Iheanacho

[Dahnsouff]

Agree with you,though, he has not changed a massive amount (if at all) it’s just  his support staff have improved massively.

[MPH]

1 hour ago, Dahnsouff said:

What new role? Being supported on both flanks and with a #10? He still is not operating as a lone striker in the Vardy, Daka sense, but he is a withdrawn focal point linking play

 

didn’t say there was a new role.  I mean, we’ve played him a  as a lone striker before and also as a front two… surely you understand there’s different things expected of you depending on the system we are playing?

[The People's Hero]

8 hours ago, Finnegan said:

 

 

 

At the risk of boring everyone with the same essay for the Nth time, he hasn't changed. Looks a bit more confident maybe last couple of weeks but that's it. 

 

He's not been coached in to the role, he's not adapted his game, he's not really doing anything vastly different to what he's done his whole time here. 

 

The difference isn't Iheanacho, the difference is the personnel around him and the shape we're playing. For the first time since he's been here he's got a "formation" around him that makes sense. 

 

I'm pretty confident that if you go back to one of his first ever interviews after joining, he describes himself as a 10. I'm sure I remember that. Right from the start. He likes to drop in towards the ball, yes he will break the lines off the last shoulder sometimes but it's not his strength. He'll drop right in to the midfield to the 8 or even wide channels at times to go looking for link up play. He's always done that. 

 

But if that's going to be effective he needs runners to go beyond him vertically, whether in the wide channels or overlapping through the middle, to make it work. Equally, any striker - literally any striker - just needs bodies around them to begin with. Any player on a football pitch does. 

 

I said in another thread recently, there's no such thing as a lone striker. Or, there shouldn't be in a properly functional team. No striker is "alone" because its a team sport and you should always have support in an effective attack. "Lone" just refers to there being one conventional central striker but that player should have multiple others in support, wide forwards, traditional wingers, attacking midfielders, marauding full backs, whoever. They should have link ups, passing options. 

 

Almost no footballer in 2023 really knows an old school 442 as their "default." It's a throwback. The idea of strike partners is a "throwback." The idea that ANY of our strikers can't play as a "lone striker" is completely and totally moronic. 

 

All three can play as the single central forward or in a two or in a three, they just need adequate supply and support around them from other players regardless of what they're doing. Over the last 18 months we've been awful at this. We don't get anywhere near the bodies forward, we don't create chances, our strikers have suffered. 

 

The last two games we've had two good wingers, the full backs have been allowed to get further up again and support, we've had Madders back in a central role and we've had solid balance in the side. Of course Iheanacho is thriving under those conditions, he's a good player. He was always a good player and critically he was always a good playmaker. He's always dropped behind and looked to play good through balls for runners beyond him, it's why he linked up well with Vardy to begin with and how this myth of him not being a good "lone" player began.

 

Because when Vardy wasn't running beyond him and stretching the game vertically nobody really was. Where as now Barnes, Tete/Praet and even Madders will do that. 

 

Iheanacho hasn't changed. The context has. 

 

You and I (and others) can keep telling people this till the cows come home. And we will. But some people for whatever reason see it differently. I suppose that's the beauty of debate.

 

I 100% agree with you.

[Dahnsouff]

31 minutes ago, MPH said:

didn’t say there was a new role.  I mean, we’ve played him a  as a lone striker before and also as a front two… surely you understand there’s different things expected of you depending on the system we are playing?

You are right, you didn’t, my bad. 

[Ric Flair]

One thing that has changed in the last 2 games is his pressing, where's thst come from? Tactical or lazy in the past?

[sacreblueits442]

11 hours ago, Finnegan said:

I'm pretty confident that if you go back to one of his first ever interviews after joining, he describes himself as a 10. I'm sure I remember that. Right from the start. He likes to drop in towards the ball, yes he will break the lines off the last shoulder sometimes but it's not his strength. He'll drop right in to the midfield to the 8 or even wide channels at times to go looking for link up play. He's always done that

...I  remember the interview when he said he was a #10!!!

  Pretty much what I have been saying,  if we continued to play the way we utilise Vardy and now Daka, he will not fit in this team.

[Finnegan]

1 hour ago, Ric Flair said:

One thing that has changed in the last 2 games is his pressing, where's thst come from? Tactical or lazy in the past?

 

Tactical. It's not just been Nacho it's been the whole team.

 

If you look at our approach vs. Brighton and our approach vs. Tottenham the whole team is playing completely different.

 

I was absolutely disgusted with the approach against Brighton, we sat off collectively with an extremely defensive line but a low line of an engagement in pretty much a line of four and a line of almost six and refused to press. We pretty much said "we know you're too slow to get behind us and not good enough to pass through us." I know that on paper it was smart but it was also negative anti-football shit and completely playing for a draw. We backed off, surrendered advantage and gave them way too much respect.

 

Against Spurs the entire team pressed all over the park. The midfield in particular were great, we engaged everywhere, tackling all over the midfield. I was really impressed with the change.

[Ric Flair]

1 hour ago, Finnegan said:

 

Tactical. It's not just been Nacho it's been the whole team.

 

If you look at our approach vs. Brighton and our approach vs. Tottenham the whole team is playing completely different.

 

I was absolutely disgusted with the approach against Brighton, we sat off collectively with an extremely defensive line but a low line of an engagement in pretty much a line of four and a line of almost six and refused to press. We pretty much said "we know you're too slow to get behind us and not good enough to pass through us." I know that on paper it was smart but it was also negative anti-football shit and completely playing for a draw. We backed off, surrendered advantage and gave them way too much respect.

 

Against Spurs the entire team pressed all over the park. The midfield in particular were great, we engaged everywhere, tackling all over the midfield. I was really impressed with the change.

Yeah it's definitely tactical at times bit there's been games before when we have attempted to press as a team and never seen Iheanacho be that comfortable with it but these last 2 games he seems relentless. Rodgers needs to stop getting in the way of himself, he is his own worst enemy at times.

[Finnegan]

37 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

Yeah it's definitely tactical at times bit there's been games before when we have attempted to press as a team and never seen Iheanacho be that comfortable with it but these last 2 games he seems relentless. Rodgers needs to stop getting in the way of himself, he is his own worst enemy at times.

 

I mean he's obviously neither the fastest or most athletic player in the squad. Vards and Daka can get away with almost pressing alone because they're quick enough to catch people off guard. If Nacho goes alone he'll get done. 

[FrankieADZ]

12 hours ago, Ric Flair said:

One thing that has changed in the last 2 games is his pressing, where's thst come from? Tactical or lazy in the past?

im thinking a bit of both

[fox_up_north]

Nacho just sits in that Maverick category, for me. Awkward, not sure if he's lazy or just playing smart or even if he's got a brain faster than his feet but he does things. 

 

After Maddison, he's the next player I don't want to lose as having a quality goal scorer in this league is like gold dust. 

[An Away Move]

15 hours ago, Finnegan said:

 

Tactical. It's not just been Nacho it's been the whole team.

 

If you look at our approach vs. Brighton and our approach vs. Tottenham the whole team is playing completely different.

 

I was absolutely disgusted with the approach against Brighton, we sat off collectively with an extremely defensive line but a low line of an engagement in pretty much a line of four and a line of almost six and refused to press. We pretty much said "we know you're too slow to get behind us and not good enough to pass through us." I know that on paper it was smart but it was also negative anti-football shit and completely playing for a draw. We backed off, surrendered advantage and gave them way too much respect.

 

Against Spurs the entire team pressed all over the park. The midfield in particular were great, we engaged everywhere, tackling all over the midfield. I was really impressed with the change.

But aren’t Brighton known for being strong at countering the press. Different tactics for different games?

[SafewayFox]

8 hours ago, An Away Move said:

But aren’t Brighton known for being strong at countering the press. Different tactics for different games?

Brighton under De Zerbi are definitely one of the best at countering the press.

 

When you watch them, their CB’s very cleverly play cat and mouse with the high press and quickly break the lines.

 

I know that Brighton lost today but they’ve been so impressive under De Zerbi so think Rodgers game plan was not to lose/team to get exposed to their counter press.

Edited 18 February 2023 by SafewayFox

[filbertway]

On 17/02/2023 at 16:30, Finnegan said:

 

Col could give Danny Mills a run for his money.

This made me laugh much more than it should have