Rotherham (H) 3-0 - 23 Dec - Post-Match Thread

[Jonezy]

5 minutes ago, Chrysalis said:

Is that EPL winners medal behind fuchs?

Must be. Noticed it too. Legend. 

[sishades]

We have now won 19 games which is the total number of wins in O Neils promotion season (71 points)

[Vacamion]

 

BBC identifying "Wesley" Faes as the person who took the initial shot:

 

 

 

 

[kristianity77]

Dire first half, absolute quality second half.  No complaints 

[foxile5]

Anyone catch the new tannoy announcer? Another step towards NFL style match-day hysteria.

[sbfox]

We really need a Plan B!!! 

[KingsX]

1 minute ago, Vacamion said:

 

BBC identifying "Wesley" Faes as the person who took the initial shot:

 

 

 

 

 

The lads call him Faesfana, for his hops

[jayfox26]

25 minutes ago, StriderHiryu said:

Casually on track for a 116 point season at the halfway point

 

Has anyone ever had this amount of points at the half way point before?

[Lillehamring]

18 minutes ago, Fox85 said:

Since Daka has been Introduced to the team Leicester have scored 13 goals in 4 games and Daka scoring 4 in 4 games.

 

Obviously shows Enzo made a mistake letting Vardy and Iheanacho lead the line to start off with. Hopefully this is a lesson learnt 

Wouldn't say it was a mistake - those two are still scoring 0.6 and 0.5 goals per 90 minutes (bear in mind that vardy had 0.7 in 15/16) , hindsight is a wonderful thing.

[egg_fried_rice]

2 minutes ago, sbfox said:

We really need a Plan B!!! 

We won 3-0

[Gamble92]

Bold of the man on Foxes Hub to assume we all "deserve" a good Christmas. @Raj was probably watching for a start. 

[KingsX]

1 minute ago, jayfox26 said:

Has anyone ever had this amount of points at the half way point before?

 

Leeds, most years I think.  Probably this year?  Let me check their forum

[Number 6]

Red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning.

Red sky at night, Rotherham are not very good.

[Les-TA-Jon]

27 minutes ago, Fox85 said:

Since Daka has been Introduced to the team Leicester have scored 13 goals in 4 games and Daka scoring 4 in 4 games.

 

Obviously shows Enzo made a mistake letting Vardy and Iheanacho lead the line to start off with. Hopefully this is a lesson learnt 

Not sure it was a mistake. Daka was one of the players who was actively trying to leave in the summer, but a move never materialised. 
 

So, he was (appropriately) not involved in the match day squads whilst the window was open. By the time it closes, he’s on the fringes and behind in his tactical development under Maresca and less match fit than the others, hence it taking a while for his chance. 

[weller54]

2 minutes ago, Number 6 said:

Red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning.

Red sky at night, Rotherham are not very good.

Cheers Pam 

[SecretPro]

9 minutes ago, kristianity77 said:

Dire first half, absolute quality second half.  No complaints 

It wasn't dire. It was a 45 minute exercise in game control and wearing down the opponent. 

[waddadamadda]

27 minutes ago, 5waller5 said:

The really bad news is that kick off was 15:00 so you hadn’t missed it? 

Hours drive so would have made it for half time which in hindsight wouldn’t have been a bad idea.

[sbfox]

8 minutes ago, egg_fried_rice said:

We won 3-0

Sarcasm mate - must be your first day on FT! 

[brookfox]

Lembikisa sounds like something you’d order in a Turkish restaurant.

[StriderHiryu]

32 minutes ago, Tuna said:

Well done Leicester, frustrating first half, but blew them away second half.

Delighted for Patson Daka and Cesare Casadei!

Honestly, us supporters need to get a grip. This is NOT directed at you, but does need to be said.

 

Rotherham today had TWO shots on our goal in the entire match. ZERO on target. We had 77% possession and for long periods of that game our centre back Vestergaard was playing 20 yards forwards in the Rotherham half. That was essentially an attack versus defence training session but at close to the elite level of sports. When the opposition has no intent to try and attack or score, it is difficult for the attacking team to score. Earlier in the season it was a problem, but now Enzo has been at Leicester for over 6 months, we see that we can break down anyone parking the bus. But we have to be PATIENT.

 

Enzo himself said in his post match interview that he was happy at half-time. And that's because this game went almost exactly according to his plan. As the game went on, the concentration levels of Rotherham dropped and we scored. From about 50 minutes onwards they were clinging on and there was no world where they would ride out another 40 minutes without conceding. All the tell-tale signs were there, which is why the sensible posters on here weren't worried at all.

 

The team and manager are not immune to criticism, and it should be welcomed. But almost every game we've had against low block teams has gone like this. It might not be fun to watch in the first half, but it's the opposition that are responsible for it being a crap spectacle, not Leicester. Compare this game to the Birmingham one, that was a great game to watch because they had a go.

 

For me, it's been more frustrating against the teams that have really dared to press us, such as Sunderland and Leeds but even to some extent Coventry and Southampton where at times during those games some poor decision-making led to us needlessly inviting pressure onto our back line or not taking advantage of the spaces in behind.

 

Ultimately, there is a reason why we have made the best start of any Championship team after 23 games in history, and it's not just because of our squad. I have a UEFA B coaching certificate and am preparing to do the A in the next 12-18 months. As part of that course you study patterns of play, attacking systems and so on. Enzo Maresca is absolutely top-draw and doing some cutting-edge things. He's someone that has been name-dropped on the course and was a reason why in the game he had such a huge reputation when we appointed him, even though most fans had no idea who he was. His approach is systematic and consistent. His team can grind you down but remain defensively stable. Look at the positions Faes, Ricardo and Vestergaard took up today... you don't get much more attacking than that!

 

Speak to Man City fans and they will tell you a very similar story. Most teams rock up at the Etihad with 11 behind the ball and just try to hit them on the break. Their fans LOVE the games against Liverpool, even if they lose, because Liverpool dare to have a go at them. They were poor against Villa recently, but said it was a breath of fresh air to see a team genuinely have the balls not only to try but actually execute a plan to outplay them. In this division, we have to get used to frustrating games... it's the nature of the unfairness of the resources of the relative teams in this league.

 

Rant over, and not directed at you. I think it would take years for fans to get used to it though!

[Lillehamring]

16 minutes ago, SecretPro said:

It wasn't dire. It was a 45 minute exercise in game control and wearing down the opponent. 

Whilst still creating 9 shots...

[phoneticerror]

Who got MOTM?

[Lillehamring]

5 minutes ago, StriderHiryu said:

Honestly, us supporters need to get a grip. This is NOT directed at you, but does need to be said.

 

Rotherham today had TWO shots on our goal in the entire match. ZERO on target. We had 77% possession and for long periods of that game our centre back Vestergaard was playing 20 yards forwards in the Rotherham half. That was essentially an attack versus defence training session but at close to the elite level of sports. When the opposition has no intent to try and attack or score, it is difficult for the attacking team to score. Earlier in the season it was a problem, but now Enzo has been at Leicester for over 6 months, we see that we can break down anyone parking the bus. But we have to be PATIENT.

 

Enzo himself said in his post match interview that he was happy at half-time. And that's because this game went almost exactly according to his plan. As the game went on, the concentration levels of Rotherham dropped and we scored. From about 50 minutes onwards they were clinging on and there was no world where they would ride out another 40 minutes without conceding. All the tell-tale signs were there, which is why the sensible posters on here weren't worried at all.

 

The team and manager are not immune to criticism, and it should be welcomed. But almost every game we've had against low block teams has gone like this. It might not be fun to watch in the first half, but it's the opposition that are responsible for it being a crap spectacle, not Leicester. Compare this game to the Birmingham one, that was a great game to watch because they had a go.

 

For me, it's been more frustrating against the teams that have really dared to press us, such as Sunderland and Leeds but even to some extent Coventry and Southampton where at times during those games some poor decision-making led to us needlessly inviting pressure onto our back line or not taking advantage of the spaces in behind.

 

Ultimately, there is a reason why we have made the best start of any Championship team after 23 games in history, and it's not just because of our squad. I have a UEFA B coaching certificate and am preparing to do the A in the next 12-18 months. As part of that course you study patterns of play, attacking systems and so on. Enzo Maresca is absolutely top-draw and doing some cutting-edge things. He's someone that has been name-dropped on the course and was a reason why in the game he had such a huge reputation when we appointed him, even though most fans had no idea who he was. His approach is systematic and consistent. His team can grind you down but remain defensively stable. Look at the positions Faes, Ricardo and Vestergaard took up today... you don't get much more attacking than that!

 

Speak to Man City fans and they will tell you a very similar story. Most teams rock up at the Etihad with 11 behind the ball and just try to hit them on the break. Their fans LOVE the games against Liverpool, even if they lose, because Liverpool dare to have a go at them. They were poor against Villa recently, but said it was a breath of fresh air to see a team genuinely have the balls not only to try but actually execute a plan to outplay them. In this division, we have to get used to frustrating games... it's the nature of the unfairness of the resources of the relative teams in this league.

 

Rant over, and not directed at you. I think it would take years for fans to get used to it though!

 

Your post summed up in one image...

 

[bovril]

Their gk was motm but not quite sure how he stayed on the pitch

[Bezzanator89]

Opponents don't come much easier than this, especially with an xG of 0.02, and we didn't even need a third gear to win 3-0 today. Win is a win and we move on to Boxing Day.

 

In the meantime, 6 points clear of 2nd, and 13 points clear of 3rd. An outstanding season so far, and dare I say, we are finally starting to click (well, in the second half anyway).

 

Merry Christmas to one and all Foxes fans.