not right and ghd buck stops with BR. 

 

It's becoming a morgue down there because the football is abysmal. 

 

 

[Bptiger]

57 minutes ago, lcfcsnow said:

Why do teams not let the best penalty taker take the penalty? I'm never confident with Vardy, but I'm pretty sure Tielemans would have put it away given the chance.

U should never give a penalty to a player who has just come on he is cold and not up to the pace of the game , look what happened to England 

[Lambert09]

Who woulda thought playing 5 at the back against a poor side who plan on parking the bus all game was a bad idea 

[Bptiger]

What a shit house performance, the 1st half we played at a snails pace just going from side to side no hurry , what happened to that side that played Manchester United . Perez played in his best position yet done sweet f**** all , Bertrand went backwards more than Thomas . Rodgers has to take the blame because we keep playing this go slow style , unless he changes his game plan we will be out of Europe and be a bottom 8 team .