Leicester 1 - 3 Man City Post Match Thread.

[Nift]

Some of you may have seen that Nigel came back to the touchline late on which seemed like a big influence on the game as it seemed to spur us on. would like to see him back on Saturday on the touch line for a massive match.

[Guest ttfn]

In fairness I can't remember his part in the second goal, if he gave it away for that then fair enough, since I do remember the first goal and he was at fault for giving away a silly free kick.

Naivety aside I thought he was one of the better players on the ball in the first half, though that isn't saying much I suppose.

I'd agree with this.

His mistake for the second was poor but he was the only one looking like creating for us.

As for the first goal, the rush to judgement over his foul really is indicative of a really nasty blame culture amongst football fans. He conceded a free kick (pretty naively) a good 30 yards out. Kolarov stepped up and popped it in the top corner. It was an outstanding goal. 99.9% skill from City, 0.1% bad defending.

[Guest ttfn]

He is always a threat. At both ends, perhaps, but at least things happen with him on the field.

Mind you, I still think he had a horrible evening.

Interesting to see your post match comments from Burnley ringing true here - the second half really does sit at the forefront of people's minds.

[svensson]

Had a right idiot sat near me.

Anyway, they were just better than us. Simple as that. But you've got to expect that. We didn't help ourselves at times, and although we were outclassed we weren't disgraced.

A few good individual performances and a spirited 20 minutes at the end of the game are the positives we need to take into Saturday.

Agree with that, we also made Rodwell look pretty pedestrian at times..

[svensson]

I'd agree with this.

His mistake for the second was poor but he was the only one looking like creating for us.

As for the first goal, the rush to judgement over his foul really is indicative of a really nasty blame culture amongst football fans. He conceded a free kick (pretty naively) a good 30 yards out. Kolarov stepped up and popped it in the top corner. It was an outstanding goal. 99.9% skill from City, 0.1% bad defending.

Agree, no keeper in the world would have saved that..

[Haydos]

Ok lets put it another way.

 

If Man City had given it their all, we would have lost by 6.

 

Sorry, but tonight, that is how it was. We were competitive only right at the start of the 2nd half and for the last 20 minutes - long after we were beaten.

 

Sometimes you've just got to hold your hands up and say thanks to the opposition for taking it easy. It wasn't our night.

 

As for chances, I can't remember a shot until the 2nd half.

 

But a lot of people are saying we played poorly. There's all these ifs and buts, surely if we weren't 'awful' (not my words) then we would have been more of a match for them.

They weren't great but neither were we until we calmed down. I don't know what else to say other than they were better than us. It wasn't like they dominated though, they're ALWAYS going to create chances with the talent at their disposal. Always.

[Haydos]

Funny how people's opinions so vary on Knocky. I genuinely thought he was the only player that looked any sort of threat in the first half.

Yes he made errors, but they all did.

 

That's what I said at the time. It depends on where you stand in terms of gameplan. Most people know what you get with him by now (and hopefully his decision making will improve as he gets older).

 

I wouldn't compare him to Gallagher because he's much better but he fits in the same sort of category.

[inckley fox]

Agree, no keeper in the world would have saved that..

 

I think some keepers may not have shown quite so much of the goal for him to aim at. If you show a striker one side of the goal, then you have to take at least a slice of the blame if he beats you on it.

But a lot of people are saying we played poorly. There's all these ifs and buts, surely if we weren't 'awful' (not my words) then we would have been more of a match for them.

They weren't great but neither were we until we calmed down. I don't know what else to say other than they were better than us. It wasn't like they dominated though, they're ALWAYS going to create chances with the talent at their disposal. Always.

 

They DID dominate, though.

[Simonb]

First half we were awful.. second half decent... they were far better but thats what you expect against 11 internationals

Ps drinkwater was our best player just a shame no one gave him any options which made his distribution look bad... yet again he covered the most ground and seemed the most commited.. kingy and dyer did well too

Konch was poor tho as was nuge... spent too much time whinging and rueing over not winning challenges

[Happy Fox]

Were the Thais present?

[Langston]

Not livid by any means but if we play anything like that on Saturday we'll be beaten by a similar scoreline.

 

You have to question how much of that is just down to world class movement / anticipation / reading of the game on their part though. We could've been sharper, granted, but sometimes there can be no legislating for sheer class from your opponent.

[svensson]

You have to question how much of that is just down to world class movement / anticipation / reading of the game on their part though. We could've been sharper, granted, but sometimes there can be no legislating for sheer class from your opponent.

 

Agree 100%, when you can't get near an opposition player what are you supposed to do??

[Dan]

I don't really agree re: Knockaert, but the game did show that he'll be able to take on and beat Premier League defenders as well. I just think his part in our conceding the first two goals really underlined some of the key flaws in his game. He has to start learning, and fast, if he wants to be a top flight player someday.

 

However I think you're spot on regarding the other three. The only way Dyer can possibly have come in for praise from anyone this evening is if they ignored the whole game apart from two bookings and a goal. The mind boggles.

 

Exactly how I feel. Well said.

 

I just can't bring myself to say 'we gave it everything we could' and that we played well because in my opinion we didn't. We started with Wasilewski at right back, who has never looked anything other than out of his depth there and we started with a striker who is yet to start for us, and although I've been wanting to see him given a go, the fact he was chosen tonight indicates to me that it wasn't being taken massively seriously. The game was over before it started for me.

 

I'm not saying we'd have won by any means but to have a single chance in a game like tonight, you've got to have complete focus on it and the teamsheet for me proved we didnt.

 

If we can turn up at QPR then I'll be happy but I can see us disappointing there and me leaving thinking... what exactly did we rest players against Man City for?

 

1-3 flattered us. That was a pasting.

 

Funny how people's opinions so vary on Knocky. I genuinely thought he was the only player that looked any sort of threat in the first half.

Yes he made errors, but they all did.

 

He's a bit of a liability defensively at times but I agree, he was the only one who looked like he had any genuine quality. I think we improved as a team when he went off but I think Vardy coming on for the ineffective GTF was a more important sub. I didn't think Vardy was bad tonight.

[Dan]

You have to question how much of that is just down to world class movement / anticipation / reading of the game on their part though. We could've been sharper, granted, but sometimes there can be no legislating for sheer class from your opponent.

 

I do agree with that, but does it really excuse the utter sloppiness from us? For me it was largely a mix of both Man City being very good and us being very poor and if it wasn't for them pretty much packing in at 0-3 and Schmeichel making some quality saves, then it'd have been a far greater scoreline.

[Guest Col city fan]

You have to question how much of that is just down to world class movement / anticipation / reading of the game on their part though. We could've been sharper, granted, but sometimes there can be no legislating for sheer class from your opponent.

Agree 100%, when you can't get near an opposition player what are you supposed to do??

 

Set up tactically to give yourself the best chance. Not be wide open like we were tonight.

Do you remember going away to Villa in the league cup, under Megson?

Turd though Megson was, that night he got it spot on... contain, soak up pressure, then hit on the counter.

Im not saying Villa were as good as Man City, but the point remains.

Tonight with the flat 4-4-2 we were completely exposed.

Yes, City were good, but Pearson got his set up completely wrong tonight.

[inckley fox]

Interesting to see your post match comments from Burnley ringing true here - the second half really does sit at the forefront of people's minds.

 

He didn't have a second half, so we haven't got much else to go on!

[svensson]

Set up tactically to give yourself the best chance. Not be wide open like we were tonight.

Do you remember going away to Villa in the league cup, under Megson?

Turd though Megson was, that night he got it spot on... contain, soak up pressure, then hit on the counter.

Im not saying Villa were as good as Man City, but the point remains.

Tonight with the flat 4-4-2 we were completely exposed.

Yes, City were good, but Pearson got his set up completely wrong tonight.

You can set up however you want, when a great deal of a teams play is one touch stuff it doesn't matter. We chased shadows at times and that is a testament to how good Man City are..

[Grewks]

Don't agree with the 'they played a weaker side' argument.

 

 

It was pretty identical to the side which played in Munich last week.

 

 

 

As to our own performance i thought it was pretty pathetic. To be outclassed is fair enough, but to kick the ball out of play every 3rd pass under no pressure is simply not good enough.

[inckley fox]

You can set up however you want, when a great deal of a teams play is one touch stuff it doesn't matter. We chased shadows at times and that is a testament to how good Man City are..

 

In the context of us being equally useless against Wednesday, Brighton and for prolonged spells against Burnley, it's never going to be looked on as a one-off. We have been awful for most of the past four games, against the weakest opposition we're likely to face all season, and the strongest.

 

As a few others have rightly stated, if we are similarly lightweight, half-hearted and prone to surrendering possession when not under pressure against QPR, then we'll be effortlessly dispatched then too.

[ealingfox]

Nice to know our defence is on a par with Bayern Munich's.

[cjslcfc]

Tonight was a bit depressing. They were just far too good and had a nice jog around for the second half. But, at least it wasn't a disgrace and we can now concentrate on the league.

 

Thoughts on our players. Wasilewski is not a RB and I never want to see him play there. Positionally all over the place there and is an absolute liability in that position. Thank god RDL is back!

 

Dyer played well. Nuge was completely ineffective and I'd prefer to see Schlupp start on Saturday ahead of him. Knocky, despite mistakes, always looks a genuine threat, even against a top team like City. I liked the look of James when he came on as well. I still think a Drinky, James and King midfield 3 can work and would like to see that on Saturday.

 

Also, Konchesky was very very poor today. Navas destroyed him.

 

Overall, can't complain too much but thought we showed a lack of grit and determination considering the occasion!!! That was very very disappointing.

[ozleicester]

Played reasonably well against one of the top 10 sides in the world at the moment, came away with a 1-3 loss that didnt embarrass us and exposed a couple of our weaknesses. No injuries, a full ground and the "Lie chester" City football club being mentioned in australia.

 

All in all an expected result and game.

 

Roll on Saturday, lets get in to the "Rs" and fvck em up, take the 3 points and head up the league.

[Captain...]

Knocky should not be played in a position where he has any sort of defensive responsibility, like Gallagher, don't put him in a position where he can cost us goals. A right side of Was and Knocky is going to leave us very exposed on that side. No pace and no cover. The question really is do you build a team around Knocky or play it safe? For this season I would set up to get the best out of our most talented player, but can we afford to play like that in the prem? 

[richardsfoxes]

I dont understand peoples logic behind attacking knocky, he was the only player in the first half who looked to try and do something, roaming around the pitch and trying to make something happen. The rest looked completely out of there depth apart from kingy, i completely understand pearsons reasoning for taking knockaert off though, he knew it was a loss and if he had stayed we probably would of conceded more due to the fact he was moving in and out of position to try and get the ball. 

[katieakita]

This would be the same Man City that put six past Arsenal at the weekend, six past Spurs before that and last week at Bayern Munich came from two down to win. They came with a strong team to win, the early goal hit us but we did ok. Our aim this season is promotion last night was a bonus and brought in good revenue.