The Enzo Thread

[Sionnach gorm]

We’re ready to kick a manager who actually has us into guaranteed promotion? We’ve already gotten rid of good managers for lousy ones, with everyone cheering at the change.  Enzo is a good manager.  He’ll only get better and personally think he’s had enough experience as a player and assistant to learn from some of the best and most innovative managers around.  This is total nonsense.  We will get some manager that gives us the initial bump and then go south again.  

[Gubbins]

2 hours ago, whoareyaaa said:

We could have also not played Amartey and sidelined Soy for a whole season

You are underestimating how utterly woeful Ward is as a goalkeeper. The opposition would still get chances regardless of which players we had in defence, and with Ward in goal most of those chances would end up in the net! If he didn't exist we would 100% still be a prem team.

[Mike the Metal Ed]

1 hour ago, Ricey said:

He had a few great moments, but he isn’t trustworthy and he isn’t a right back.

 

He gave the ball away too much and charged so high in the press that it meant Fatawu was playing RB most of the game. Some charges worked, but too many didn’t and that massively contributed to how open we looked.

 

He is a player capable of a few moments that get the crowd going, but I don’t trust him one bit.

It's a fair comment TBF even after his invaluable contribution today. There's a time for Hamza and it's when you need bite in the midfield to disrupt the opposition. We lacked it quite a bit during our Europa League campaign when we were, if anything, too nice. 

 

He is not a player who should be playing an advanced role like he's been asked to.

[Izzy]

Not sure if this has been posted before but with Enzo's lack of/too late subs, I noticed during HT that the following were on the pitch bibbed up just hitting aimless passes to each other:

 

Doyle, Yunus, McAteer, Cannon, Ricardo & Stolarczyk.

 

I thought at the time "Why are they not in the dressing room listening to Enzo's HT team talk?"

 

None of them made an appearance 2nd half which made me wonder if Enzo had no intention of playing them anyway and had already pre-determined his subs.

 

Is this normal?

[Bourbon Fox]

10 hours ago, fox_up_north said:

If he's doing that, he's more arrogant than I thought. We aren't Man City, nor will we be. We are a good project that have taken a chance with him. Two way street and all that. 

If the WYS interview wasn't deliberately used as a way for Enzo to make that point by proxy, then he needs to have a word with his mate.

[coolhandfox]

29 minutes ago, Izzy said:

Not sure if this has been posted before but with Enzo's lack of/too late subs, I noticed during HT that the following were on the pitch bibbed up just hitting aimless passes to each other:

 

Doyle, Yunus, McAteer, Cannon, Ricardo & Stolarczyk.

 

I thought at the time "Why are they not in the dressing room listening to Enzo's HT team talk?"

 

None of them made an appearance 2nd half which made me wonder if Enzo had no intention of playing them anyway and had already pre-determined his subs.

 

Is this normal?

Most team do it.

[Izzy]

2 minutes ago, coolhandfox said:

Most team do it.

Kind of makes you wonder why they bother getting all kitted out if there's no intention of playing them.

 

And if this is normal then by the powers of deduction I guess we'll know on Tuesday who's coming on second half.

 

People were wanting Cannon on instead of Daka second half yesterday but it was obviously never going to happen.

[Tielemans63]

I think he's going to have to change the approach somewhat, if we play as we do against better quality opposition, we're going to get picked off.

 

My slight worry is that he might go the same way as another ex-Man City man in Vincent Kompany. Burnley have played in exactly the same way as they did in the Championship, and have largely been battered. He plays a crazy high line and never deviates from it, even when it's plain to see it's hurting his sides chances of staying up. I'm a bit concerned Enzo will be similarly stubborn. If we try and pass and wear down other sides, it won't be the opposition making the mistakes.

[splinterdream]

I thought the goal we concedede wasn't necessary and could have been avoided with changes at 60 minutes, or when WBA made changes. We're 2 nil up, change Faes for Doyle/Justin, change Ndidi for Akgun, Change AbdulMavididi for Marcel/Kacey, just inject fresh energy and concentration into the side to give opposition something to think about

[Chelmofox]

6 minutes ago, Izzy said:

Kind of makes you wonder why they bother getting all kitted out if there's no intention of playing them.

You never know when an injury to someone is going to happen right?

[Izzy]

1 minute ago, Chelmofox said:

You never know when an injury to someone is going to happen right?

True but in that case shouldn’t all the subs be listening to the team talk (just in case) rather than pissing around on the pitch at HT?

 

Dunno, just seemed like those six were excluded from proceedings. 

[BigGibbo]

Yesterday was the first time I sensed something approaching pragmatism and a willingness to let his philosophy take an ever so slight back seat over what needs to be done. More than a skinful of luck and a Hamza barnstormer still required, but nevertheless I hope this is the start of genuine progress 🙏

[foxinsocks]

Introduced more long balls imo

Edited 21 April 2024 by foxinsocks

[Koke]

WBA goal was pretty nice but the lack of pressure on Cedric Kipre was annoying. He casually carries the ball, and finds a brilliant pass. 

[Mickyblueeyes]

It’s not a case for me of throwing Enzo out as a wham bang thank you ma’am post promotion. 
 

It’s being pragmatic.

 

We are facing a financial and regulatory shit storm. Enzo is a man with a philosophy. Respect to him for having one. 
 

For us to properly implement that philosophy IF we do in fact go up, we will need:

 

RB capable of playing the inverted role and the pace for recovery. 
At least one CB because you can’t play two of Veste, Faes or Coady in the PL.

A midfielder to replace KDH.

A midfielder.

At least one winger. 
Sign Fatawu perm.

Perhaps sign Doyle perm or a similar type of player. 
A striker. 
 

That’s a £200m spend for the players with the technical aspects to compete. 
 

IF we stay down, it’s a similar re-build but with a different blueprint. 
 

I just don’t think we can give him that. It’s a case of right guy, wrong time. That isn’t Enzo’s fault, it’s a lack of forward thinking in my opinion. 
 

We need a pragmatic approach next year, regardless of league and using resources we have. I don’t think Enzo can or will want to do that role and nor should he want to. If we go up, his stock will be high and shouldn’t need to. 
 

I just don’t see any other way.

[UniFox21]

I think we need a few more experienced heads in and around the backroom staff. 

Someone with better game management etc 

[JimmyC74]

37 minutes ago, Mickyblueeyes said:

It’s not a case for me of throwing Enzo out as a wham bang thank you ma’am post promotion. 
 

It’s being pragmatic.

 

We are facing a financial and regulatory shit storm. Enzo is a man with a philosophy. Respect to him for having one. 
 

For us to properly implement that philosophy IF we do in fact go up, we will need:

 

RB capable of playing the inverted role and the pace for recovery. 
At least one CB because you can’t play two of Veste, Faes or Coady in the PL.

A midfielder to replace KDH.

A midfielder.

At least one winger. 
Sign Fatawu perm.

Perhaps sign Doyle perm or a similar type of player. 
A striker. 
 

That’s a £200m spend for the players with the technical aspects to compete. 
 

IF we stay down, it’s a similar re-build but with a different blueprint. 
 

I just don’t think we can give him that. It’s a case of right guy, wrong time. That isn’t Enzo’s fault, it’s a lack of forward thinking in my opinion. 
 

We need a pragmatic approach next year, regardless of league and using resources we have. I don’t think Enzo can or will want to do that role and nor should he want to. If we go up, his stock will be high and shouldn’t need to. 
 

I just don’t see any other way.

If he stays then for me the question is 

1. can we bring in the sort players he would ideally want, with the technical attributes, to make his system work

2. if not, can he adapt his system and set us up more pragmatically to be competitive next season. I don’t mean competing for Europe but, doing enough to mean relegation is not a real concern.

 

I am not convinced we will be able to give him the funds he would want / need and, if Balaguè is to be believed, there seems tensions working with Rudders so I can see him moving on. 

 

It would be interesting to see if he can adapt / find different approaches to win than he has shown this season but, I am somewhat sceptical that he has or wants to move much from his PLAN A.

Edited 21 April 2024 by JimmyC74

[Noahfence]

I suppose we need to remember he’s still right at the beginning of his managerial career. But there’s just so much about him that frustrates me. 
 

The biggest one is probably in game management but again that will only improve with experience I guess. 
 

Hopefully he sees us up and has learnt a lot about himself as a manager ahead of the Prem. 

[Claudio Fannieri]

Enzo has flaws and is still learning his trade as a manager, let’s be honest we are Leicester City so it’s most likely our Managers will be young up coming managers but with a lot of learning to do or established managers who are perhaps on the downward trajectory. 
 

91 points is not to be sniffed at, this may be the most expensive squad in relation to fees and wages, ever seen in the championship but I very much disagree that it’s the best squad. 
 

When Enzo took over on the summer I will guarantee the club and Enzo fully expected players such as Iversen, Ward, Souttar, Faes, Vesty, Ndidi, Praet, Iheanacho and Daka to move on, creating more opportunities to bring in the players of a profile that befit the style of play. The club made a complete hash of that and it has meant that we have been left with a bloated and unbalanced squad. 

for that reason there has ended up being more square pegs in round holes or having to utilise players to play roles that do not necessarily suit their attributes, Ndidi for example, being utilised as a high 8, whilst he has improved he is a million miles off the technical ability we  require to really make this system work, I think in the summer we can replace him for cheaper wages and with a player with a better profile. 

 

We have potentially 6 very high earners potentially moving on in the summer due to contracts expiring and aside from Vesty, who is well suited to the style the rest even including Vardy are not necessarily the profile or skill set that’s ideally suited to how we play. I honestly believe another refresh of 6/7 players in the summer, who don’t necessarily have to cost a fortune but have a profile that aligns to the style of play and the promotion/emergence of  one or two academy prospects like Braybrooke, Alves and Nelson will have a big change in how we rotate and the use of subs next season. 

Edited 21 April 2024 by Claudio Fannieri

[Livid]

He seems a decent guy, I’ve not liked the style of football, maybe that’s down to what he has had to work with, but I thought it would improve with time but it’s actually regressed alongside the form of a few players. 
 

We’re in a mess financially and I’m asking if not him then who? I have very low expectations for next season anyway, Derby’s lowest points total is my first goal. We have some talented youngsters coming through but they need to be introduced gradually, Luke Thomas was absolutely ruined by last season playing in such a poor side. 
 

Much as he frustrates the life out of me he’s probably going to get us promoted and earn the right to continue….if he wants to. 

[Matt]

3 hours ago, Tielemans63 said:

I think he's going to have to change the approach somewhat, if we play as we do against better quality opposition, we're going to get picked off.

 

My slight worry is that he might go the same way as another ex-Man City man in Vincent Kompany. Burnley have played in exactly the same way as they did in the Championship, and have largely been battered. He plays a crazy high line and never deviates from it, even when it's plain to see it's hurting his sides chances of staying up. I'm a bit concerned Enzo will be similarly stubborn. If we try and pass and wear down other sides, it won't be the opposition making the mistakes.

Just raised a similar point in the Premier League thread.

 

41 minutes ago, Matt said:

They've just been discussing on the radio whether Burnley/Kompany's style could be justified if Burnley stay up, the general consensus was, yes.

 

For that reason, I want them down and but by the same token if they go down could it be unjustified?  

 

Ultimately, neither would be right. Sheff Utd don't play that way, infact I don't know what way they play and they're getting hammered every week, it's simply all about getting the best out of what you've got, using the strengths of the players you have available not a certain style and certainly not a certain style being of an ideology, principle or philosophy. 

 

 

[Chelmofox]

3 hours ago, Tielemans63 said:

I think he's going to have to change the approach somewhat, if we play as we do against better quality opposition, we're going to get picked off.

 

My slight worry is that he might go the same way as another ex-Man City man in Vincent Kompany. Burnley have played in exactly the same way as they did in the Championship, and have largely been battered. He plays a crazy high line and never deviates from it, even when it's plain to see it's hurting his sides chances of staying up. I'm a bit concerned Enzo will be similarly stubborn. If we try and pass and wear down other sides, it won't be the opposition making the mistakes.

For the sake of balance, Burley are currently 9th in the 6 game form table. Sure they just played Sheff Utd but you've still got to get games like that over the line.

 

They are showing signs of clicking, when Luton can't get a sniff of a result all of a sudden. 

 

It's still highly likely Burnley go down, but part of me feels that of all of the promoted teams they are the only one with any momentum right now.

[trooky]

Can't believe we've 87 pages debating if we should sack  a young, promising, inexperienced manager in his first English job when we're top of the championship with 3 games remaining.

 

Let's bring back Dean Smith, Sharkey and John Terry because that worked brilliantly first time.

[indierich06]

2 hours ago, Mickyblueeyes said:

It’s not a case for me of throwing Enzo out as a wham bang thank you ma’am post promotion. 
 

It’s being pragmatic.

 

We are facing a financial and regulatory shit storm. Enzo is a man with a philosophy. Respect to him for having one. 
 

For us to properly implement that philosophy IF we do in fact go up, we will need:

 

RB capable of playing the inverted role and the pace for recovery. 
At least one CB because you can’t play two of Veste, Faes or Coady in the PL.

A midfielder to replace KDH.

A midfielder.

At least one winger. 
Sign Fatawu perm.

Perhaps sign Doyle perm or a similar type of player. 
A striker. 
 

That’s a £200m spend for the players with the technical aspects to compete. 
 

IF we stay down, it’s a similar re-build but with a different blueprint. 
 

I just don’t think we can give him that. It’s a case of right guy, wrong time. That isn’t Enzo’s fault, it’s a lack of forward thinking in my opinion. 
 

We need a pragmatic approach next year, regardless of league and using resources we have. I don’t think Enzo can or will want to do that role and nor should he want to. If we go up, his stock will be high and shouldn’t need to. 
 

I just don’t see any other way.

This is my worry - I don't think we have the money (or frankly the nous in the market) to get him the players we need if we get promoted. 

 

Having said that, I also don't think any other manager would get much of a tune out of this band of rejects and wasters tbh. Every year the better players go, and the squad gets worse. 

 

They looked half decent at the start of the season, but all the same old problems have emerged - with the root cause being that these players just aren't very good. 

[whoareyaaa]

2 hours ago, Mickyblueeyes said:

It’s not a case for me of throwing Enzo out as a wham bang thank you ma’am post promotion. 
 

It’s being pragmatic.

 

We are facing a financial and regulatory shit storm. Enzo is a man with a philosophy. Respect to him for having one. 
 

For us to properly implement that philosophy IF we do in fact go up, we will need:

 

RB capable of playing the inverted role and the pace for recovery. 
At least one CB because you can’t play two of Veste, Faes or Coady in the PL.

A midfielder to replace KDH.

A midfielder.

At least one winger. 
Sign Fatawu perm.

Perhaps sign Doyle perm or a similar type of player. 
A striker. 
 

That’s a £200m spend for the players with the technical aspects to compete. 
 

IF we stay down, it’s a similar re-build but with a different blueprint. 
 

I just don’t think we can give him that. It’s a case of right guy, wrong time. That isn’t Enzo’s fault, it’s a lack of forward thinking in my opinion. 
 

We need a pragmatic approach next year, regardless of league and using resources we have. I don’t think Enzo can or will want to do that role and nor should he want to. If we go up, his stock will be high and shouldn’t need to. 
 

I just don’t see any other way.

Well we all know that's not going to happen and Enzo will be here next season especially if we go up, if we don't go up then I think he would leave but its looking likely we will go up and there is no way we are changing managers unless he walks out.