Kramaric

[Captain...]

It wasn't a sitter though - 9 times out of ten that goes in the way it was struck, it was a frankly incredible reaction save from Vorm.

Probably 10 times out of 10 in the Croatian leagues and that is something he will have to pick up on quickly. Vorm is their reserve keeper and he can pull off a save like that, when you get a chance like that you have to give the keeper no chance because the standard is so much higher.

[shailen]

I'm not blaming the lad because his movement and anticipation is fantastic. This will get him goals for sure. The chance he had was a sitter I'm afraid, he did everything right, but you have to score from there. If that was Nugent, this forum would have exploded

[RedSoxUK]

I'm not blaming the lad because his movement and anticipation is fantastic. This will get him goals for sure. The chance he had was a sitter I'm afraid, he did everything right, but you have to score from there. If that was Nugent, this forum would have exploded

 

Nugent missed like three of them vs Stoke.

[shailen]

Nugent missed like three of them vs Stoke.

 

Think you're referring to the Villa game. Yes he did, and he should get slated for that, however he did a lot of positive things in that match, with his movement and his intelligence on the ball. Our strikers haven't been good this season, but don't just slate Nugent. Vardy has been ineffective in almost every game since his PL debut, Ulloa looks like a goal threat but isn't getting into those positions enough.

[JIMMYWILLIS]

By the way, just out of interest are you a big fan of the club? I notice you're still reserve team with a whopping 266 posts after 4 plus years on the site. Big football fan eh

REAL FANS SPEND ALL DAY ON FORUMS

[Xen]

Probably 10 times out of 10 in the Croatian leagues and that is something he will have to pick up on quickly. Vorm is their reserve keeper and he can pull off a save like that, when you get a chance like that you have to give the keeper no chance because the standard is so much higher.

Vorm may be a reserve keeper, but he's still one of the best in the prem. Most bottom half sides at least would gladly take him as first choice.

And if Kramaric can get himself in positions where a top keeper will save the shot only 10-20% of the time, then that's more than good enough, particularly in his first season over here. It was a fantastic save from a shot which Kramaric couldn't have done much more with, so get off his back.

[Captain...]

Vorm may be a reserve keeper, but he's still one of the best in the prem. Most bottom half sides at least would gladly take him as first choice.

And if Kramaric can get himself in positions where a top keeper will save the shot only 10-20% of the time, then that's more than good enough, particularly in his first season over here. It was a fantastic save from a shot which Kramaric couldn't have done much more with, so get off his back.

Not on his back, just saying that he will have to adjust to a better standard because he is playing in a league where even the reserve keepers are better than what he is used to. He could have taken a lower percentage shot and aimed for the inside of the post and further away from the keeper but he took the easier shot as that would be a goal in Croatia. He'll know next time you can't give the keeper a sniff.

It's part of his learning curve, no drama.

[dontbelievethehype]

Hi there.

 

I think LCFC shouldn't have bought Kramarić. I am a season ticket holder for his former club and while he was doing great here, he has obvious limitations that will prove to be decisive for his time at Leicester.

 

1. He heavily depends on service. Seeing the Leicester struggles most of all in midfield area, not creating many chances, that will be a big problem. If Leicester had the midfield of Bayern, he would do good. That's the weirdest decision your manager made, buying a striker that is not 'one man band' while he obviously needs one. Kramarić will not create chances for himself in England (see point 2).

2. He is neither slow nor fast, ie. he is not someone who will outpace his opponent. As you saw with his 'trying to get at the man', he is bound to lose more duels than he did in Croatia. His lack of blistering pace didn't matter here, but will matter a lot there because the defenders are stronger, faster and more skillful. In Croatia he was very good one v one. That means one of his better skills has been annulled. 

3. He still has a good positioning and shooting + passing. He is a good technician and if you have a good attacking midfielder (or two) with good final ball, it might work, but I'm skeptical. Mahrez probably fits the bill more than the rest, but we will see.

 

But without trying to bash anyone, I think you will be disappointed in the end. Not that I want that, but sometimes you simply see that someone is not THAT good to be a success in PL. He is a great character, a real hard worker, but that will matter little. He is 23, he will not develop physically as much. He is in range of Iago Aspas from Liverpool, a lightweight player who could do well in less demanding league. Hope I'm wrong, and please don't kill the messenger.

[benpicko]

We were creating plenty of chances a couple of matches ago before the Drinkwater and King pairing, and immediately after Nugent came back...

[Sly]

Hi there.

I think LCFC shouldn't have bought Kramarić. I am a season ticket holder for his former club and while he was doing great here, he has obvious limitations that will prove to be decisive for his time at Leicester.

1. He heavily depends on service. Seeing the Leicester struggles most of all in midfield area, not creating many chances, that will be a big problem. If Leicester had the midfield of Bayern, he would do good. That's the weirdest decision your manager made, buying a striker that is not 'one man band' while he obviously needs one. Kramarić will not create chances for himself in England (see point 2).

2. He is neither slow nor fast, ie. he is not someone who will outpace his opponent. As you saw with his 'trying to get at the man', he is bound to lose more duels than he did in Croatia. His lack of blistering pace didn't matter here, but will matter a lot there because the defenders are stronger, faster and more skillful. In Croatia he was very good one v one. That means one of his better skills has been annulled.

3. He still has a good positioning and shooting + passing. He is a good technician and if you have a good attacking midfielder (or two) with good final ball, it might work, but I'm skeptical. Mahrez probably fits the bill more than the rest, but we will see.

But without trying to bash anyone, I think you will be disappointed in the end. Not that I want that, but sometimes you simply see that someone is not THAT good to be a success in PL. He is a great character, a real hard worker, but that will matter little. He is 23, he will not develop physically as much. He is in range of Iago Aspas from Liverpool, a lightweight player who could do well in less demanding league. Hope I'm wrong, and please don't kill the messenger.

You make him sound like Matty Fryatt!!

[dontbelievethehype]

We were creating plenty of chances a couple of matches ago before the Drinkwater and King pairing, and immediately after Nugent came back...

 

 

You make him sound like Matty Fryatt!!

 

 

Like I've said, there is no malice here, I like the lad and I'd love if he made it there, but the general opinion of his former fans is that he made a step too far at this point of his career. Let's be honest, you don't have time to wait for him to get stronger, you need him to start scoring right away. 

 

@benpicko - Leicester creates 7.6 key passes per game and they are 18th in the league.  

[benpicko]

Like I've said, there is no malice here, I like the lad and I'd love if he made it there, but the general opinion of his former fans is that he made a step too far at this point of his career. Let's be honest, you don't have time to wait for him to get stronger, you need him to start scoring right away.

@benpicko - Leicester creates 7.6 key passes per game and they are 18th in the league.

I realise there was a run of like 10 matches where we couldn't create anything because we had a similarly shocking midfield to the one we played on Saturday and we were playing Ulloa in Nugent's position, but up until James was sent off and Kramarić was put in for Nugent we were creating a decent amount for a run of matches. Look at how many we created when we lost to Spurs for example.

[Blanchflower78]

Cmon be fair, every promoted club blows 8-10m on a misfiring European striker (who previously was pretty hot) - we're not alone in that...

[dontbelievethehype]

Cmon be fair, every promoted club blows 8-10m on a misfiring European striker (who previously was pretty hot) - we're not alone in that...

 

Midfield is the key for every club, so is for LCFC. If you build a good midfield, you'll improve drastically. 

[Fox Ulike]

I realise there was a run of like 10 matches where we couldn't create anything because we had a similarly shocking midfield to the one we played on Saturday and we were playing Ulloa in Nugent's position, but up until James was sent off and Kramarić was put in for Nugent we were creating a decent amount for a run of matches. Look at how many we created when we lost to Spurs for example.

 

But it’s not Nugent himself who’s key but it’s his role that’s so important.

 

When Nugent plays well, he links the midfield and attack and we create chances. Unfortunately though, we have now spent £9m on a back-up for £8m Ulloa, but have no-one who is any better than Nugent.

[lgfualol]

I can't wait for him to play with Mahrez. 

 

I will call them Kramahrez

[RokoNZ]

Hi there.

 

I think LCFC shouldn't have bought Kramarić. I am a season ticket holder for his former club and while he was doing great here, he has obvious limitations that will prove to be decisive for his time at Leicester.

 

1. He heavily depends on service. Seeing the Leicester struggles most of all in midfield area, not creating many chances, that will be a big problem. If Leicester had the midfield of Bayern, he would do good. That's the weirdest decision your manager made, buying a striker that is not 'one man band' while he obviously needs one. Kramarić will not create chances for himself in England (see point 2).

2. He is neither slow nor fast, ie. he is not someone who will outpace his opponent. As you saw with his 'trying to get at the man', he is bound to lose more duels than he did in Croatia. His lack of blistering pace didn't matter here, but will matter a lot there because the defenders are stronger, faster and more skillful. In Croatia he was very good one v one. That means one of his better skills has been annulled. 

3. He still has a good positioning and shooting + passing. He is a good technician and if you have a good attacking midfielder (or two) with good final ball, it might work, but I'm skeptical. Mahrez probably fits the bill more than the rest, but we will see.

 

But without trying to bash anyone, I think you will be disappointed in the end. Not that I want that, but sometimes you simply see that someone is not THAT good to be a success in PL. He is a great character, a real hard worker, but that will matter little. He is 23, he will not develop physically as much. He is in range of Iago Aspas from Liverpool, a lightweight player who could do well in less demanding league. Hope I'm wrong, and please don't kill the messenger.

 

What a crock this is, full of only half truths. I lived in Zagreb and watched him when he was a huge young talent at 17, and he's the best striker that has come out of Croatia since Eduardo went to Arsenal. He is good enough to make it here, but this team is not good enough for him to make it here. That's 2 different things right there. He spent the whole game chasing shadows because this team is constantly on the back foot. He has nothing to work with around him, the players who should be providing service for him like Albrighton come on when he leaves. He needs an industrious type like Nugent to do the dirty work for him, so until the set up is sorted he will look like a failure. He certainly looked good at every age group level and for the national team, but I don't see any Modric's and Rakitic's in this side. He's an Eduardo type player, and needs an Arsenal midfiled to do what he does best, score goals. The biggest problem, and don'tbelieve... is also in here, is that you just expected him to rock up into a bottom of the table team and score for fun. Sorry, but it took great players like Modric 4 months to adapt from the Croatian league, and as I've stated already, by April he will look great. Too late for you yes, but it will also prove don'tbelieve totally wrong in time. But hey, he must know better than every ex footballer in Croatia and the national team coach

 

It's just the reality of every player who comes from a slower league, they ALL need 3-4 months to adapt. Think Markovic and co at Liverpool who are only now getting up to the speed. There is nothing wrong with Kramaric aprt from a woeful lack of service. The plus is that the national team gets a fitter stronger player, and when he has top players like Modric around him he will look great again

[dontbelievethehype]

What a crock this is, full of only half truths. I lived in Zagreb and watched him when he was a huge young talent at 17, and he's the best striker that has come out of Croatia since Eduardo went to Arsenal. He is good enough to make it here, but this team is not good enough for him to make it here. That's 2 different things right there. He spent the whole game chasing shadows because this team is constantly on the back foot. He has nothing to work with around him, the players who should be providing service for him like Albrighton come on when he leaves. He needs an industrious type like Nugent to do the dirty work for him, so until the set up is sorted he will look like a failure. He certainly looked good at every age group level and for the national team, but I don't see any Modric's and Rakitic's in this side. He's an Eduardo type player, and needs an Arsenal midfiled to do what he does best, score goals. The biggest problem, and don'tbelieve... is also in here, is that you just expected him to rock up into a bottom of the table team and score for fun. Sorry, but it took great players like Modric 4 months to adapt from the Croatian league, and as I've stated already, by April he will look great. Too late for you yes, but it will also prove don'tbelieve totally wrong in time. But hey, he must know better than every ex footballer in Croatia and the national team coach

 

It's just the reality of every player who comes from a slower league, they ALL need 3-4 months to adapt. Think Markovic and co at Liverpool who are only now getting up to the speed. There is nothing wrong with Kramaric aprt from a woeful lack of service. The plus is that the national team gets a fitter stronger player, and when he has top players like Modric around him he will look great again

 

Nice choice of font. You should read my post again, the half - truth man. 

 

If you really compare Modric to Kramaric, you are not worth really discussing with. 

[Steven]

http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2015/feb/06/andrej-kramaric-leicester-city-record-signing

 

Andrej Kramaric was six years old when his father, Josip, first took him to Dinamo Zagreb’s training ground. The boy had been complaining that he had no one to play football with any more: all of his friends had started school and Andrej was stuck in nursery for one more year.

“One day, Dad put me in the car and didn’t say where we were going,” Leicester City’s record signing remembers. As it turned out, they stopped just down the road, five tram stops from their home in Zagreb’s Subiceva street. Initially, the Dinamo youth coaches told him to go away and “grow up a bit” as he was much smaller than the other kids but Josip managed to persuade them to let him join in and it did not take long before they realised that while he was small for his age, he was faster than anyone else there and possessed a technique well beyond his age.

Those five tram stops became Andrej’s everyday journey for the next 16 years. From his first official game, when he wore a kit so big that you could not see his legs but still managed to score twice, to the summer of 2013, when he left the club, he was a Dinamo child through and through – a local boy and a hero in the making. Idolising Davor Suker early on, Kramaric developed an insatiable hunger for scoring, almost an obsession: by his own count, he scored 452 times for Dinamo youth teams from 1997 to 2009. Goals, goals, goals … they were always on his mind and he could never get enough of them.

He still has the same hunger, as his scoring record proves: 28 in 31 appearances for Rijeka this season, 30 in 41 last term. But that is not to say that Kramaric is the kind of No9 who needs his opportunities served on a plate; instead, he likes to get involved in link-up play, dropping back to get the ball or pulling wide to create space for others. In one TV interview, he said the style he wants to emulate would be “something between Mario Götze and Robert Lewandowski”.

There is no doubt, though, that he is at his best as a poacher, which probably drove Niko Kovac, the Croatia manager, to compare Kramaric to his childhood hero Suker. “He’s a genuine goal-getter,” Kovac said after giving Kramaric a debut in a September friendly against Cyprus. “And those dummies? You don’t see something like that very often – he doesn’t just beat opponents with his dribbles, he throws the whole stand off balance.” Earlier this season, failure to cope with a sharp Kramaric turn put the Dinamo defender Lee Addy in hospital, requiring knee surgery that will keep him out for six months.

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Of course, Kramaric has weaknesses too. He is not the strongest of players and can get outmuscled by defenders who mark him closely – which has not often been the case in the Croatian league but could be with Leicester in the Premier League – and he does not have a huge presence in the air. There is room for improvement in the defensive aspect of his game but as he said, rather philosophically, in an interview for the Sportski.net website: “There’s an upside to every weakness. I may want to be more aggressive and maybe I get into games too cool-headed. Then again, maybe that’s exactly what makes scoring easier for me.”

He might need that cool head more than anything else as his Leicester career develops. Nigel Pearson’s side create chances but finishing has not been their strong suit in the top flight. What they need is someone apart from Leonardo Ulloa to score – and Kramaric is not only a lethal finisher but also versatile enough to play as a lone striker, or just off or even behind a centre-forward. Many of his goals so far have come from supportive roles.

The problem, however, is that the Foxes will need him to start banging them very soon and cannot afford to wait while he adapts to English football. Although Kramaric is a wonderfully gifted player – fast, technical and very clever in using space – scoring in Croatia (or even in the Europa League, a competition in which he recorded seven goals this season, including a hat-trick against Feyenoord) will not have prepared him for the trials and tribulations of a Premier League relegation battle.

There are doubts. The fee, £9.7m, is rather steep for a player still unproven at the highest level, and the superstitious will see it as a bad omen that a mediator in the transfer was Bosko Balaban of all people – the Croatian striker who had such a bad experience at Aston Villa that fans named him the club’s worst signing ever in one poll. The issue of Kramaric’s age (23) has been raised as well – these days players in Croatia generally move to big leagues earlier in their careers.

The truth is that Kramaric has not been ready until now. Obviously, he attracted interest of major European clubs as a free-scoring teenager in Dinamo Zagrebacademy a few years ago, but the club would not sell him back then. However, they were impatient with his development and, as senior coaches tended to favour the more experienced players, Kramaric became impatient as well. After complaining about a lack of playing time in August 2013, he was immediately transfer-listed and Rijeka grabbed him on the last day of the transfer window.

So it was only after the Zagreb-born and bred kid moved away from home that his career really took off, as he has been constantly improving under the tutelage of Rijeka’s respected Slovenian coach, Matjaz Kek. Now he is already considered a valuable member of the national team, perhaps even a starter, scoring twice in his four appearances so far. Goals, goals, goals … they have flowed steadily for Kramaric, but that has not made him complacent.

“I want to do more,” he told Uefa’s website before the transfer window opened. “This is not the pinnacle for me. I am working hard and believe I can be even better.”

[lgfualol]

I am praying he get his first goal tomorrow. Please please please.

[Nick]

I think he'll score tomorrow.

[SecretPro]

Has to or he will be dragged and his confidence will be shot and he will be shit for the rest of the season.

[LCCFox96]

His movement has looked sharp throughout parts of the games he has featured in so far. Hopefully the return of Mahrez and the possible reintroduction of Albrighton (that Pearson alluded to yesterday), or even Knockaert, will provide him with a bit more creative service. 

 

I hope he nets his first goal tomorrow.

[Ric Flair]

I expect a goal tomorrow.

[Col city fan]

If he doesn't prove to be much good, this will be one Hell of an expensive gamble!

Personally, I think he'll be ok.