Leicester City vs Aston Villa off

[Risso]

win please Villa

The wifes family all live in Leicester

UTV
The Doc

Everyone is Leicester around me

And me.

[KRS]

I just hope this isn’t yet another of our notorious Villa-esque results where we gift the points to teams on a bad run. We’ve already seen one of them against West Ham, so the mindset needs to be fully focused on getting all 3pts on the board.

[Risso]

I hope he starts with the following:

              Martinez

Young     Konsa     Mings    Digne

Luiz         Kamara      Ramsey

Bailey       Watkins     Couthinho

Get after Leicester from the off. Bring on the likes of Dedoncker to protect the lead when we're 3-0 up.

[levico]

If we’re 2-0 up at HT I’ll start to get worried.

[RichardBatchelor]

That self-loving thing is thrown at him a lot (as it was with Pardew) but I haven't noticed him being particularly like that over the years. What has he said/done?

I’m in the middle. It’s subtle. He’s hardly Trump - but he’s hardly Mings humble either. Takes all sorts.

Decent manager.

[brontebilly]

That self-loving thing is thrown at him a lot (as it was with Pardew) but I haven't noticed him being particularly like that over the years. What has he said/done?

The infamous envelope episode at Liverpool? Straight from the Brent school of management. He talks a lot of corporate speak shite.

His strength is in coaching and player development (where we struggle badly) and has had a few big successes in the transfer market (some turkeys too like Vestergaard). In game tactical changes not his friend and while ambitious he always has his eye on the next gig. He downed tools at Celtic when they didn't sign McGinn that time and not even hiding it recently at Leicester.

[brontebilly]

I hope he starts with the following:

              Martinez

Young     Konsa     Mings    Digne

Luiz         Kamara      Ramsey

Bailey       Watkins     Couthinho

Get after Leicester from the off. Bring on the likes of Dedoncker to protect the lead when we're 3-0 up.

It's the likely selection but I don't think we should be moving Ramsey too far from Watkins.

If we switched to 4231 it would give us a lot more options. 3 man midfield might suit Luiz but Kamara, Ramsey and McGinn are all struggling with it. Can't drop Luiz after his decent display v Citeh, nor Bailey after he scored. Also gives us the option of playing Coutinho or Buendia at 10.

Same back 5
-------Luiz, Kamara,
Bailey, Coutinho/Buendia, Ramsey
----------Watkins

[RamboandBruno]

That self-loving thing is thrown at him a lot (as it was with Pardew) but I haven't noticed him being particularly like that over the years. What has he said/done?

The infamous envelope episode at Liverpool? Straight from the Brent school of management. He talks a lot of corporate speak shite.

His strength is in coaching and player development (where we struggle badly) and has had a few big successes in the transfer market (some turkeys too like Vestergaard). In game tactical changes not his friend and while ambitious he always has his eye on the next gig. He downed tools at Celtic when they didn't sign McGinn that time and not even hiding it recently at Leicester.

Rodgers Quote from the most recent villa podcast (they may have made it up) ‘you can live for days without water, but you can’t live for a second without hope’ .

[john e]

Problem is we’ve had one game where a more defensive selection has worked but that was against a near on top of the league Man City and everyone played well and look good
We’re playing bottom of the league on Saturday and most people are still going with a defensive minded team

The biggest question is how can we get players like Coutinho and Buendia into a workable formation because playing 2 defensive midfielders against Rubbish sides will get us nowhere, might as well have gone for big Sam

We have to be playing open progressive football against at least half the teams in the league, and that’s Gerard biggest challenge in my view
We have the players but Breaking teams down like Bournemouth and West Ham where we were on top for most of the game has proved difficult, Playing more defensive players will not help with that

It’s a conundrum which need answers

[brontebilly]

Problem is we’ve had one game where a more defensive selection has worked but that was against a near on top of the league Man City and everyone played well and look good
We’re playing bottom of the league on Saturday and most people are still going with a defensive minded team

The biggest question is how can we get players like Coutinho and Buendia into a workable formation because playing 2 defensive midfielders against Rubbish sides will get us nowhere, might as well have gone for big Sam

We have to be playing open progressive football against at least half the teams in the league, and that’s Gerard biggest challenge in my view
We have the players but Breaking teams down like Bournemouth and West Ham where we were on top for most of the game has proved difficult, Playing more defensive players will not help with that

It’s a conundrum which need answers

No matter what the level you need to physically match the opponent. That's something Gerrard forgot v Bournemouth. Seemed as if we thought we could just rock up and they would roll over for us. Chelsea and Italy played two holding midfielders in their recent triumphs that rarely got beyond the ball. They could all play on the half turn though, McGinn simply can't.

[john e]

Problem is we’ve had one game where a more defensive selection has worked but that was against a near on top of the league Man City and everyone played well and look good
We’re playing bottom of the league on Saturday and most people are still going with a defensive minded team

The biggest question is how can we get players like Coutinho and Buendia into a workable formation because playing 2 defensive midfielders against Rubbish sides will get us nowhere, might as well have gone for big Sam

We have to be playing open progressive football against at least half the teams in the league, and that’s Gerard biggest challenge in my view
We have the players but Breaking teams down like Bournemouth and West Ham where we were on top for most of the game has proved difficult, Playing more defensive players will not help with that

It’s a conundrum which need answers

No matter what the level you need to physically match the opponent. That's something Gerrard forgot v Bournemouth. Seemed as if we thought we could just rock up and they would roll over for us. Chelsea and Italy played two holding midfielders in their recent triumphs that rarely got beyond the ball. They could all play on the half turn though, McGinn simply can't.

Coutinho and Buendia just impact players from now on then

[darren woolley]

I'm looking forward to going to this after last weekends result I can us winning this.

[Mister E]

Problem is we’ve had one game where a more defensive selection has worked but that was against a near on top of the league Man City and everyone played well and look good
We’re playing bottom of the league on Saturday and most people are still going with a defensive minded team

The biggest question is how can we get players like Coutinho and Buendia into a workable formation because playing 2 defensive midfielders against Rubbish sides will get us nowhere, might as well have gone for big Sam

We have to be playing open progressive football against at least half the teams in the league, and that’s Gerard biggest challenge in my view
We have the players but Breaking teams down like Bournemouth and West Ham where we were on top for most of the game has proved difficult, Playing more defensive players will not help with that

It’s a conundrum which need answers

No matter what the level you need to physically match the opponent. That's something Gerrard forgot v Bournemouth. Seemed as if we thought we could just rock up and they would roll over for us. Chelsea and Italy played two holding midfielders in their recent triumphs that rarely got beyond the ball. They could all play on the half turn though, McGinn simply can't.

Coutinho and Buendia just impact players from now on then

Isn't that rather the point? - we surely need to impose ourselves on the opposition first, by playing strong and dominant midfielders. That doesn't mean not playing one of Buendia and Coutinho from the outset, which can be done in a 4-2-3-1 set up.
I'd start with
Martinez
Cash-Chambers-Mings-Digne
Kamara-Dendoncker
Bailey-Buendia-Ramsey
Watkins

I'd be ready to bring on Luiz, Coutinho and Archer at some point (this game being an ideal time to the latter some more gametime, agains ta poor defence).

[eamonn]

Problem is we’ve had one game where a more defensive selection has worked but that was against a near on top of the league Man City and everyone played well and look good
We’re playing bottom of the league on Saturday and most people are still going with a defensive minded team

The biggest question is how can we get players like Coutinho and Buendia into a workable formation because playing 2 defensive midfielders against Rubbish sides will get us nowhere, might as well have gone for big Sam

We have to be playing open progressive football against at least half the teams in the league, and that’s Gerard biggest challenge in my view
We have the players but Breaking teams down like Bournemouth and West Ham where we were on top for most of the game has proved difficult, Playing more defensive players will not help with that

It’s a conundrum which need answers

No matter what the level you need to physically match the opponent. That's something Gerrard forgot v Bournemouth. Seemed as if we thought we could just rock up and they would roll over for us. Chelsea and Italy played two holding midfielders in their recent triumphs that rarely got beyond the ball. They could all play on the half turn though, McGinn simply can't.

I like your pointing-out about McGinn and Hourihane before him not being able to play on the half-turn.

However, I feel the expression, like the recent "pivot/double pivot" discussion may leave some posters cold and confused. Can you explain what this half-turn fully means and why it's so important, so that people can understand the qualified criticism that McGinn receives?

[Hookeysmith]

Problem is we’ve had one game where a more defensive selection has worked but that was against a near on top of the league Man City and everyone played well and look good
We’re playing bottom of the league on Saturday and most people are still going with a defensive minded team

The biggest question is how can we get players like Coutinho and Buendia into a workable formation because playing 2 defensive midfielders against Rubbish sides will get us nowhere, might as well have gone for big Sam

We have to be playing open progressive football against at least half the teams in the league, and that’s Gerard biggest challenge in my view
We have the players but Breaking teams down like Bournemouth and West Ham where we were on top for most of the game has proved difficult, Playing more defensive players will not help with that

It’s a conundrum which need answers

No matter what the level you need to physically match the opponent. That's something Gerrard forgot v Bournemouth. Seemed as if we thought we could just rock up and they would roll over for us. Chelsea and Italy played two holding midfielders in their recent triumphs that rarely got beyond the ball. They could all play on the half turn though, McGinn simply can't.

I like your pointing-out about McGinn and Hourihane before him not being able to play on the half-turn.

However, I feel the expression, like the recent "pivot/double pivot" discussion may leave some posters cold and confused. Can you explain what this half-turn fully means and why it's so important, so that people can understand the qualified criticism that McGinn receives?

I always used to say to anyone who would listen that Hourihane always received the ball facing his own goal and in that split second to turn around the press was on him - and that was in the Championship.
McGinn is very much the same - watch how may times he receives the ball facing his own goal, takes a touch to control and then has to spin round to keep the move going. This is the reason he gets into trouble so much as that split second time to do that allows an opposition player to press him and if he is lucky his spin using his large arse can get him out of trouble. When he is not so lucky, or if his first touch is not great (which it often is not) then he either turns directly into a block or he is pressured to release the ball quickly - usually a 40 yard punt hit and hope to no one.

You watch the better teams and their flowing moves usually see the ball always in front of the attacking player where they can take it in their stride without breaking motion and keep the move going forward at pace.