Shakespeare says City must get the balance right

[davieG]

Merc

Leicester City will look to address the imbalance in their squad next month, assistant manager Craig Shakespeare has said.

City's management team of boss Nigel Pearson and assistants Shakespeare and Steve Walsh are still assessing the players they inherited from Sven-Goran Eriksson.

Pearson will be handed funds to strengthen so City can mount a promotion challenge in the second half of the campaign.

The rumour mill has already began to turn with City being linked with Rangers striker Nikica Jelavic and Motherwell's young winger Chris Humphrey.

Shakespeare said City were likely to do some business during the January transfer window. "It is a big squad but slightly unbalanced," said Shakespeare. "I have said we have an imbalance of central midfield players. We know that. But, numbers-wise, it is good.

"There is strength and depth and we are stronger in some areas than others.

"It is a case of watch this space. We are still assessing it, but don't be surprised if there is (movement). But, while we are still assessing it, you are trying to give everyone an opportunity.

"You have to see everyone and feel you have given them a fair chance, and then you take it form there."

Shakespeare said his initial assessment of the City squad was that they were a committed, hard-working bunch, and he said the quality within the ranks demonstrated how the club had moved forwards since he was last at City.

"It is always interesting when you go into a group of players and you know some of them, but not others, and you have to get to know them as individuals," he said.

"I have found throughout my coaching career that it is about getting to know the players and how to get the best out of them.

"We are still doing that with some of them. So far, apart from last Saturday's result, it has been a great place to come and work.

" I feel the club has moved up two or three gears since we left. You can sense it around the place, but we need results".

[MPH]

Merc

Leicester City will look to address the imbalance in their squad next month, assistant manager Craig Shakespeare has said.

City's management team of boss Nigel Pearson and assistants Shakespeare and Steve Walsh are still assessing the players they inherited from Sven-Goran Eriksson.

Pearson will be handed funds to strengthen so City can mount a promotion challenge in the second half of the campaign.

The rumour mill has already began to turn with City being linked with Rangers striker Nikica Jelavic and Motherwell's young winger Chris Humphrey.

Shakespeare said City were likely to do some business during the January transfer window. "It is a big squad but slightly unbalanced," said Shakespeare. "I have said we have an imbalance of central midfield players. We know that. But, numbers-wise, it is good.

"There is strength and depth and we are stronger in some areas than others.

"It is a case of watch this space. We are still assessing it, but don't be surprised if there is (movement). But, while we are still assessing it, you are trying to give everyone an opportunity.

"You have to see everyone and feel you have given them a fair chance, and then you take it form there."

Shakespeare said his initial assessment of the City squad was that they were a committed, hard-working bunch, and he said the quality within the ranks demonstrated how the club had moved forwards since he was last at City.

"It is always interesting when you go into a group of players and you know some of them, but not others, and you have to get to know them as individuals," he said.

"I have found throughout my coaching career that it is about getting to know the players and how to get the best out of them.

"We are still doing that with some of them. So far, apart from last Saturday's result, it has been a great place to come and work.

" I feel the club has moved up two or three gears since we left. You can sense it around the place, but we need results".

I would take that as saying their will be some departures too if we have too many CM midfielders...

[davieG]

I would take that as saying their will be some departures too if we have too many CM midfielders...

Especially as he talks about 'movement'

[Guest Col city fan]

I would take that as saying their will be some departures too if we have too many CM midfielders...

I said last week and nothing I've read since has changed my mind.. That I wouldn't be surprised if there was a bit of a clear out come Jan.

Nige still has money to spend and will know that some of our squad are just not good enough to get us up.. Certainly not automatically.

IMO we still need a better midfield four and another in-form striker.

[Thracian]

It seems we have major movement in and out of Leicester every five minutes. I'll be glad when one of our so-called experts actually does get it right and thinks beforehand about things like balance.

The fans seem to see what's needed clearly enough. Even now the problem is that the outgoing players will be pissed off, the incoming players will need to blend and, by the time they do it'll be just a month or so too late and we'll be back with the close season and more major changes.

The time for preparing the team is in the summer, .balance and all. For once we could have done that last summer. But no. There were more mistakes.

And now, Instead of minor tinkering to effect specific improvement or to deal with injury setbacks in the January window we still have significant rebuilding to do.

Does anyone worthwhile oversee the signings at Leicester?

Because over the last 10 years we've made so many bad choices it's been embarrassing. How can so many trained professionals keep making so many mistakes, and some of them perfectly obvious right from the off?.

[Corky]

Good to hear wingers linked, proper width is what we need. And a creative centre-midfielder.

[artursteppe]

Good to hear wingers linked, proper width is what we need. And a creative centre-midfielder.

I take you don't like Wellens or King then?

[Happy Fox]

You can blame Sven for failing to see these inadequacies or failing that not bother to solve the solutions i.e needing wingers., anyway I am glad that NP will sort this out and we may be able to salvage our promotion push.

[Corky]

I take you don't like Wellens or King then?

I'm not a huge fan of Wellens, who is hit and miss, and King isn't a creative player.

[Saxondale]

Well, we know from their last tenure that they rate Wellens and King. So who's out?

The two loanees (Johnson and Fernandes) first I would imagine.

PS. I'd be loving Jelavic.

[Happy Fox]

Well, we know from their last tenure that they rate Wellens and King. So who's out?

The two loanees (Johnson and Fernandes) first I would imagine.

Wellens imo the weakest link

[Walkers Pallet Chauffeur]

If we get another striker, I assume Howard and Sclupp(sp?) won't get a look in?

[cc_star]

It seems we have major movement in and out of Leicester every five minutes. I'll be glad when one of our so-called experts actually does get it right and thinks beforehand about things like balance.

The fans seem to see what's needed clearly enough. Even now the problem is that the outgoing players will be pissed off, the incoming players will need to blend and, by the time they do it'll be just a month or so too late and we'll be back with the close season and more major changes.

The time for preparing the team is in the summer, .balance and all. For once we could have done that last summer. But no. There were more mistakes.

And now, Instead of minor tinkering to effect specific improvement or to deal with injury setbacks in the January window we still have significant rebuilding to do.

Does anyone worthwhile oversee the signings at Leicester?

Because over the last 10 years we've made so many bad choices it's been embarrassing. How can so many trained professionals keep making so many mistakes, and some of them perfectly obvious right from the off?.

It's practically an impossible task both Sven & Pearson were 12pts away from 2nd spot when they took-over, Pearson has the disadvantage of 6 games less to make up the difference.

I'd worry we go hell for leather in January again which will have a negative effect on the following summer, that's the kind of short-termism which mess up this season after two wholesale changes in January then again in the Summer.

I just hope we offload some deadwood and rebalance the CM-to-wide player sklillset & that each signing improves on what was here and there is a clear sign of continual improvement, if that leads to promotion this season, then great, but if not it will leave us far better placed in the summer next year than we were in this summer.

[Thracian]

It's practically an impossible task both Sven & Pearson were 12pts away from 2nd spot when they took-over, Pearson has the disadvantage of 6 games less to make up the difference.

I'd worry we go hell for leather in January again which will have a negative effect on the following summer, that's the kind of short-termism which mess up this season after two wholesale changes in January then again in the Summer.

I just hope we offload some deadwood and rebalance the CM-to-wide player sklillset & that each signing improves on what was here and there is a clear sign of continual improvement, if that leads to promotion this season, then great, but if not it will leave us far better placed in the summer next year than we were in this summer.

A agree. We're too obsessed with promotion this year. Teams need time to gel but you do need to get effective players to form the mixture. And we've not done that. Even now we're quoting names of people who aren't effective.