pommpey
THE FUTURE ... AS IT USED TO BE
- Banned
- #1
Think we were outthought and outclassed by LCFC tonight. We huffed and puffed as much as we could, but Rogers's team had almost every answer. It shows that the Bournemouth fiasco was simply a blip. At the front, McB and McB were denied every opportunity to get the ball under control and look up, the midfield seemed badly outnumbered at times and the back were resolute but a tad slow to respond at key times. And really, there's no answering to a class act like Jamie Vardy. As much of a fucking heathen, swine, pigfan as he is, he is a fucking predatory crocodile who just needs innocent, gambolling wildebeest to be frolicking and thinking they are safe to snap and bite deep. Although he didn't score, I think all three (then two) central defenders were far too preoccupied with him outfoxing them to do their normal duties. He is a dangerous motherfucker and there's a reason he is consistently a Premier League high scorer and an England international.
Elsewhere, we were undone by some good players in blue. Tielemans, Barnes and Thomas were stand out effective against what we tried and failed to do. Tielemans in particular is another clever individual who was bossing the centre of the park and looked threatening. I had a feeling Gray would add to their tally when he came on and at the back they looked far more ready to absorb and cut out our normal channels even when under pressure at the rearranged 4-3-3. This wasn't Chelsea or Spurs, was it?
Henderson 7.5/10: Unsighted for the first and a bit out of position for the second. Good saves to keep the score down to what it was though
Baldock 6.5/10: Poorest game I have seen him have. He was abit outflanked at times and couldn't press forward (even at 4-3-3) and at times miscontrolled and seemed tired and clumsy
Basham: 7.5/10: Thought he had an okay game until hooked. Not sure if it was from the head injury from Chelsea ... but I understand that if they're going to 4-3-3, someone has to go
Egan 7/10: Decent game if slow to react and move forward to block their first. He does get some telling headers in when we need him to
O'Connell 7.5/10: Unlucky not to get the block in for their second. Made some lovely passes out from the back and got the tackles in where he should have
Stevens 6.5/10: Like Baldock, a bit run-out and leaden and unable to impose
Berge 5/10: Again, save for a few flourishes, failed to make any real impact
Norwood 7.5/10: Again, a better performance from Norwood. More involved and his passing made decent inroads but (moaning again) 'long ball to far flank/Stevens' gets collected and goes backwards. Again.
Osborn 8/10: Fucking no idea why he went off. He was chasing everything across the KPS grass.
McGoldrick 5/10: Note - he gets this mark on effectiveness, not performance, before you start. LCFC had done their homework on him and unlocked the big secret of hassling him before he gets control (because as we know, a David McGoldrick moving forward with the ball at his feet can cause no end of shit for the opposition) As soon as he looked like he was moving toward the ball tonight, LCFC had one, sometimes two players tracking and pressing and tackling. So he was not able to do much.
McBurnie 6/10: For effort alone, because Leicester's preventative tactics stopped deliveries into the box and kept the ball well away from him. When he did get it down, (as 4-3-3) he was either run into a cul-de-sac or too far from goal to make any impact
Fleck 5/10: Whether he is injured or ready to go to another club, this isn't John Fleck of earlier in the season. He's playing like he's just joined the club, and when he came on, he was playing in the formation of before the lockdown so should have been able to turn on some of that composure, control and bite which saw him create and score so many of our goals. He didn't seem to know where he was and who he was and that worries the shit out of me
Mousset 4/10: Sorry, but he's fading for me. He makes the wrong decisions and simply doesn't have the potatoes to go up against class defences like LCFCs. Compare him and Vardy. Vardy, up against our very good defence creates havoc and hits the post and sets up chances - Mousset spends 45 minutes waiting for shit to happen by accident. I feel he might be on his way soon, and it won't break my heart
Lundstram 6/10: An upgrade on the outfought and outclassed Berge, but still not able to impose and battle like earlier in the season
Sharp 6/10: Again, most of his work was outside the box. He grafts, he battles. He should be scoring goals though.
Thought we were more focussed at 4-3-3 but we clearly are not used to playing like that for long spells and pressing forward without being exposed on the counter.
Europe now? Nah. Get what we can out of the next two, don't get beat again and reorganise the squad in the break.
pommpey
Elsewhere, we were undone by some good players in blue. Tielemans, Barnes and Thomas were stand out effective against what we tried and failed to do. Tielemans in particular is another clever individual who was bossing the centre of the park and looked threatening. I had a feeling Gray would add to their tally when he came on and at the back they looked far more ready to absorb and cut out our normal channels even when under pressure at the rearranged 4-3-3. This wasn't Chelsea or Spurs, was it?
Henderson 7.5/10: Unsighted for the first and a bit out of position for the second. Good saves to keep the score down to what it was though
Baldock 6.5/10: Poorest game I have seen him have. He was abit outflanked at times and couldn't press forward (even at 4-3-3) and at times miscontrolled and seemed tired and clumsy
Basham: 7.5/10: Thought he had an okay game until hooked. Not sure if it was from the head injury from Chelsea ... but I understand that if they're going to 4-3-3, someone has to go
Egan 7/10: Decent game if slow to react and move forward to block their first. He does get some telling headers in when we need him to
O'Connell 7.5/10: Unlucky not to get the block in for their second. Made some lovely passes out from the back and got the tackles in where he should have
Stevens 6.5/10: Like Baldock, a bit run-out and leaden and unable to impose
Berge 5/10: Again, save for a few flourishes, failed to make any real impact
Norwood 7.5/10: Again, a better performance from Norwood. More involved and his passing made decent inroads but (moaning again) 'long ball to far flank/Stevens' gets collected and goes backwards. Again.
Osborn 8/10: Fucking no idea why he went off. He was chasing everything across the KPS grass.
McGoldrick 5/10: Note - he gets this mark on effectiveness, not performance, before you start. LCFC had done their homework on him and unlocked the big secret of hassling him before he gets control (because as we know, a David McGoldrick moving forward with the ball at his feet can cause no end of shit for the opposition) As soon as he looked like he was moving toward the ball tonight, LCFC had one, sometimes two players tracking and pressing and tackling. So he was not able to do much.
McBurnie 6/10: For effort alone, because Leicester's preventative tactics stopped deliveries into the box and kept the ball well away from him. When he did get it down, (as 4-3-3) he was either run into a cul-de-sac or too far from goal to make any impact
Fleck 5/10: Whether he is injured or ready to go to another club, this isn't John Fleck of earlier in the season. He's playing like he's just joined the club, and when he came on, he was playing in the formation of before the lockdown so should have been able to turn on some of that composure, control and bite which saw him create and score so many of our goals. He didn't seem to know where he was and who he was and that worries the shit out of me
Mousset 4/10: Sorry, but he's fading for me. He makes the wrong decisions and simply doesn't have the potatoes to go up against class defences like LCFCs. Compare him and Vardy. Vardy, up against our very good defence creates havoc and hits the post and sets up chances - Mousset spends 45 minutes waiting for shit to happen by accident. I feel he might be on his way soon, and it won't break my heart
Lundstram 6/10: An upgrade on the outfought and outclassed Berge, but still not able to impose and battle like earlier in the season
Sharp 6/10: Again, most of his work was outside the box. He grafts, he battles. He should be scoring goals though.
Thought we were more focussed at 4-3-3 but we clearly are not used to playing like that for long spells and pressing forward without being exposed on the counter.
Europe now? Nah. Get what we can out of the next two, don't get beat again and reorganise the squad in the break.
pommpey
