Leon Bailey (out on loan to AS Roma)

[eamonn]

Yeah, Diaby and Bailey rarely dovetailed. The lad's gone to Saudi, leave him to it.

We're stronger as a whole. Bailey will come again when he's fully fit and has a bit more confidence.

[Risso]

He doesn't look in anyway unfit, and he's just had two weeks off as he's not playing for Jamaica as it stands.

[Ian.]

I really miss his mesmerising dancing feet tormenting full backs. Hopefully he will come good soon because when he’s on form there’s not many better wingers around.  I’m sure it’s just confidence with him and nothing else.

[Dave]

A couple of musings - thought he was very unlucky with some refereeing decision in the first half. And while he's still not completely on it, he still seemed involved and another day he gets a toe on the Duran knock down or that shot at the beginning of the second half creeps the other side of the post and he's back in business.

However, I wonder if Rogers' form is part of the reason for Bailey's drop in productivity?

So many goals last season were Bailey driving to the line, chucking in a step-over then crossing low for Watkins, or cutting inside himself and scoring.

Now, he gets to the corner of the box having drawn two defenders to him, looks up and 90% of the time sees an easy pass to Rogers which he wasn't getting so much with Tielemans or Diaby in that position last season.

So now that he's got an easier ball, he's taking that and doing much less of the stuff that was so good before.

[Mister E]

A couple of musings - thought he was very unlucky with some refereeing decision in the first half. And while he's still not completely on it, he still seemed involved and another day he gets a toe on the Duran knock down or that shot at the beginning of the second half creeps the other side of the post and he's back in business.

However, I wonder if Rogers' form is part of the reason for Bailey's drop in productivity?

So many goals last season were Bailey driving to the line, chucking in a step-over then crossing low for Watkins, or cutting inside himself and scoring.

Now, he gets to the corner of the box having drawn two defenders to him, looks up and 90% of the time sees an easy pass to Rogers which he wasn't getting so much with Tielemans or Diaby in that position last season.

So now that he's got an easier ball, he's taking that and doing much less of the stuff that was so good before.

He started brightly last night and I thought that he was going to be really influential. And, he made one or two super passes: one in the first half into Rogers which resulted in a shot on goal, and one  in the second when played a beautiful pass down the line with the outside of his left foot.
However, he seemed to become despondent very quickly after a couple of tough tackles on him and decisions that did not go his way; after which he became increasingly peripheral.
I'm not sure about your analysis, Dave: I don't remember him hitting the goal-line much last season - it's been my real annoyance about him that he rarely goes on the outside and crosses from the goal-line - but I do think that if he were doing that more often we'd score more because of the movement of Watkins, Rogers and Ramsey in the box and Tielemans on the edge.
At the moment, I'd prescribe some time on the bench, coming on later in the game (for the sake of clarity, I've never quite warmed to the idea of Leon as a class act ...).

[cdbearsfan]

He seems to be maybe lacking a bit of confidence, but still not hiding from the ball. I think maybe our lop-sided formation means he's on his own a lot, too, and quite often has a couple of defenders on him.

[PeterWithe]

He's not playing well, but how refreshing that we now have one player out of form rather than most of them.

[Dave]

I'm not sure about your analysis, Dave: I don't remember him hitting the goal-line much last season - it's been my real annoyance about him that he rarely goes on the outside and crosses from the goal-line - but I do think that if he were doing that more often we'd score more because of the movement of Watkins, Rogers and Ramsey in the box and Tielemans on the edge.

I might be misremembering, but McGinn against Arsenal and Watkins against Forest definitely stick in my mind.

It definitely feels to me that his go-to decision this season is a pass along the edge of the penalty box rather than having the confidence do try and do something himself, which the numbers show he definitely was trying last season. 

[eye digress]

McGinn against Everton, too, and I’m sure there were others. Plus the alternative move of driving down the line and cutting back around the corner of the box also seems to have disappeared. But that seems mostly to be because he doesn’t look confident in driving at the opponent, and so ends up dithering and then losing possession. He needs a thing or two to come off for him, as right now it seems that virtually nothing does, and that must be playing on his mind.

[LeeB]

He started pretty solidly, but then seemed to get into a funk after not getting the free kick when the defender was pulling him back.

[jon collett]

He doesn't look in anyway unfit, and he's just had two weeks off as he's not playing for Jamaica as it stands.

Not sure - he no longer seems to have the acceleration which was so exhilarating and led to goals against Manchester City and Arsenal last year. I've pondered before whether he has a hernia or something similar. There was a huge contrast between him and Maatsen in terms of pace last night.

[Hookeysmith]

A couple of musings - thought he was very unlucky with some refereeing decision in the first half. And while he's still not completely on it, he still seemed involved and another day he gets a toe on the Duran knock down or that shot at the beginning of the second half creeps the other side of the post and he's back in business.

However, I wonder if Rogers' form is part of the reason for Bailey's drop in productivity?

So many goals last season were Bailey driving to the line, chucking in a step-over then crossing low for Watkins, or cutting inside himself and scoring.

Now, he gets to the corner of the box having drawn two defenders to him, looks up and 90% of the time sees an easy pass to Rogers which he wasn't getting so much with Tielemans or Diaby in that position last season.

So now that he's got an easier ball, he's taking that and doing much less of the stuff that was so good before.

That is a very well observed point and i would also add that he was so dangerous last season that teams are just not affording him the space he had previously.  He is not a bad player he just needs to bang one in and he will be back

[Risso]

It definitely feels to me that his go-to decision this season is a pass along the edge of the penalty box rather than having the confidence do try and do something himself, which the numbers show he definitely was trying last season. 

The big problem at the moment is his seeming inability to do anything as simple as control a ball. So many passes to him end up with a heavy touch which he loses, or he dwells too long, gets crowded out and loses it that way. At the moment he's playing like a 20 year old academy winger, finding life a bit tough in the big boy league. Whatever the reason, we need him to snap out of it, pronto.

[usav]

It definitely feels to me that his go-to decision this season is a pass along the edge of the penalty box rather than having the confidence do try and do something himself, which the numbers show he definitely was trying last season. 

The big problem at the moment is his seeming inability to do anything as simple as control a ball. So many passes to him end up with a heavy touch which he loses, or he dwells too long, gets crowded out and loses it that way. At the moment he's playing like a 20 year old academy winger, finding life a bit tough in the big boy league. Whatever the reason, we need him to snap out of it, pronto.

Agree with Risso on this 100%.  Having said that, if that effort early in the second half had gone in, it might have seen the confidence flooding back.   As it stands, he needs to get back to basics and work hard, otherwise he should know by now his places is nowhere near guaranteed.

[LeeB]

It definitely feels to me that his go-to decision this season is a pass along the edge of the penalty box rather than having the confidence do try and do something himself, which the numbers show he definitely was trying last season. 

The big problem at the moment is his seeming inability to do anything as simple as control a ball. So many passes to him end up with a heavy touch which he loses, or he dwells too long, gets crowded out and loses it that way. At the moment he's playing like a 20 year old academy winger, finding life a bit tough in the big boy league. Whatever the reason, we need him to snap out of it, pronto.

Agree with Risso on this 100%.  Having said that, if that effort early in the second half had gone in, it might have seen the confidence flooding back.   As it stands, he needs to get back to basics and work hard, otherwise he should know by now his places is nowhere near guaranteed.

I think he clearly knows by now, he's one of the 'leadership group'. I think his problem sometimes is he knows it too well and it plays on his mind.

I do wonder if as someone mentioned earlier if it's an underlying injury issue, a hernia or something, but there's been a zip missing from his play all season.