Leicester Match report and mom

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Cherries outfoxed

Sometimes you just deserve to get beaten, and so it was today.

I looked at the line up with optimism. Plenty of pace against Morgan at the back, Wee man and Brooke’s wide and 2 actual midfielders. Stan returning to the subs bench was also a good sign, although no extra midfielder on the bench left us with little options.

Our fans were in good voice before kick off and throughout the first half.

There was some early optimism with Fraser and Brooke’s working the wings well but lacking the final ball. As often happens with us, a lot of passing without going anywhere. Leicester however, with only Vardy up front, but well supported by fast running midfielders and quick passing looked dangerous every time they came forward. They had a flurry of early corners, the last of which resulted in the first goal. A training ground corner routine saw a ball delivered to Maddison on the edge of the box, deceiving our defensive line and although Maddison’s shot was wayward, Morgan flicked it into the net. It showed the benefit of getting a shot away.

We almost had an immediate response with Fraser beating his man and delivering the perfect ball to an on rushing Wilson only a few yards out. Somehow, and with Cherries fans starting to celebrate, Schmichel stuck out an arm to punch it away. It was a tremendous reflex save but was hit straight at him although at pace.

King also nearly converted a Fraser cross when side footing just high and wide when well placed.

Apart from some comedy shooting from Lerma, I don’t remember many more efforts on goal in the first half. The hosts seem to have changed style and were very good in possession both at the back, where they passed the ball around to the frustration of our forwards, and in midfield where they dominated us with the extra man.

So half time came and we hoped for a better showing.

I was hoping for a more direct approach to test the Leicester back line and bypass a hardworking but outnumbered middle. Wilson, apart from the 1 glorious chance never really had a sniff and King, although showing some nice touches ran into traffic too often.

I found the substitution of lerma slightly baffling given the acres of space that Leicester created but completely understood Daniels being replaced by Rico. It’s a shame to see one of our great servants being beaten time and again. Stan was given a run out too but it never looked likely we would score.

Out of nothing really, the home side had their 2nd when a floated cross evaded Ake and Vardy beat Mepham to head in via the cross bar. To be fair, it was deserved. In fact we were lucky not concede several more. Vardy missed a sitter (1st half) and with more forwards on the pitch in the last 20, huge spaces were available for the foxes to exploit.

So although we may be almost safe, I think fans mag still be looking over their shoulders, especially with teams below us picking up points. Cardiff surely won’t catch us though will they....?

Begovic 5 at fault for 2nd goal coming to punch and missing
Daniels 5 sad to see, although still getting forward
Ake 7 some great last gasp blocks
Mepham 6 could have been stronger for 2nd goal?
Clyne 5 distinctly average
Brooks 6 started well but faded. Took some strong tackles
Fraser 6.5 our best attacking outlet 1st half
Lerma 6 good work rate, woeful shooting
Gosling 6 hard working. Silly booking. Wayward passing at times
Wilson 6 not a sniff after the chance
King 6 ran into blind alleys too often

Subs
Stan 5 anonymous
Solanke 5 didn’t impact
Rico 5.5 maybe more defensively solid

MOM Ake again
 
Begovic 5 - a couple of simple, routine saves, made a hash of the 2nd and gave the ball away every sodding time he aimlessly launched it upfield.

Clyne 6 - solid enough defensively but just doesn't provide anything going forward.

Daniels 4 - asking for trouble putting Daniels up against Gray and the former was consistently torn to pieces, looked lost going forward.

Mepham 6 - some very poor distribution, generally quite solid defensively but needlessly played Vardy onside time and time again.

Ake 7 - defensively won most battles, but not so comfortable with the ball at his feet. Easily the pick of the bunch.

Brooks 4 - a total shadow of himself, ran around a lot but not able to stamp his mark on the game at all.

Lerma 5 - marmite. Mix of world class and playground level football. He was actively cautious in making tackles (instructions from the bench?) but still rushed into them,leaving us exposed numerous times.

Gosling 4 - usual motor and work rate but no end product in possession.

Fraser 5 - played well first half, was he even on the pitch in the second? No idea how he wasn't subbed.

King 5 - ran well with ball at his feet, otherwise static. It's weird but sometimes it's as if he wants to see his team mates fail.

Wilson 3 - maybe I'm being overly generous. Rantie wouldn't ever have played this badly. Missed a sitter and then eaten alive by Leicester. I don't recall him holding the ball up once.
 
Given how knaccered this team looks, after 30 odd PL games, a season in which we vaguely progressed in one cup and instantly withdrew from another, how on earth could we possibly think about 7th place and a stab at Europe?

Even in a season where we've tried to play more counter based football, sitting a bit deeper which generally uses less energy. We're still shagged.

Makes you wonder what goes on in training and with all the sports science stuff we do.
 
What I don't understand is you could clearly see at the start of the second half the Leicester defenders shielding there eyes from the sun so why not try some crosses into the box and some high balls in to see what could happen yet I don't recall anything for about 20 mins or so and the Leicester players got used to it.
 
Been to 3 away games this season; Burnley, Newcastle and yesterday. All 3 have been non-performances where we've been second best all over the pitch against teams we should fancy our chances against.

Today our pressing felt half hearted, our passing was woeful, our movement was poor and our crossing was awful.

Centre of defence didn't do much wrong but otherwise there were no positives. I'm still hoping for a grandstand finish to the season but on this evidence we're going to fall over the line.

We are missing key players, Adam Smith and Lewis Cook in particular, but we have to find a way of overcoming their absence. Our appalling away form is making me fearful for next season already.
 
I was surprised that Boruc was dropped and unfortunately Begovic didn't really show why he had been picked.

I think people are being a bit harsh with Daniels. He took a knock midway through the first half and probably should have been withdrawn a lot earlier.

Clyne was poor. We really do miss Smithy.

Both Mepham and Ake played well. I thought the second goal was more Begovic's fault than Mepham.

I actually thought Gosser and Jeff had ok games but they were over run by a faster and more plentiful Leicester midfield.

The front four, apart from one or two moments, were appalling. There was very little movement and they offered no real threat. Brooks had the worst game I've seen him play. Fraser seemed to wander infield too much in search of a pass and became ineffective as a result (apart from that one cross). Of the front two, Wilson didn't turn up and King kept running into trouble.

The substitutions made no difference at all. If Rico is the replacement for Daniels then I am very worried.

Overall it was a very poor performance, reminiscent of Cardiff.

:utc:
 
Audenshaw Cherry said:
I was surprised that Boruc was dropped and unfortunately Begovic didn't really show why he had been picked.

I think people are being a bit harsh with Daniels. He took a knock midway through the first half and probably should have been withdrawn a lot earlier.

Clyne was poor. We really do miss Smithy.

Both Mepham and Ake played well. I thought the second goal was more Begovic's fault than Mepham.

I actually thought Gosser and Jeff had ok games but they were over run by a faster and more plentiful Leicester midfield.

The front four, apart from one or two moments, were appalling. There was very little movement and they offered no real threat. Brooks had the worst game I've seen him play. Fraser seemed to wander infield too much in search of a pass and became ineffective as a result (apart from that one cross). Of the front two, Wilson didn't turn up and King kept running into trouble.

The substitutions made no difference at all. If Rico is the replacement for Daniels then I am very worried.

Overall it was a very poor performance, reminiscent of Cardiff.

:utc:
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That pretty much sums up how I saw it too and, like Cardiff, it was another otherwise good day out in the sun ruined by our performance.

Have to give mention to the Leicester fans tribute to their late chairman in the 61st minute - all the stadium on their feet and joining in with their version of "had a dream" - very good.
 
Begovic 5 - A chance to stake a claim once more. Not a disastrous performance by any means but very disappointing. Doesn't seem to care much. I hope he finds another "exciting project" in the future.

Clyne 5 - Becoming a 5 out of 10 every week. An able defender with no attacking initiative whatsoever. Missing Smith.

Mepham 5 - Nervy performance. Really skittish on the ball, with some poor passes and positioning throughout. Definitely not terrible or anything, just not great.

Ake 7 (MOM) - Excellent individual display of last minute blocks, tackles and interceptions. His headed clearances are awful though.

Daniels 4 - Very poor. Gray absolutely tortured him for 60 minutes before EH put him out of his misery. Looks like he's lost all of his pace.

Brooks 4 - Did absolutely nothing of note. Is playing like he's injured, but it might just be that he needs a rest? Still young, still learning.

Gosling 3 - This performance was what I'd like to call a "Gosling Spectacular". Meek on the ball, AWFUL passing, charging around out of position constantly, consistent, unnecessary fouls. Surman is a better footballer, and I'd keep him ahead of Gosling any day. This is coming from a Gosling fan, mind you. I appreciate the qualities he brings to the side...when he brings them. Not helped either by getting himself booked immediately after Lerma went off.

Lerma 5 - Probably his worst game for us. Retained a sliver of his tough tackling and tracking back. But like Gosling, was charging around, getting hopelessly overrun. His choices to shoot are changing from a funny recurring meme, to a bit of a problem. Needs a regular partner in midfield, or a at least a more adventurous one. Gosling is just Lerma but worse in every way (except for goalscoring).

Fraser 5 - Actually had a very good first half; for my money this was his first decent 45 minutes in about 2 months. Should've had an assist. Disappeared second half and should've been subbed.

King 6 - Was really, REALLY trying to make things happen. Good positive running, tracking back and generally good passing. Has a habit of giving away stupid fouls when frustrated. Understandable.

Wilson 2 - I'm not giving him this score lightly. Without a shadow of a doubt, his worst game for us. Probably the worst game of football he's played in his entire career. He didn't make a single positive contribution in the 90 minutes he played. No hold up play, no movement, no tracking back, no closing down, Afobe-esque "pointing" at King to get him to close down rather than move himself. Missed an absolute SITTER in the first half, which was his only shot. Watching King try and support Wilson all game was like watching a three-legged race at your local schools Sports Day- except one of the kids has Spina Bifida. HAS to be doing better than this.

Subs:
Rico 6 - Came on for the bedraggled Daniels. Thought he looked decent enough; sharp, kept up with Gray much easier, got forward well with some positive crosses. Should come in for Daniels next game.

Solanke 5 - Came on for Lerma, wasn't able to affect the game at all unfortunately- showed off some nice flashes of technique.

Stanislas 6 - Started off well, showed some intelligent and crisp passing, tried to link up with the forwards. Should've closed the cross down better for the second goal, however.

Bonus:
Eddie Howe 3 - Wouldn't usually pick up on the managers performance, but I thought EH had a day to forget. Yet again, a flat 4-4-2, leading to a chasm between midfield and attack, and a depressingly thin midfield that put the defence under pressure, time and time and time again. I have no idea what our gameplan was; we weren't set up to counterattack, dominate the ball or use pace. It seemed like our only tactic was to hoof it..., sorry, play it down the channels to Wilson, who didn't move all game. Easy to play against, easy to beat. Insipid

Starting Daniels against a speed merchant like Gray was never going to work (Gray did have a very good game, it has to be said). This meant that we had one sub wasted just to try and stem the flow down the left. Then EH completely lost his mind. Solanke on for...Lerma? He wasn't having a good game, but he was playing like Zidane when compared to Gosling. The formation wasn't working, so what we instead went with was 4-4-2, but with our best striker on the day shunted out to the wing. But then a few minutes later, we took King off anyway for Stanislas. King looked furious, and I completely empathize with him. I'd be pretty miffed too if my manager preferred the sack of potatoes that was Wilson over me in my favoured role.

I would've brought on Solanke and Rico for Wilson and Daniels on the 56 minute mark; just to see if the system would have any merit with some actual effort upfront. If not, you can then alter the formation slightly based on what you need to happen. We could have gone 4-2-3-1, with King just behind Solanke or vice-versa, Gosling and Lerma sitting deep, and then Brooks/Fraser/Stanislas/Ibe on the wings supporting the attack. You could have gone 4-3-3, with a midfield of Lerma, Gosling and Brooks looking ahead to supply whoevers left up top. But no, we just stuck with 4-4-2 even though it's ****************.

Really disappointing result that probably ends our season in terms of achieving anything meaningful. Injuries have done us in, but more often than not the players have simply let themselves down. They should be neck and neck with Wolves, Watford etc. for 7th- but as EH says, "We're still not safe". Joy.
 
NWCherries98 said:
Begovic 5 - A chance to stake a claim once more. Not a disastrous performance by any means but very disappointing. Doesn't seem to care much. I hope he finds another "exciting project" in the future.

Clyne 5 - Becoming a 5 out of 10 every week. An able defender with no attacking initiative whatsoever. Missing Smith.

Mepham 5 - Nervy performance. Really skittish on the ball, with some poor passes and positioning throughout. Definitely not terrible or anything, just not great.

Ake 7 (MOM) - Excellent individual display of last minute blocks, tackles and interceptions. His headed clearances are awful though.

Daniels 4 - Very poor. Gray absolutely tortured him for 60 minutes before EH put him out of his misery. Looks like he's lost all of his pace.

Brooks 4 - Did absolutely nothing of note. Is playing like he's injured, but it might just be that he needs a rest? Still young, still learning.

Gosling 3 - This performance was what I'd like to call a "Gosling Spectacular". Meek on the ball, AWFUL passing, charging around out of position constantly, consistent, unnecessary fouls. Surman is a better footballer, and I'd keep him ahead of Gosling any day. This is coming from a Gosling fan, mind you. I appreciate the qualities he brings to the side...when he brings them. Not helped either by getting himself booked immediately after Lerma went off.

Lerma 5 - Probably his worst game for us. Retained a sliver of his tough tackling and tracking back. But like Gosling, was charging around, getting hopelessly overrun. His choices to shoot are changing from a funny recurring meme, to a bit of a problem. Needs a regular partner in midfield, or a at least a more adventurous one. Gosling is just Lerma but worse in every way (except for goalscoring).

Fraser 5 - Actually had a very good first half; for my money this was his first decent 45 minutes in about 2 months. Should've had an assist. Disappeared second half and should've been subbed.

King 6 - Was really, REALLY trying to make things happen. Good positive running, tracking back and generally good passing. Has a habit of giving away stupid fouls when frustrated. Understandable.

Wilson 2 - I'm not giving him this score lightly. Without a shadow of a doubt, his worst game for us. Probably the worst game of football he's played in his entire career. He didn't make a single positive contribution in the 90 minutes he played. No hold up play, no movement, no tracking back, no closing down, Afobe-esque "pointing" at King to get him to close down rather than move himself. Missed an absolute SITTER in the first half, which was his only shot. Watching King try and support Wilson all game was like watching a three-legged race at your local schools Sports Day- except one of the kids has Spina Bifida. HAS to be doing better than this.

Subs:
Rico 6 - Came on for the bedraggled Daniels. Thought he looked decent enough; sharp, kept up with Gray much easier, got forward well with some positive crosses. Should come in for Daniels next game.

Solanke 5 - Came on for Lerma, wasn't able to affect the game at all unfortunately- showed off some nice flashes of technique.

Stanislas 6 - Started off well, showed some intelligent and crisp passing, tried to link up with the forwards. Should've closed the cross down better for the second goal, however.

Bonus:
Eddie Howe 3 - Wouldn't usually pick up on the managers performance, but I thought EH had a day to forget. Yet again, a flat 4-4-2, leading to a chasm between midfield and attack, and a depressingly thin midfield that put the defence under pressure, time and time and time again. I have no idea what our gameplan was; we weren't set up to counterattack, dominate the ball or use pace. It seemed like our only tactic was to hoof it..., sorry, play it down the channels to Wilson, who didn't move all game. Easy to play against, easy to beat. Insipid

Starting Daniels against a speed merchant like Gray was never going to work (Gray did have a very good game, it has to be said). This meant that we had one sub wasted just to try and stem the flow down the left. Then EH completely lost his mind. Solanke on for...Lerma? He wasn't having a good game, but he was playing like Zidane when compared to Gosling. The formation wasn't working, so what we instead went with was 4-4-2, but with our best striker on the day shunted out to the wing. But then a few minutes later, we took King off anyway for Stanislas. King looked furious, and I completely empathize with him. I'd be pretty miffed too if my manager preferred the sack of potatoes that was Wilson over me in my favoured role.

I would've brought on Solanke and Rico for Wilson and Daniels on the 56 minute mark; just to see if the system would have any merit with some actual effort upfront. If not, you can then alter the formation slightly based on what you need to happen. We could have gone 4-2-3-1, with King just behind Solanke or vice-versa, Gosling and Lerma sitting deep, and then Brooks/Fraser/Stanislas/Ibe on the wings supporting the attack. You could have gone 4-3-3, with a midfield of Lerma, Gosling and Brooks looking ahead to supply whoevers left up top. But no, we just stuck with 4-4-2 even though it's ****.

Really disappointing result that probably ends our season in terms of achieving anything meaningful. Injuries have done us in, but more often than not the players have simply let themselves down. They should be neck and neck with Wolves, Watford etc. for 7th- but as EH says, "We're still not safe". Joy.
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Ouch !!!!!!
 
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