davieG Posted 5 April 2011 Posted 5 April 2011 Merc Leicester City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson wants bigger contribution from Andy King Tuesday, April 05, 2011, 09:30 Leicester City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has revealed he dropped top-scorer Andy King because the midfielder was thinking too much about scoring and was not making a big-enough contribution in games. Eriksson left out the 22-year-old, who has scored 14 goals this season from midfield and become the team captain, for Saturday's 3-3 draw at Middlesbrough and said one of the factors was fatigue.King has played virtually every game during the campaign. However, he also said he wanted King to have more influence in games, and not just on the scoresheet. Now he has challenged King to win back his place. "Hopefully he is angry to try to get back into the team," said Eriksson. "Andy is a great player for us. He has been scoring a lot of goals. "I spoke to him about why. He has been playing a lot, every game and for the national team. Also, he has been running a bit on empty lately. We want to see him more involved in the play. "I think he has been running more than anyone else, but the touches on the ball are very few. Sometimes I get the impression he thinks too much about scoring a goal. "That is fine in one way but football isn't just about scoring goals, but taking part of the play as well. Because he didn't start last Saturday doesn't mean he will be out for the rest of the season. Absolutely not."
evs_the_fox Posted 5 April 2011 Posted 5 April 2011 Totally agree with Sven's comments and glad he acted on it.
Babylon Posted 5 April 2011 Posted 5 April 2011 Yup hard to disagree with that, it's been the one gripe against him really.
davieG Posted 5 April 2011 Author Posted 5 April 2011 Does this mean King is not one of his favourites?
Babylon Posted 5 April 2011 Posted 5 April 2011 Does this mean King is not one of his favourites? I think the comments he has made about King before show how much he likes him. But if King wants to progress higher than this level he really does need to get involved a bit more. I know he does stuff off the ball, and yes he's fantastic in the box, but I think many agree he's often not involved in games as much as many of the other players. Our midfield is weak and the fact he's not one to "get stuck in" doesn't help that. If he can bring a bit more to his game (which I think he can), then the sky is the limit for him. No harm in giving the lad a rest and also using it to try and get a bit more from him.
Darkon84 Posted 5 April 2011 Posted 5 April 2011 Whats going on? Why hasnt anyone commented saing Sven should be sacked because he dropped King? Honestly though, well done Sven for doing it and being honest about it.
Wymsey Posted 5 April 2011 Posted 5 April 2011 So Sven in a sense, agrees with some saying King has been anonymous lately.
Babylon Posted 5 April 2011 Posted 5 April 2011 King has been anonymous lately. It's almost treason to suggest such a thing.
Edmund Posted 5 April 2011 Posted 5 April 2011 I still don't think King is captain material yet. In years to come there's no doubt he will become a great all round player including a leader. I wouldn't say he's a natural leader though. Wellens and Bamba strike me as the mould of player who are vocal and can always be counted on to motivate others around them.
Joe. Posted 5 April 2011 Posted 5 April 2011 I still don't think King is captain material yet. In years to come there's no doubt he will become a great all round player including a leader. I wouldn't say he's a natural leader though. Wellens and Bamba strike me as the mould of player who are vocal and can always be counted on to motivate others around them. Hard to disagree with anything so far in this thread really, including this. On first thoughts at the time I thought giving him the captaincy at the time was a ploy to keep hold of him in the summer, and I haven't really changed my mind on that one yet. I think his performances needed to be addressed, and I'd like to think that this is enough proof to suggest that Sven is more than capable of picking and dropping who he likes. That said, I'd like to think we'll have the same old King back in the side soon enough. Back to the Abe - Wellens - King midfield for Saturday please.
Ric Flair Posted 5 April 2011 Posted 5 April 2011 I love Sven's use of 'absolutely not' at the end of his statements, it always makes me laugh. King needs a rest, he also needs a rocket to kick start his form. He might never fully adapt his game to being an all action midfielder, but to be honest we don't need him to if he has players around him to do that, likewise we don't need Yakubu to chase lost causes if we have others to do that. But when King stops scoring and stops keeping things ticking over in the middle, he offers very little and has to dig in and play his part otherwise he has to take a backseat for a while. He'll come back stronger with a goal or two before May.
thybluefox Posted 5 April 2011 Posted 5 April 2011 Sven's been absolutely bang on with that decision.
blue army 1988 Posted 5 April 2011 Posted 5 April 2011 Does this mean King is not one of his favourites? I think he is one of his "favourites". However he's trying to mould him into a good central midfielder and to teach him things that may seem a little harsh now (Top scorer and imo one of the best players we have to be dropped) but fighting for your place in the team is very important.
Guest Basildon Fox Posted 5 April 2011 Posted 5 April 2011 I think he is one of his "favourites". However he's trying to mould him into a good central midfielder and to teach him things that may seem a little harsh now (Top scorer and imo one of the best players we have to be dropped) but fighting for your place in the team is very important. Or trying to start a softening of opinion when he gets sold in the summer!!
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