Will this style of play ever work?

[The_77]

6 hours ago, Tuna said:

Can a new manager adapt the style and get it to work at this level? I know you'll all say no, but you know we will appoint another similar manager. Point is, can it be tinkered with to make us better defensively, because this is the biggest problem with the team right now, stop conceding sloppy goals and the results will improve.

His whole approach is so inherently flawed in that it’s purely based on possession leads to success, it’s a total case of “correlation equals causation.”
 

When he speaks about tactics, it’s painfully clear that he doesn’t understand the reasons for any of the outcomes he’s after and that he doesn’t know how to get from point A to point B.

[Dr Marco]

we sit at the back,

and counter attack,

bottom of league one,

you made us sing that...

[Richmondfox]

6 hours ago, Tuna said:

We've basically built a team to play this style, so if we appoint someone who will just do it better and make us more defensively sound, we may improve!

Have we actually built a team for this style or collected players that Martin has shoehorned to play his flawed style.   
 

You stop passing around the back, play out quickly and create overlaps with the wingers. 
 

The game early in the season where Page was running the show, the cbs passing quickly and he turned at pace.  That is the style and it felt like the team were ignoring the tactics. I recall the game after that he switched to Thomas being the left side cb controlling the tempo and passes into the middle from the halfway line and we got battered. 

 

[Leicester_Loyal]

5 hours ago, Monk said:

Martins in a tough position now. I suspect he is safe from the sack for a while yet because of the financial implications. 
 

so what do you do if you’re him?

 

double down on this style?

 

or adapt it?

 

I suspect he will try this style with Smallbone in the team. Might make a difference. That experiment has to last a few games. 
 

but beside that I don’t see it improving and I don’t think he will adapt. 

He's already said a few days ago he won't change or adapt, he'll fall on his sword if it doesn't work.

 

His own words.

[Sol thewall Bamba]

It's a decade out of date.

[Guesty]

One problem I've always found is the type of players needed to pull it off. It's hard to find players who can do it while also doing the defensive stuff/dirty work/digging in when the going gets tough. Players like Rodri are rare; even Man City went to s**t when he got injured the other year.

 

 It's full of technically gifted players who throughout their youth days have never/rarely been the players who had to dig in when the going gets tough; their team mates did that while they pinged the ball around the pitch. And it really shows, every time we try to play it with our joke of a recruitment team.

 

It maybe could work with the right manager, the right recruitment team and the right players. None of which we have. But even then, it's outdated and one dimentional.

[cityfanlee23]

Relative to where we are as a club and what our goals are, no. 

Can possession football work? Yes, can it work at Leicester City long term? No. 

I can't think of any real examples that would be close to what we are attempting to achieve actually working, are there any examples of a 3rd/lower league team trying to force a club identity of dominating possession football with 60%-70% possession targets that has actually gone to the top division and been able to stay up consistently and build a successful club from it? If there are it's a very small amount of clubs. 

You get the odd season where possession football can help win a division with a strong squad, look at Cardiff for example, the moment they got promoted and become one of the underdog teams, they now sit 21st with 1 win in 9 and are proudly top of the possession stats whilst looking at a relegation scrap, they need significant investment to make this work at this level. Bologna had a great 2 seasons under Motta playing genuinely attractive possession football (Ironically with Kristiansen in there), and he spent £100m in his 2nd season. 

To make this work long time you need 3 things. 
1) 75% of Players good enough to play the system well
2) Money to spend buying the niche players you need 
3) A culture of success and togetherness. 

We are trying to brute force this with 0/3 of those things. 

This only ends one way, and knowing Top it will be too late to recover it when the guy finally makes a decision. 
If we take action now the season can be recovered. 

[Mark 'expert' Lawrenson]

Pass and move the ball quickly and it can work, there has to be purpose to the passes though not just passing for passings sake along the back line. 

[lcfcbluearmy]

If the question is could possesuon football ever work then yes i genuinely think a high pressing Klopp style of football could work. If the question is could Russell Martin's style of football ever work then its no never in a million years

[Kierzz]

We are decent in possession but pathetically bad out of possession. 

 

Whether that's our counter press after we lose the ball which is non existent and leaves us so open to counters.

 

Or the movement off the ball when we are in possession. No one breaks the lines. No one drifts in and out of the half spaces. Etc

 

Both of the above were so key to us being a success during the (possession based) positional style of play under Maresca. 

 

Fix the above, and I think this style can work. And all it needs is good coaching and a hunger from the players to work hard on the pitch. 

[FoxinNotts]

No

[LeePhilpottsBaldSpot]

It's excellent against Fulham U21s

[Blarmy]

Managers being married to a style is the oddest thing. If you look at what it means, they are basically saying no other styles work, at all. Despite there being huge amounts of evidence to the contrary. 

 

I’d like the LCFC manager to not even have a recognisable style, I’d like it to be something that isn’t talked about. I’d like the LCFC manager to be recognised for getting the best out of his players, being adaptable and showing the mental agility and coaching nous to deal with many different scenarios throughout individual games and entire seasons. 
 

And, obviously, getting results with these traits, amongst others. 

 

Some managers these days are so obsessed with getting recognition for a clubs success they put the cart before the horse. They seem to have forgotten that they would be lauded and rewarded if the team they manage succeeds anyway - success doesn’t have to be intrinsically linked to their much-publicised style for this to happen.

[Wasyls Pec Deck]

Ultimately the players fall short all over the park - be it not by much or they’re miles off.

 

This style of play demands fitness, hunger, belief, laser focus and ability in all parts of the club. We’re found wanting in too many areas, and the arrogance and stupidity to think it can work is alarming.

 

So no.

[Pliskin]

It breaks down from the first point….. when you compare Martin’s attempt to beat the press from a goal-kick, to Enzo….. it’s night and day…… Enzo had movement all over the pitch, a goalkeeper, defenders and midfielders all comfortable receiving the ball in and recycling it…… Martin doesn’t do that… there’s no structure or evident plan to initiating play from the goal kick…. We just pass it around the defenders aimlessly, without any purpose until eventually we either lob it downfield, or give the ball away…… 

 

It just confirms Martin is a crap coach for me…….

[Bablemikey]

Don’t care what system we play, if we defend like 12 year old girls we’re going to lose.

[Globalfox]

We are all focused on the style it’s irrelevant when you have players who just do not compete. The second goal on Saturday showed Thomas and O’Hora just not bothered. We saw Lundstrom wandering around aimlessly for most the game and not for the first time. No system works with this lack of application. It’s said the players like Russel I think they like the low work, no effort life he extols. I would be happy for him to succeed but I just see no desire anywhere across the playing staff. This leads to a downward spiral. Where it ends is the worrying factor. All throughout the corridors of the King Power and Seagrave there appears the stench of hopelessness and it is all pervasive.

[MC Prussian]

18 minutes ago, Globalfox said:

We are all focused on the style it’s irrelevant when you have players who just do not compete. The second goal on Saturday showed Thomas and O’Hora just not bothered. We saw Lundstrom wandering around aimlessly for most the game and not for the first time. No system works with this lack of application. It’s said the players like Russel I think they like the low work, no effort life he extols. I would be happy for him to succeed but I just see no desire anywhere across the playing staff. This leads to a downward spiral. Where it ends is the worrying factor. All throughout the corridors of the King Power and Seagrave there appears the stench of hopelessness and it is all pervasive.

The buck stops with the manager.

He is the one supposedly able to recognize the flaws in his system, and adjust it during matches. He makes the calls whom gets subbed, and who doesn't.

If a manager can't detect weaknesses in his squad on the pitch during 90+ minutes of play on a regular basis, he's in the wrong field.

[Phil Mitchell]

No. We’re playing a style (loose term) that only gives us opportunities when the opponent makes mistakes, not simply us making our own magic. Teams have already clocked on, sit back and don’t get drawn in. Then hit their fullbacks who can’t play football. Phil

 

 

[MC Prussian]

This style of play works IF you know when to use it.

 

In increments, it can do miracles. But we even struggle seeing out games where we are 3-0 ahead.

 

Russell Martin only changes his tactics when our backs are against the wall. And then it's already too late.

[ACF]

I think there’s a missing factor here.

 

Enzo managed to play to most of our players strengths, and empowered them early. They saw the rewards, so bought in. How good did Vestergaard look? Winks, Stephy, Faes, Hermansen, Justin dropped off as soon as he left. Ndidi was scoring goals!

 

Why would a player fully buy into Martin’s system? They slow things down, play within themselves, because they know as soon as the ball goes up the other end we’re buggered. I don’t believe Martin wants to have such slow play, but I don’t believe the players have the confidence to play riskier football.

[TeamRocket]

Nope, said it before we need to go back to having 2 up front.