The "do they mean us?" thread

[MrSpaM]

Off the Man City forum

 

"I've spent plenty of time discussing sports science inside Loughborough Uni, even giving a presentation there about 7 years back on maximising performance with limited resources in sports. So if you think that your sports science department has been responsible for this turnaround, I give up.

Can having a good ss team make you better than teams at a similar level?Absolutely.

Can they make you better than a team with better athletes, resources(including sports scientists) and coaching? Perhaps.

Can they make you better than a dozen teams with all of the above? Come on man.

I played a very decent level at a team sport and played with and against guys who were using PED's. I've seen them passed around in the locker rooms like skittles(once even between the opposing teams in a hallway). I was on a board of directors for a sport and seen a team trainer get a job who had previous form for juicing his guys on the bodybuilding circuit, so bad that they banned him. I also pushed for a WADA implemented drug testing policy to be fastracked in the sport I was Technical Director for over 5 years, so when it comes to PED use I think I know a bit about a bit.

You want the tell tale sign Leicester players are juicing? Just take a look at them at the end of each and every game. They aren't drenched in sweat. They aren't fatigued. They have pupils dilated to hell and they are far more alert than your average guy. It's bloody obvious.(and I will again state I can point to players on every single team and say the same thing, I've just never seen it team wide like this before).


Take a look over in Ireland at GAA. It's a freaking amateur sport. AMATEUR. They don't get paid. But yet they stringently drug test them and catch them time and time again. And this is in a sport where there's no financial incentive. Now take a look at Crossfit. Those guys are clearly, clearly juicing. Just look at their demeanour and they look exactly like a bunch of elite level footballers.

People will point to Sahko and say, "Oh look, they caught him didn't they?" but all that means is he was using stuff that shows in urine tests. I would love to know how stringent the drug testing for Premiership footballers is, because I guarantee it isn't."

 

[shen]

Off the Man City forum

 

"I've spent plenty of time discussing sports science inside Loughborough Uni, even giving a presentation there about 7 years back on maximising performance with limited resources in sports. So if you think that your sports science department has been responsible for this turnaround, I give up.

Can having a good ss team make you better than teams at a similar level?Absolutely.

Can they make you better than a team with better athletes, resources(including sports scientists) and coaching? Perhaps.

Can they make you better than a dozen teams with all of the above? Come on man.

I played a very decent level at a team sport and played with and against guys who were using PED's. I've seen them passed around in the locker rooms like skittles(once even between the opposing teams in a hallway). I was on a board of directors for a sport and seen a team trainer get a job who had previous form for juicing his guys on the bodybuilding circuit, so bad that they banned him. I also pushed for a WADA implemented drug testing policy to be fastracked in the sport I was Technical Director for over 5 years, so when it comes to PED use I think I know a bit about a bit.

You want the tell tale sign Leicester players are juicing? Just take a look at them at the end of each and every game. They aren't drenched in sweat. They aren't fatigued. They have pupils dilated to hell and they are far more alert than your average guy. It's bloody obvious.(and I will again state I can point to players on every single team and say the same thing, I've just never seen it team wide like this before).

Take a look over in Ireland at GAA. It's a freaking amateur sport. AMATEUR. They don't get paid. But yet they stringently drug test them and catch them time and time again. And this is in a sport where there's no financial incentive. Now take a look at Crossfit. Those guys are clearly, clearly juicing. Just look at their demeanour and they look exactly like a bunch of elite level footballers.

People will point to Sahko and say, "Oh look, they caught him didn't they?" but all that means is he was using stuff that shows in urine tests. I would love to know how stringent the drug testing for Premiership footballers is, because I guarantee it isn't."

 

 

He does raise a valid point about drug testing though. As far as I know, football isn't at the forefront of drug testing, is it? It would be naïve to believe it isn't happening at top level.

Implying our entire team is on drugs is a bit far fetched though. It's clear as day that the overriding reason we're doing so well is down to spirit, belief, ability and tactical organisation.

[UpTheLeagueFox]

 

Jamie Vardy deal turned down by Leipzig says Ralf Rangnick

 

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11712/10259719/leipzig-turned-down-chance-to-sign-jamie-vardy-according-to

 

 

It says "an agent" was touting him around. It doesn't mean the club were willing to let him go. Because they weren't. Not then, not last summer, not now.

 

I also heard that Pearson was willing to let him go before this season too. Sheffield Wednesday were apparently in for him and Nige had sanctioned a £5m sale!

 

This bolllocks rumour keeps getting recycled, presumably by people wanting to discredit our former manager. It wasn't true. There was no way they were going to sell him. From the moment he signed Vardy, he believed he could go all the way. Even after that difficult first season for Vardy, he reiterated the same. But people can believe what they want, obviously, as it's a free country

[lcfcsnow]

He was linked with Southampton around that time too wasn't he? And then just before the start of the season he signed a new four year contract.

[UpTheLeagueFox]

* Player linked in the press with other clubs

* Signs a juicy new deal

 

That's football !!

[st albans fox]

Off the Man City forum

 

"I've spent plenty of time discussing sports science inside Loughborough Uni, even giving a presentation there about 7 years back on maximising performance with limited resources in sports. So if you think that your sports science department has been responsible for this turnaround, I give up.

Can having a good ss team make you better than teams at a similar level?Absolutely.

Can they make you better than a team with better athletes, resources(including sports scientists) and coaching? Perhaps.

Can they make you better than a dozen teams with all of the above? Come on man.

I played a very decent level at a team sport and played with and against guys who were using PED's. I've seen them passed around in the locker rooms like skittles(once even between the opposing teams in a hallway). I was on a board of directors for a sport and seen a team trainer get a job who had previous form for juicing his guys on the bodybuilding circuit, so bad that they banned him. I also pushed for a WADA implemented drug testing policy to be fastracked in the sport I was Technical Director for over 5 years, so when it comes to PED use I think I know a bit about a bit.

You want the tell tale sign Leicester players are juicing? Just take a look at them at the end of each and every game. They aren't drenched in sweat. They aren't fatigued. They have pupils dilated to hell and they are far more alert than your average guy. It's bloody obvious.(and I will again state I can point to players on every single team and say the same thing, I've just never seen it team wide like this before).

Take a look over in Ireland at GAA. It's a freaking amateur sport. AMATEUR. They don't get paid. But yet they stringently drug test them and catch them time and time again. And this is in a sport where there's no financial incentive. Now take a look at Crossfit. Those guys are clearly, clearly juicing. Just look at their demeanour and they look exactly like a bunch of elite level footballers.

People will point to Sahko and say, "Oh look, they caught him didn't they?" but all that means is he was using stuff that shows in urine tests. I would love to know how stringent the drug testing for Premiership footballers is, because I guarantee it isn't."

 

 

which still begs the question why our boys aren't covering as much ground as other teams. surely if we were 'juicing' (I like pineapple myself), we would be returning the numbers like spurs and Bournemouth do ????

 

I think you'll find that we are strategically pressing to give some players a rest whilst others do the work. most of the time we just running from side to side following the anal side to side passing that the opposition teams practice for most of the game

[Guest ttfn]

Surely whether a team has better "athletes, sports science and resources" is totally subjective anyway? Riyad Mahrez is just as good a player as anybody on City's books, Kante too. And I dare say if they'd had Wes Morgan, Robert Huth and Jamie Vardy this season they'd be top of the league.

Also as I've said elsewhere whilst there is no financial incentive to dope in amateur sports there is also no disincentive. If you've got nothing to lose it's only your morals stopping you. If you've got everything (a £1 million+ a year contract plus bonuses) to lose (especially when you've come from nothing like half our squad) why on earth would you dope? You'd have to be absolutely stupid, which whilst not beyond any footballer is certainly beyond a group of footballers.

And if it's the club doing it, why have no disaffected players (Nugent, Inler, Kramaric, Hamer, Albrighton when he was out of the team) said anything? And how has Kramaric's form picked up after leaving us? Are Hoffenheim doing better doping? Is that it?!

The fella on the Man City board is living in an absolute fantasy land. It must be deeply upsetting to see that it's possible to break the top 4, let alone compete for the title, without spending hundreds of millions of pounds to do so. Pointing to things that are a) absolute bollocks and b) nobody is ever going to look up like "players not even drenched in sweat at the end of the game" is the last resort of the Internet conspiracist - never mind that virtually all of the goals we've conceded since October have been in the last 20 minutes (even last 10 minutes) of games, apparently we are just as strong at the end of the games as we are at the start.

[Gerard]

I thought we had looking at this site.

 

We're in a great position... but getting nothing from United and drawing against Everton is hardly unrealistic. Absolutely hate people acting like it's done and dusted.

 

The crystal ball merchants will tell you to calm down and enjoy us winning the title.

 

It doesn't take a remarkable sequence of results for us to blow it from here.

 

It's perfectly feasible we get 2pts or less from our next three fixtures and if that happens we'll be relying on Chelsea, Southampton & Newcastle to win it for us.

[marko]

Off the Man City forum

 

"I've spent plenty of time discussing sports science inside Loughborough Uni, even giving a presentation there about 7 years back on maximising performance with limited resources in sports. So if you think that your sports science department has been responsible for this turnaround, I give up.

Can having a good ss team make you better than teams at a similar level?Absolutely.

Can they make you better than a team with better athletes, resources(including sports scientists) and coaching? Perhaps.

Can they make you better than a dozen teams with all of the above? Come on man.

I played a very decent level at a team sport and played with and against guys who were using PED's. I've seen them passed around in the locker rooms like skittles(once even between the opposing teams in a hallway). I was on a board of directors for a sport and seen a team trainer get a job who had previous form for juicing his guys on the bodybuilding circuit, so bad that they banned him. I also pushed for a WADA implemented drug testing policy to be fastracked in the sport I was Technical Director for over 5 years, so when it comes to PED use I think I know a bit about a bit.

You want the tell tale sign Leicester players are juicing? Just take a look at them at the end of each and every game. They aren't drenched in sweat. They aren't fatigued. They have pupils dilated to hell and they are far more alert than your average guy. It's bloody obvious.(and I will again state I can point to players on every single team and say the same thing, I've just never seen it team wide like this before).

Take a look over in Ireland at GAA. It's a freaking amateur sport. AMATEUR. They don't get paid. But yet they stringently drug test them and catch them time and time again. And this is in a sport where there's no financial incentive. Now take a look at Crossfit. Those guys are clearly, clearly juicing. Just look at their demeanour and they look exactly like a bunch of elite level footballers.

People will point to Sahko and say, "Oh look, they caught him didn't they?" but all that means is he was using stuff that shows in urine tests. I would love to know how stringent the drug testing for Premiership footballers is, because I guarantee it isn't."

 

So, to recap:

 

This individual is an authority on anti-doping, has lectured on the subject at an institution widely recognised as an industry leader, sat on a sports governing body board that has sanctioned individuals for anti-doping violations, petitioned the global agency that leads the fight against anti-doping, is knowledgeable in the anti-doping procedures of the GAA... yet he has no idea of the procedure in the world's most popular league?

 

I'm calling bull$hit!

[fuchsntf]

Dont you think, the sneeks and snides but honest, to true sport havent had Spurs and Leicester players

tested, oh just a small iniguous point tests are not just based on Urine samples.

That statement, can make people think and believe in lies mentioned..So the whole statements quality,

and deliberate well chosen words to create mis-apprehensions must be questioned, plus the

validity of the writer....Just one sentence...That one he made over sweating...!!!

Kante, Wes.Morgan,(hes allways soaked) Fuchs, Okazaki Schlupp, Ulloa, Simpson, have all come off sweating, plus

their shirts have been soaked with sweat, well before water has been thrown over them..!!

JUST JEALOUS TITTLE TATTLE, dont be fooled by a Mancunian con merchant..!!

[Steven]

Off the Man City forum

 

"I've spent plenty of time discussing sports science inside Loughborough Uni, even giving a presentation there about 7 years back on maximising performance with limited resources in sports. So if you think that your sports science department has been responsible for this turnaround, I give up.

Can having a good ss team make you better than teams at a similar level?Absolutely.

Can they make you better than a team with better athletes, resources(including sports scientists) and coaching? Perhaps.

Can they make you better than a dozen teams with all of the above? Come on man.

I played a very decent level at a team sport and played with and against guys who were using PED's. I've seen them passed around in the locker rooms like skittles(once even between the opposing teams in a hallway). I was on a board of directors for a sport and seen a team trainer get a job who had previous form for juicing his guys on the bodybuilding circuit, so bad that they banned him. I also pushed for a WADA implemented drug testing policy to be fastracked in the sport I was Technical Director for over 5 years, so when it comes to PED use I think I know a bit about a bit.

You want the tell tale sign Leicester players are juicing? Just take a look at them at the end of each and every game. They aren't drenched in sweat. They aren't fatigued. They have pupils dilated to hell and they are far more alert than your average guy. It's bloody obvious.(and I will again state I can point to players on every single team and say the same thing, I've just never seen it team wide like this before).

Take a look over in Ireland at GAA. It's a freaking amateur sport. AMATEUR. They don't get paid. But yet they stringently drug test them and catch them time and time again. And this is in a sport where there's no financial incentive. Now take a look at Crossfit. Those guys are clearly, clearly juicing. Just look at their demeanour and they look exactly like a bunch of elite level footballers.

People will point to Sahko and say, "Oh look, they caught him didn't they?" but all that means is he was using stuff that shows in urine tests. I would love to know how stringent the drug testing for Premiership footballers is, because I guarantee it isn't."

 

 

What drugs were being taken when Raheem Sterling was being signed for £49 million? 

[lcfcsnow]

[johnny the fox]

Off the Man City forum

 

"I've spent plenty of time discussing sports science inside Loughborough Uni, even giving a presentation there about 7 years back on maximising performance with limited resources in sports. So if you think that your sports science department has been responsible for this turnaround, I give up.

Can having a good ss team make you better than teams at a similar level?Absolutely.

Can they make you better than a team with better athletes, resources(including sports scientists) and coaching? Perhaps.

Can they make you better than a dozen teams with all of the above? Come on man.

I played a very decent level at a team sport and played with and against guys who were using PED's. I've seen them passed around in the locker rooms like skittles(once even between the opposing teams in a hallway). I was on a board of directors for a sport and seen a team trainer get a job who had previous form for juicing his guys on the bodybuilding circuit, so bad that they banned him. I also pushed for a WADA implemented drug testing policy to be fastracked in the sport I was Technical Director for over 5 years, so when it comes to PED use I think I know a bit about a bit.

You want the tell tale sign Leicester players are juicing? Just take a look at them at the end of each and every game. They aren't drenched in sweat. They aren't fatigued. They have pupils dilated to hell and they are far more alert than your average guy. It's bloody obvious.(and I will again state I can point to players on every single team and say the same thing, I've just never seen it team wide like this before).

Take a look over in Ireland at GAA. It's a freaking amateur sport. AMATEUR. They don't get paid. But yet they stringently drug test them and catch them time and time again. And this is in a sport where there's no financial incentive. Now take a look at Crossfit. Those guys are clearly, clearly juicing. Just look at their demeanour and they look exactly like a bunch of elite level footballers.

People will point to Sahko and say, "Oh look, they caught him didn't they?" but all that means is he was using stuff that shows in urine tests. I would love to know how stringent the drug testing for Premiership footballers is, because I guarantee it isn't."

 

Hope he has a good libel lawyer

Edited 27 April 2016 by johnny the fox

[Foxymcoxy]

Load of crap all that. Most of all because the only evidence he has is that our players don't look tired or sweaty at the end of games..... well they do, though, don't they? Clearly not the authority he claims he is on the subject just another bitter nobody trying to put us down. 

[Babylon]

Selby and Thorne watching the Swansea game

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/36152269

[lgfualol]

Bitter Man City fans. They obviously barely watch our games, they probably just watched when we beat them easily at the Etihad. We didn't have to sweat in that game..

Shinji looks soaked after 45 minutes

[ithuriel]

Shows what these closet experts actually know, during that period of 1-0 wins the team has looked fatigued and the fans who have gone down all season have noticed this but some knob jockeys just cant accept our success.

[Richmondfox]

Off the Man City forum

 

"I've spent plenty of time discussing sports science inside Loughborough Uni, even giving a presentation there about 7 years back on maximising performance with limited resources in sports. So if you think that your sports science department has been responsible for this turnaround, I give up.

Can having a good ss team make you better than teams at a similar level?Absolutely.

Can they make you better than a team with better athletes, resources(including sports scientists) and coaching? Perhaps.

Can they make you better than a dozen teams with all of the above? Come on man.

I played a very decent level at a team sport and played with and against guys who were using PED's. I've seen them passed around in the locker rooms like skittles(once even between the opposing teams in a hallway). I was on a board of directors for a sport and seen a team trainer get a job who had previous form for juicing his guys on the bodybuilding circuit, so bad that they banned him. I also pushed for a WADA implemented drug testing policy to be fastracked in the sport I was Technical Director for over 5 years, so when it comes to PED use I think I know a bit about a bit.

You want the tell tale sign Leicester players are juicing? Just take a look at them at the end of each and every game. They aren't drenched in sweat. They aren't fatigued. They have pupils dilated to hell and they are far more alert than your average guy. It's bloody obvious.(and I will again state I can point to players on every single team and say the same thing, I've just never seen it team wide like this before).

Take a look over in Ireland at GAA. It's a freaking amateur sport. AMATEUR. They don't get paid. But yet they stringently drug test them and catch them time and time again. And this is in a sport where there's no financial incentive. Now take a look at Crossfit. Those guys are clearly, clearly juicing. Just look at their demeanour and they look exactly like a bunch of elite level footballers.

People will point to Sahko and say, "Oh look, they caught him didn't they?" but all that means is he was using stuff that shows in urine tests. I would love to know how stringent the drug testing for Premiership footballers is, because I guarantee it isn't."

 

 

The man is clearly an idiot.  The idea that our players have just gotten better at their jobs is lost on them.  They surely can't think that Mahrez is taking a blue pill that enables him to do three step overs, a nutmeg then place the ball into the corner.  Whoever 'Foxedup' is they are posting a lot of sense but a few idiots on there seem to ignore it as it doesn't fit their justification for their own team being poor.  Don't waste your time on them.

 

Didn't Vardy's missus say that he had been tested several times this season?  Also did anyone notice on the Tunnel Cam from the west ham game dope testing people officials near the doors on the Leicester side? 

 

The cross fit point is a joke too, the whole point of cross fit is eating clean and training very, very hard.  

[iLikeFoxes]

They couldn't possibly have waited until the title was sealed, could they?

Stay as far away from the trophy as possible until it's done. Do not look at it. I'm telling you.

As I saw one Spurs fan say "we have heritage".

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

[Vacamion]

I like the fact that Leipzig and Dresden have been mentioned in this thread today.

Both are located in Germany's sate of Sachsen, where the local accent makes people say the "-er" at the end of words as "-oh", in pretty much the same way as people from Leicester, or should I say "Lestoh", pronounce it.

Eh up, me Saxon ducks.

[body102]

How will it make us look like idiots?

I think the country is well aware that we haven't won it yet and that this is simply a money spinner for charity. Some kids will get the chance to have their photo taken alongside it. If Spurs fans or whoever want to laugh at that then that says more about them than it does us.

All in all, it's not a big deal.

Kids who aint at school will get to see it , others will miss out because they are at school or their parents at work . Surely bank holiday monday would have been a better day to do it

[davieG]

Analysis of the tactics behind Leicester’s Premier League success

Nick Morales April 27, 2016 English Premier League, Leicester City 87 Views

 

No one called it, and if you did you were joking. Leicester City’s rise to the top of the Premier League has been as meteoric as it was unexpected. Just the thought of the team that made the great escape from relegation last year are now favourites to win the title is mind blowing. Some have suggested that The Foxes are not fit to be champions due to their style of ‘negative football’, but one could not think of a more fitting league winners once their team is more deeply analysed.

Embed from Getty Images

 

 

Part of what makes Leicester so successful is the fact that their play focuses on the strengths of the team and downplays the weaknesses. Leicester do a fantastic job at keeping their shape; the key to all their success. The rigid 4-4-2 employed by Ranieri, coupled with the instilled discipline to carry out the intended purpose of the formation, is what has seen the Foxes enjoy so much success.

The formation, when executed properly, provides immense pressure to any play that may occur in the middle of the field, corralling the creation to the sides. This does either one of two things; it will force the opposition to send in a cross, which plays into the hands of Leicester’s aerially dominant and defensively organized back line, or it allows Leicester to overload that side of the field. Overloading one side gives the foxes the best opportunity to win back the ball, or at the very least force the opposition to recycle possession, subsequently allowing them to fall back into shape.

This defensive minded approach also contributes to their success going forward. One of the advantages of the 4-4-2 is that the front two can use each other as support when breaking, as opposed to holding up play and waiting for support from the midfield. The no-nonsense Leicester defense often launches a ball far up the pitch, giving an eager Jamie Vardy a chance to do what he excels at; one time over the top finishing. Vardy’s ability to convert the chances on the counter has helped his team massively this year, but more than one man in royal blue has been in the headlines.

Riyad Mahrez’ involvement has been of a similar effect at times, but he has shown to be capable of an entirely different skill. The Algerian’s ability to go past an opponent is what makes him special, but the way in which his Italian manager utilizes him is what makes them win. Going past one or multiple opponents is something that no matter what tactics a manager chooses to use will cause problems, but it is within this talent where issues lie.

Even the best player in the world, Lionel Messi, gets past his man 63.22% of the time, meaning creation is a risk. Ranieri doesn’t have a team full of players that are seeking to try and take on multiple opponents, losing the ball a solid 50% of the time. He structures his team so that it can cover for Mahrez’ risky form of creation via their defensive organization as well as having his star scorers contribute as much to the defending as they do going forward. Mahrez and Vardy don’t subscribe to the Cristiano Ronaldo school of play where the attacker slams the floor after failing to complete his take on, leaving his team in the lurch. This hard-work mentality is another key to why they’ve have only three losses this year.

Embed from Getty Images

 

 

Another key part of Leicester’s play is where the lose and win the ball back. Objectively speaking, The Foxes are not a great team on the ball. The games in which they have struggled most are those against lower league opposition, where the onus was on them to create. What separates them from other teams at the top however, besides a current six point gap, is their concentration.

Leicester absolutely refuse to lose the ball in the middle of the field. Everything they do on and off the ball is to ensure that they’re not exposed defensively, hence why you often see their players sending the ball long or out of play. Whether it’s to set the front two off on a counter, or to stop a piece of attacking play from developing into a palpable chance, the midfield of Kanté and Drinkwater have made all the difference this season.

The midfield duo are the orchestrators in all of the aforementioned traits that make this team worthy champions. Keeping the organization and harboring intelligent, deep possession in order to give the forwards space are just a few of the jobs they perform so well, and no amount of adjectives or literary mechanism can encapsulate their importance to the team.

All of these attributes that makeup Leicester have utilized the best aspects of each player in their respective positions. Huth and Morgan’s strength and aerial ability, Drinkwater and Kanté’s interception and intelligent possession, and Mahrez and Vardy’s attacking brilliance. This is the true definition of a team.

Leicester have gone above and beyond their expected goals this season not because of any fairy-tale narrative or existential stroke of luck, but because of the true brilliance of hard work and extreme tactical execution; a phrase that should describe any premier league champion.

[PhillippaT]

It's funny how (*some* ) people keep banging on about our injury record as though it's something special - have they seen Swansea's?

http://injuryleague.com/injury-league/

[sylofox]

A Florest fan in great Yarmouth today bought me 2 pints as congratulations.

He said "were you a sheep I would not even piss in a glass for you"

everyone loves us

[st albans fox]

Analysis of the tactics behind Leicester’s Premier League success

Nick Morales April 27, 2016 English Premier League, Leicester City 87 Views

 

No one called it, and if you did you were joking. Leicester City’s rise to the top of the Premier League has been as meteoric as it was unexpected. Just the thought of the team that made the great escape from relegation last year are now favourites to win the title is mind blowing. Some have suggested that The Foxes are not fit to be champions due to their style of ‘negative football’, but one could not think of a more fitting league winners once their team is more deeply analysed.

Embed from Getty Images

 

 

Part of what makes Leicester so successful is the fact that their play focuses on the strengths of the team and downplays the weaknesses. Leicester do a fantastic job at keeping their shape; the key to all their success. The rigid 4-4-2 employed by Ranieri, coupled with the instilled discipline to carry out the intended purpose of the formation, is what has seen the Foxes enjoy so much success.

The formation, when executed properly, provides immense pressure to any play that may occur in the middle of the field, corralling the creation to the sides. This does either one of two things; it will force the opposition to send in a cross, which plays into the hands of Leicester’s aerially dominant and defensively organized back line, or it allows Leicester to overload that side of the field. Overloading one side gives the foxes the best opportunity to win back the ball, or at the very least force the opposition to recycle possession, subsequently allowing them to fall back into shape.

This defensive minded approach also contributes to their success going forward. One of the advantages of the 4-4-2 is that the front two can use each other as support when breaking, as opposed to holding up play and waiting for support from the midfield. The no-nonsense Leicester defense often launches a ball far up the pitch, giving an eager Jamie Vardy a chance to do what he excels at; one time over the top finishing. Vardy’s ability to convert the chances on the counter has helped his team massively this year, but more than one man in royal blue has been in the headlines.

Riyad Mahrez’ involvement has been of a similar effect at times, but he has shown to be capable of an entirely different skill. The Algerian’s ability to go past an opponent is what makes him special, but the way in which his Italian manager utilizes him is what makes them win. Going past one or multiple opponents is something that no matter what tactics a manager chooses to use will cause problems, but it is within this talent where issues lie.

Even the best player in the world, Lionel Messi, gets past his man 63.22% of the time, meaning creation is a risk. Ranieri doesn’t have a team full of players that are seeking to try and take on multiple opponents, losing the ball a solid 50% of the time. He structures his team so that it can cover for Mahrez’ risky form of creation via their defensive organization as well as having his star scorers contribute as much to the defending as they do going forward. Mahrez and Vardy don’t subscribe to the Cristiano Ronaldo school of play where the attacker slams the floor after failing to complete his take on, leaving his team in the lurch. This hard-work mentality is another key to why they’ve have only three losses this year.

Embed from Getty Images

 

 

Another key part of Leicester’s play is where the lose and win the ball back. Objectively speaking, The Foxes are not a great team on the ball. The games in which they have struggled most are those against lower league opposition, where the onus was on them to create. What separates them from other teams at the top however, besides a current six point gap, is their concentration.

Leicester absolutely refuse to lose the ball in the middle of the field. Everything they do on and off the ball is to ensure that they’re not exposed defensively, hence why you often see their players sending the ball long or out of play. Whether it’s to set the front two off on a counter, or to stop a piece of attacking play from developing into a palpable chance, the midfield of Kanté and Drinkwater have made all the difference this season.

The midfield duo are the orchestrators in all of the aforementioned traits that make this team worthy champions. Keeping the organization and harboring intelligent, deep possession in order to give the forwards space are just a few of the jobs they perform so well, and no amount of adjectives or literary mechanism can encapsulate their importance to the team.

All of these attributes that makeup Leicester have utilized the best aspects of each player in their respective positions. Huth and Morgan’s strength and aerial ability, Drinkwater and Kanté’s interception and intelligent possession, and Mahrez and Vardy’s attacking brilliance. This is the true definition of a team.

Leicester have gone above and beyond their expected goals this season not because of any fairy-tale narrative or existential stroke of luck, but because of the true brilliance of hard work and extreme tactical execution; a phrase that should describe any premier league champion.

Insightful and says a lot that we already know but I wonder how much the squad was assembled to perform this tactical plan this season and how much is down to Claudio. probably a bit of both.