What Are Leicester Playing At?

[Letters]

OK, I've kept saying that Leicester aren't a serious threat long term but...well, they just won't stop!
Not strictly Arsenal Debate but how the hell are they doing what they're doing?!

I thought the days were gone of a team struggling one season and having a title challenge the next, it's refreshing to see but...how are they doing it?

And, to vaguely justify this being in Arsenal Debate, is there anything we can learn from what they're doing?

[Marc Overmars]

Not sure what else there is to say about Leicester, they're just a very good side playing with confidence and to their strengths, completely fearless. Every player knows their role and guys like Vardy and Mahrez have the perfect platform to excel. They've shown us up big time along with the other traditional top sides.

Hope they win it, looks like they could have a more realistic chance than us. :doh:

It's a really poor indictment on Wenger that Ranieri has come back into this league after 10 years and instantly has his team challenging for the title, convincingly as well I might add.

[Letters]

It's a poor indictment on all the 'top' managers.

[Marc Overmars]

It's a poor indictment on all the 'top' managers.

It is, but the other guys haven't been trying for 10 years with the same club and consistently failing to do something. Mourinho won a title, Pellegrini won a title, LVG is a bit shit but only in his 2nd year, Klopp's been in for 5 minutes, Wenger?? I guess he has his collection of 4th place and calendar year trophies.

[Letters]

You might want to replace 'won' with 'bought' for Mourinho and Pellegrini

[Özim]

You might want to replace 'won' with 'bought' for Mourinho and Pellegrini

LOL you are funny.

Wenger couldn't even manage that if he tried, all he's good for is 4th place and noone who cares about football gives a toss about that.

[Özim]

Leicester are showing the others up, but quite frankly the quality this year has been sh*t so it's not a great surprise another team has been able to make it's way up there, they have a good manager, some decent players and are a great "team" who play for each other.

They might not have the best squad or team, but the team ethic and spirit (ironic really as Wenger harps on about this all the time) has made up for that.

[Marc Overmars]

You might want to replace 'won' with 'bought' for Mourinho and Pellegrini

Nah, money or no money Wenger doesn't have what it takes to get us over the line. Even with a better squad the same pattern of problems seem to be manifesting themselves. He was a great manager but there's just no edge to his teams anymore. A blunt knife.

He's fresh out of excuses, sadly.

[IBK]

Nah, money or no money Wenger doesn't have what it takes to get us over the line. Even with a better squad the same pattern of problems seem to be manifesting themselves. He was a great manager but there's just no edge to his teams anymore. A blunt knife.

He's fresh out of excuses, sadly.

I agree with this.

[GP]

It is, but the other guys haven't been trying for 10 years with the same club and consistently failing to do something. Mourinho won a title, Pellegrini won a title, LVG is a bit shit but only in his 2nd year, Klopp's been in for 5 minutes, Wenger?? I guess he has his collection of 4th place and calendar year trophies.

If we don't win it this year he has to go.

If we do win it, he has to go.

[selassie]

IBK created a thread on here about Mental Strength, Leicester have buckets of the stuff. Rainieri has built a title challenging team at Leicester on a shoe string budget, when he was appointed manager in the summer many people laughed at him & them, look at them now. He's a built a side who are fearless, they appear to be raising their game under pressure, I have nothing but huge respect for them TBH. They actually play attractive football too, quick, counter attacking stuff, everybody plays to their strengths and knows their roles. You compare their organisation and tactics to ours and we are light years behind them, seriously.

[Ernesto]

If Leicester treat their next two games in the league like cup finals and beat both us and Manchester city, the title is theirs, in my opinion

There are a fair few teams I truly despise in the league (scrote of a manager, deluded fans, buying success, etc ) but it's very difficult to hate Leicester.

As far as what we can do to emulate Leicester, I believe it's very simple. Do your homework on your opponents before the game. Identify their strengths and weaknesses. Nullify their strengths, shamelessly expose their weaknesses. It's clear as day we never do that unless we're playing Barcelona.

[Static]

If Leicester treat their next two games in the league like cup finals and beat both us and Manchester city, the title is theirs, in my opinion

There are a fair few teams I truly despise in the league (scrote of a manager, deluded fans, buying success, etc ) but it's very difficult to hate Leicester.

As far as what we can do to emulate Leicester, I believe it's very simple. Do your homework on your opponents before the game. Identify their strengths and weaknesses. Nullify their strengths, shamelessly expose their weaknesses. It's clear as day we never do that unless we're playing Barcelona.

Or Bayern.

[Munchies]

Looking at their remaining games, they have a pretty easy 9 game run after the City/Arsenal game:

Man City (A)
Arsenal (A)
Norwich (H)
West Brom (H)
Watford (A)
Newcastle (H)
Crystal Palace (A)
Southampton (H)
Sunderland (A)
West Ham (H)
Swansea (H)
Man Utd (A)
Everton (H)
Chelsea (A)

[Kano]

They've carried on the momentum from last season, like Crystal Palace managed for part of the season but haven't managed to keep up that same level of consistency.

They play to their strengths on the counter better than anyone else, where hitting on the break is becoming the new tiki taka; every fucker is doing it. Percentage wise, away wins in the Premier have steadily gone up over the past five years, so it makes sense.

They are high energy, press well and are making the most of the fact that traditionally big clubs are very underwhelming. Plus they have two strikers that are in the form of their lives and make the most of the lesser amount of opportunities they create compared to their opposition.

It's not coincidence, it's not luck and because the standard of football in this league has dropped off year on year, even the teams that have spent much more are playing pub football, a level Leicester are comfortable at.

Looking at the money spent, it hasn't been significantly higher this season than last, just like West Ham and Palace, so finance isn't really the main issue. Mostly confidence, man and squad management, momentum, team work and great organisation. I wouldn't be surprised if this sort of abnormal season carries on for a season or two more at least.

[Globalgunner]

Moreover they are not stuck in some mindless ethos of how to play a certain way. The players are fearless, committed and spontaneous. On the contrary our own football is turgid and predictable, We pass the ball at least a dozen times within the oppositions box until a pass goes astray and we have to scramble to get it back and start the cycle all over again. we have 3 world class players in our team, Leicester arguably have none. It takes at least 5 or 6 world class players to make up for Wenger's deficiencies, like we has in 2000-2004. Wenger is our problem always has been. He is so stuck up in his own head. Sees himself as one of footballs great thinkers and innovators like Rinus Michel. But he is just a weak facsimile of greatness. Never buys obviously what is needed but wants to show he can unearth gems but mostly comes up with duds.

We are in football purgatory with this sensitive, self absorbed dinosaur at the helm. He reminds me of Rex from Toy Story, All teeth but no bite. A nervous wreck masquerading as a terminator.

[Kano]

Rex was allsome tbf. Best character in Toy Story.

[Letters]

Nah, money or no money Wenger doesn't have what it takes to get us over the line. Even with a better squad the same pattern of problems seem to be manifesting themselves. He was a great manager but there's just no edge to his teams anymore. A blunt knife.

He's fresh out of excuses, sadly.

He is fresh out of excuses but that doesn't change the fact that Chelsea and City bought their titles. They were nowhere before the money started rolling in, when were they champions before that?

[Niall_Quinn]

Rex was allsome tbf. Best character in Toy Story.

Does he have his coaching badge though?

[Marc Overmars]

He is fresh out of excuses but that doesn't change the fact that Chelsea and City bought their titles. They were nowhere before the money started rolling in, when were they champions before that?

Of course but the intial point was they haven't had managers who have stuck around underachieving. No one else in this league is comparable to Wenger, which is why I said it looks quite poor on him that Ranieri has come back after 10 years and is in the process of doing something Wenger has spent the best part of those 10 years attempting to do to no avail. Leicester have shown everyone up this season but no one more so than Wenger and Arsenal.

[Niall_Quinn]

Wenger can't be compared to any other manager, anywhere, over the last 10 years because his primary focus has not been football, it has been making two very greedy sets of leeches very rich. And he's triumphed in that respect.

[Kano]

Does he have his coaching badge though?

He beat Zurg, so what else is needed?

[Niall_Quinn]

He beat Zurg, so what else is needed?

Can we afford him? Stan needs a new ranch.

[Letters]

Of course but the intial point was they haven't had managers who have stuck around underachieving. No one else in this league is comparable to Wenger, which is why I said it looks quite poor on him that Ranieri has come back after 10 years and is in the process of doing something Wenger has spent the best part of those 10 years attempting to do to no avail. Leicester have shown everyone up this season but no one more so than Wenger and Arsenal.

OK. I agree with that and I was preprepared to cut Wenger some slack because for all the guff on here about it being an excuse, the billionaires DID distort the transfer market just at the time the stadium move was affecting us most financially. That doesn't absolve Wenger of all blame of course, 8 years without a trophy even in that climate isn't good enough for a team at our level and after the Birmingham debacle he should have been sacked. But over the last couple of years we have been signing better players, we've started to win trophies and I really did believe we had a chance of the title. I've explained my reasoning repeatedly and I don't see anything wrong with having a bit of hope.

Right now I'm struggling to maintain my usual cheery optimism, it comes to something when I start to think Spurs have a better chance of the title than us :sick:

[Niall_Quinn]

It would be interesting to know what Leicester fans feel about their prospects this season and what they'd now settle for with just the tail end of the season remaining. Undoubtedly if you offered them 4th spot last August they would have bitten your hand off. But I'd be really surprised if the majority would settle for 4th now. They'll want to win it. That's how ambition progresses naturally based on endeavour, momentum and results. These are the things we don't have at Arsenal, ambition, momentum or ultimately the results. Wenger has infected the club from top to bottom with his 4th place trophy bullshit. There are still fans out there saying that Wenger has done exceptionally well to keep us in the top 4 over the last 10 years. It's like some horrible consolation based on the fact a trauma could have been even worse. Belief must be surging through Leicester and their fans now. They may not win it in the end because look at the odds they face. But I bet their belief is growing game by game. Here at Arsenal, who ever truly believes? How could you with Mr No Ambition, 4th Place Trophy at the helm.

It was the cup final against Utd when we robbed them. That's when the rot started, and we have rotted and rotted and rotted under this manager ever since.

[AFC Leveller]

2 years ago we had our best chance in years of winning the league. Maureen was into his first season, Pelegrini as well so our rivals were in a bit of a transition and we were top of the league for a long time. However, we blew it again and lost our way from February onward. We should have signed a striker that January but le fool chose not to. This season is very similar, Chelsea are nowhere to be seen, Man ures are struglging, City are dropping points and the lies of Leicester and Spuds are the only one showing consistancy.

We will blow it again, rest assured.

[Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie]

Taking our miserably predictable capitulation aside

Leicester City are a tonic for football, no one expects them to win the league and yet they go quietly about their business.

Vardys goal last night was ridiculous.....this is just a team that believes.

If we don't win the league which I don't think we will, then I very much want Leicester City to win it.

And in all honestly if they go unbeaten against city and us, would you really put it past them?

[Letters]

:wacko:

Just looked at the table at this stage last year.
Leicester were rock bottom, they'd won 4 games out of 25 and had 17 points.

What. Are. They. Playing at?!

[Niall_Quinn]

:wacko:

Just looked at the table at this stage last year.
Leicester were rock bottom, they'd won 4 games out of 25 and had 17 points.

What. Are. They. Playing at?!

I posted that up in the match thread. From bottom to top in 1 year.

It's a strange season with several of the big guns falling way below the standard you would expect of them given their ridiculously huge resources, but even so that doesn't wipe out the individual improvement in Leicester who are showing that the fundamentals of football can still prevail in a money mad environment. This goes against everything Wenger has ever said, btw. It's glaring and blaring proof he has been 100% wrong all along. I don't think it would be right to overlook this. The challenge Wenger has led us to believe has been all but insurmountable has been taken on and conquered by what some would have said are the worst team in the PL. The lie is shattered. Can people see that and accept it?

chavs -> off a cliff (shows the other side of what a prima donna twat can do for you)
gypos -> down (how do you motivate a gang of money mercenaries?)
spuds -> same, they are just doing what the usually do.
us -> same, we are underperforming as always
utd -> Fergie left a mess and they picked the wrong guys to wipe it up
liverpool -> scandalous really, they should be hiding in shame
west ham -> again, the manager thing, what can a decent manager do for you? The only club in the vicinity of Leicester.

Leicester though - outstanding. This is how it should be done, regardless of the money. And I know some are trying to make out they play shit football, but look again. They don't. The play effective football which is also entertaining, whether it means their backs are to the wall or they are flooding down the pitch at pace. That Vardy bloke is an excellent player and Mahrez for £400K?

I want us to win the title, only because I am a fan not because I think we in any way deserve it, but if we all want something good to happen for football and we all want to see the money cunts get a kick in the teeth then the best outcome will be Leicester.

[Globalgunner]

If Leicester do win it I will drink in 1 day the rest of the 750cl bottle of Cointreau that I have been sipping for the last 4 years. Props to them and Ranieri in particular. If they do win it betcha Madrid come calling with an offer you cant refuse.

[Letters]

The lie is shattered. Can people see that and accept it?
What Leicester are doing should not be possible, they've shown it is. I almost can't believe what they're doing this season. But that doesn't mean that the correlation between money and success is a lie or a coincidence. I seriously doubt Leicester will push on and dominate, the most likely outcome is their players will be hoovered up by the right boys and the status quo will be restored.
Don't mix up possible and probable. If I say it's dangerous to cross a busy road blindfolded and you do so and happen to make it that doesn't show that I was lying or the general principle of what I said was wrong.

All that said, it would be absolutely fantastic if Leicester were to win it, if only to show that it is possible. I didn't think what they're doing could happen in the modern game, it would be the best thing to happen in football for decades.

[selassie]

What Leicester are doing should not be possible, they've shown it is. I almost can't believe what they're doing this season. But that doesn't mean that the correlation between money and success is a lie or a coincidence. I seriously doubt Leicester will push on and dominate, the most likely outcome is their players will be hoovered up by the right boys and the status quo will be restored.
Don't mix up possible and probable. If I say it's dangerous to cross a busy road blindfolded and you do so and happen to make it that doesn't show that I was lying or the general principle of what I said was wrong.

All that said, it would be absolutely fantastic if Leicester were to win it, if only to show that it is possible. I didn't think what they're doing could happen in the modern game, it would be the best thing to happen in football for decades.

I agree but I think the point that Wenger has complained in the past about being handicapped because he's fighting with teams that have unlimited budgets won't wash come the end of the season regardless of whether Leicester win the league or not. Leicester are pretty much nailed on for a top 4 spot, Spurs too given their current form and they don't exactly go out and blow millions like City and the dopers.

I agree that having an unlimited budget/being financially doped gives you a headstart but the manager/club needs to build the team correctly in order for it to be effective. The same applies to a team that isn't financially doped and we are seeing that through astute team building, tactical planning and attention to detail that the underdogs can challenge the big boys.

I'm not so sure Wenger would dominate this league if he had unlimited resources because he has a tendency to buy a specific type of player and build a team/squad in a specific way, that has nothing to do with finances or lack of them.

[Niall_Quinn]

What Leicester are doing should not be possible, they've shown it is. I almost can't believe what they're doing this season. But that doesn't mean that the correlation between money and success is a lie or a coincidence. I seriously doubt Leicester will push on and dominate, the most likely outcome is their players will be hoovered up by the right boys and the status quo will be restored.
Don't mix up possible and probable. If I say it's dangerous to cross a busy road blindfolded and you do so and happen to make it that doesn't show that I was lying or the general principle of what I said was wrong.

All that said, it would be absolutely fantastic if Leicester were to win it, if only to show that it is possible. I didn't think what they're doing could happen in the modern game, it would be the best thing to happen in football for decades.

I'm talking about Wenger's excuses for failure to compete. This goes back to the tail end of last season where we showed finance wasn't an insurmountable hurdle as we led the doping gypos into the final stretch and could have finished ahead of them were it not for our customary collapse which had little to to with finance at that late stage of the season and everything to do with desire. Now another nail has been hammered into that coffin by the performance Leicester City has put up, a club with virtually no resources by comparison to ourselves or the gypos. Whatever their formula for success is this season, and I suspect it is very much more than walking into traffic blindfolded 25 times and getting lucky on all bar two occasions, it's something Wenger hasn't been able to achieve in a decade of trying. One of the main excuses he's used to explain his continued failure is the handicap he has to suffer financially. The truth is somewhat different. The financial restraints are gone and he's still in the same place as ever, on the same number of points and hovering around the same position despite the fact we now have players like Ozil, Alexis and Cech in the team. Even with these players we haven't seen an improvement. That's a shocking indictment and it's totally fair to ask what this man can do for this club given the excuses he's used to explain persistent under-performance have been washed away. In a stunning display of flip-flopping even he has said look, you don't need the big resources to put in a strong challenge. Even he accepts this excuse has been used up.

[IBK]

I agree but I think the point that Wenger has complained in the past about being handicapped because he's fighting with teams that have unlimited budgets won't wash come the end of the season regardless of whether Leicester win the league or not. Leicester are pretty much nailed on for a top 4 spot, Spurs too given their current form and they don't exactly go out and blow millions like City and the dopers.

I agree that having an unlimited budget/being financially doped gives you a headstart but the manager/club needs to build the team correctly in order for it to be effective. The same applies to a team that isn't financially doped and we are seeing that through astute team building, tactical planning and attention to detail that the underdogs can challenge the big boys.

I'm not so sure Wenger would dominate this league if he had unlimited resources because he has a tendency to buy a specific type of player and build a team/squad in a specific way, that has nothing to do with finances or lack of them.

Good point highlighted. There is a certain irony in this given the manager's previous complaints about financial doping. But win the league or not, Leicester and Ranieri have shown the effectiveness of getting the basics right. Playing a settled team rather than constantly chopping and changing; playing players in their best positions - and most importantly motivating and giving the team confidence - which partly derives from the first 2. Its pretty much the opposite of Wenger's approach.

[Kano]

[/B]

Good point highlighted. There is a certain irony in this given the manager's previous complaints about financial doping. But win the league or not, Leicester and Ranieri have shown the effectiveness of getting the basics right. Playing a settled team rather than constantly chopping and changing; playing players in their best positions - and most importantly motivating and giving the team confidence - which partly derives from the first 2. Its pretty much the opposite of Wenger's approach.

It would be interesting to see if Wenger's hand wasnt' turned by so many injuries, what his approach would be. That said, Leicester have still used 20 players through the league campaign, the uniformity is derived from the same desire, approach and understanding of their managers tactics in every game.

[IBK]

It would be interesting to see if Wenger's hand wasnt' turned by so many injuries, what his approach would be. That said, Leicester have still used 20 players through the league campaign, the uniformity is derived from the same desire, approach and understanding of their managers tactics in every game.



Well put. And its also a virtuous circle for them - the uniformity breeds effectiveness breeds confidence. The reason Leicester are now favourites is partly because their players believe that they will win every game - yet they are not complacent. Our players seem to lack this belief against certain teams, and with others they seem often to be a bit complacent.


Injuries are interesting. They have certainly left Arsenal short at times in key positions that were not adequately covered. Yet in other respects they have been responsible for the emergence of some of his best players. There is a feeling that players covering for injury often don't have the correct understanding tactics wise, and this is a reflection that certain players don't have an innate understanding of what they should be doing. Wenger relies on this attribute to a large degree but many players simply do not have this, and need more guidance. Then there is the managers inconsistent approach to injured players. Some, like Sanchez seem to be overplayed/rushed back, whereas others are treated more cautiously, even when there is a glaring need for them to play. I suspect that this has much to do with the manager's fondness for a data based approach to team selection - which from the outside at least appears to be very different to Ranieri's.

[Niall_Quinn]

Injuries can't be used to excuse Wenger when you have players like Walcott, Rosicky and Wilshere in the squad. These players spend their lives injured so what's the big surprise? The key point made above is these injuries have hit key areas the manager failed to and refused to cover properly. And then he compounded the negligence by going out and buying "cover" that wasn't up to starting a PL match. It's absolutely ludicrous.

[Globalgunner]

Injuries can't be used to excuse Wenger when you have players like Walcott, Rosicky and Wilshere in the squad. These players spend their lives injured so what's the big surprise? The key point made above is these injuries have hit key areas the manager failed to and refused to cover properly. And then he compounded the negligence by going out and buying "cover" that wasn't up to starting a PL match. It's absolutely ludicrous.

Again you have to question Wengers logic in this one. The Elmo chap was I believe playing regularly in his previous team so how can he not be fit. Wenger is never consistent in his arguments. Basically if the team is getting by(ie not losing, not winning either) as we have been doing of late, He will keep playing the same team. Witness his reluctance to play Coq now even though he is over his injury. If you are easing him in why cant it be for the 1st 45 mins. Why only the last 20 mins. He only stumbles on a better player, when the crap player gets injured. It will probably take Ramsey or Flamini getting injured or red carded for Coq to get his place back. How long did he play Wilshere for and Sanchez, when they urgently needed rotation.

[Kano]

Well put. And its also a virtuous circle for them - the uniformity breeds effectiveness breeds confidence. The reason Leicester are now favourites is partly because their players believe that they will win every game - yet they are not complacent. Our players seem to lack this belief against certain teams, and with others they seem often to be a bit complacent.


Injuries are interesting. They have certainly left Arsenal short at times in key positions that were not adequately covered. Yet in other respects they have been responsible for the emergence of some of his best players. There is a feeling that players covering for injury often don't have the correct understanding tactics wise, and this is a reflection that certain players don't have an innate understanding of what they should be doing. Wenger relies on this attribute to a large degree but many players simply do not have this, and need more guidance. Then there is the managers inconsistent approach to injured players. Some, like Sanchez seem to be overplayed/rushed back, whereas others are treated more cautiously, even when there is a glaring need for them to play. I suspect that this has much to do with the manager's fondness for a data based approach to team selection - which from the outside at least appears to be very different to Ranieri's.

The root cause of the injuries we’re no nearer to understanding all these years on, it’s a dead end for us fans pursuing that line of thought. I am convinced the club has done all it can to try and rectify the situation. Even if the thought was the club is happy with 4th, by not trying to fix the injury plague they run the risk of not even achieving that by not trying to find a solution.

My feeling on the ‘discovery’ of players through injuries to others is that it is quite a normal occurrence – the difference is that we notice every single thing nowadays because absolutely everything is reported in the press. I think it is just as common for a player to get his chance off the back of someone else’s injury as it is for them just to get a shot at the first team purely on merit. One footballers success can typically be correlated to someone else’s bad luck. One example I heard recently was the Eastleigh keeper, who at one time was the back-up to Edvin van der Sar at Fulham and now finds himself down in the non-league. These sort of things happen all the time, good and bad, so I think the fact that we have knowledge about how Coquelin or Bellerin came into the first team shouldn’t be used as another stick to beat Wenger with. The most important thing is he gave them a chance at all, so his belief in the players had to be there for that to happen. If Le Coq was seen as a waste of space out on loan at Charlton, Wenger would never have recalled him in the first place. We’ve heard many more stories of players going out on loan and never coming back. That he and Bellerin have gone on to become so good is the luck element – but that’s the same for any player.

The fairest way of looking how we deal with the non/rushing back of players compared to other teams because our own over analysis skews our rationality at the best of times. Aguero and Andy Carroll are two players that spring to mind for me. They both appear to be players that are in a constant loop of injury and return, injury and return and I wonder if City and West Ham fans criticise their managers for rushing them back too quickly, or if they fall in line with our treatment. Sturridge could also be used as a similar comparison too. I would say that a lot of teams appear to ‘rush’ back key players because they are so crucial to the team. The thing with Coquelin at the moment I can understand. He played a full game against Burnley and I think it’s fair to say, his presence didn’t make too much of a difference to the chaos in midfield. He has looked short of fitness and I would rather he is eased back into the team, where he is required to be fully ready for battle in the heartbeat of a football game, than have him break down and lose him for another month or two. He did come back faster than anyone anticipated and I think caution is the best option in his case. Elmo was away by his wife’s side as she just had their baby, which is quite normal.

The interesting thing about Leicester is their average age – the second oldest in the league and two years older than our own. Added to the spirit and cohesiveness of the squad, I think that maturity as well as where they stand career wise individually at this point has helped them produce this consistency. They played really good football last season and when Pearson changed tactic and went more direct, they saw results change dramatically toward the end of last season which saw them somehow finish 14th, when a dozen games earlier they were bottom of the league seemingly ready for relegation. As a group I think they understand that they will may never have this sort of chance again, so together with their slightly more ‘advanced’ years, they are willing to go that extra mile and having seen the results this manager has led them to, they are all-in.

[Dein-machine]

Along with the age issue - the other interesting thing about Leicester is that they give the ball away more than any other team in the league & yet there top. Sort of puts a bit of a shitter on the possession theory. But, because they get the ball forward quicker & dont fuck about tippy tappying everywhere - they are surrendering the ball in less dangerous areas. It would be interesting to know the stat of how many goals are conceeded by teams overplaying in their own halves.
The other thing I like about Leicester which frustrates the hell out of me with us & as has done for a while was highlighted at the weekend. Leicester took the lead at City but still attacked as much as they had done at 0-0. They went 3-0 up because of this. With City always likely to score it shows the importance of not sitting back & defending leads. Look at Utd, as soon as they took the lead yesterday, they defended deeper & sat back. Chelsea had 90% of the ball after Utd scored!! & look what happened. Exactly the same as what the wonder of Wenger did for us against Liverpool. Exactly what we have done all season & did again at the weekend. Sit back & shut up shop. Bournemouth created enough chances 2nd half to get back level - ALL because we had dropped off, defended deeper & let them have more of the ball in our half. We need to attack Leicester on Sunday like we did against Utd - no questions, just get at them & let them worry about defending agaisnt players like Ozil & Sanchez. If we score 1st we get straight down the other end in search of the second & then the 3rd etc etc - thats what builds team confidence & wins titles.

[Power n Glory]

My feeling on the ‘discovery’ of players through injuries to others is that it is quite a normal occurrence – the difference is that we notice every single thing nowadays because absolutely everything is reported in the press. I think it is just as common for a player to get his chance off the back of someone else’s injury as it is for them just to get a shot at the first team purely on merit. One footballers success can typically be correlated to someone else’s bad luck. One example I heard recently was the Eastleigh keeper, who at one time was the back-up to Edvin van der Sar at Fulham and now finds himself down in the non-league. These sort of things happen all the time, good and bad, so I think the fact that we have knowledge about how Coquelin or Bellerin came into the first team shouldn’t be used as another stick to beat Wenger with. The most important thing is he gave them a chance at all, so his belief in the players had to be there for that to happen. If Le Coq was seen as a waste of space out on loan at Charlton, Wenger would never have recalled him in the first place. We’ve heard many more stories of players going out on loan and never coming back. That he and Bellerin have gone on to become so good is the luck element – but that’s the same for any player.

You have to question what's going on when a player like Flamini is getting game after game. And that's not a reference to this year. That's last year when we had Coquelin out on loan. Bellerin is understandable because Debuchy was playing well but got injured.

This season, it shouldn't take an injury to Flamini for Wenger to play Coquelin or Elneny.

[Dein-machine]

you just to look at a spine of a team that includes Merts, Flamini & Giroud, its unbeleivabe. The fact that we have players like this is our team with the finances we have & the draw of living in London is way beyond explaination. When you think how many points we are better off from finally buying a top class keeper - why does he not think that a class striker would also add seriously to the points tally. I think someone posted earlier - we have missed 52 clear chances this year in the P.L. with City in 2nd place but 20 chances behind us - come on Wenger, if you think hard enough I honestly reckon you could work it out.

[selassie]

Along with the age issue - the other interesting thing about Leicester is that they give the ball away more than any other team in the league & yet there top. Sort of puts a bit of a shitter on the possession theory. But, because they get the ball forward quicker & dont fuck about tippy tappying everywhere - they are surrendering the ball in less dangerous areas. It would be interesting to know the stat of how many goals are conceeded by teams overplaying in their own halves.
The other thing I like about Leicester which frustrates the hell out of me with us & as has done for a while was highlighted at the weekend. Leicester took the lead at City but still attacked as much as they had done at 0-0. They went 3-0 up because of this. With City always likely to score it shows the importance of not sitting back & defending leads. Look at Utd, as soon as they took the lead yesterday, they defended deeper & sat back. Chelsea had 90% of the ball after Utd scored!! & look what happened. Exactly the same as what the wonder of Wenger did for us against Liverpool. Exactly what we have done all season & did again at the weekend. Sit back & shut up shop. Bournemouth created enough chances 2nd half to get back level - ALL because we had dropped off, defended deeper & let them have more of the ball in our half. We need to attack Leicester on Sunday like we did against Utd - no questions, just get at them & let them worry about defending agaisnt players like Ozil & Sanchez. If we score 1st we get straight down the other end in search of the second & then the 3rd etc etc - thats what builds team confidence & wins titles.

Totally agree with this, especially the bit about the game on Sunday. We need to be fired up & angry on Sunday like we were against United.

Need big performances from everyone, I don't just want to win on Sunday, I want us to put doubts into the minds of those Leicester players, they are everyone's 2nd team, we need to put a stop to that and firmly remind them that they won't be walking their way to the title and that we'll be breathing down their necks.

[Kano]

Totally agree with this, especially the bit about the game on Sunday. We need to be fired up & angry on Sunday like we were against United.

Need big performances from everyone, I don't just want to win on Sunday, I want us to put doubts into the minds of those Leicester players, they are everyone's 2nd team, we need to put a stop to that and firmly remind them that they won't be walking their way to the title and that we'll be breathing down their necks.

What has to be remembered about the Utd game alongside our energetic start was that their team was set-up perfectly for us to exploit. LVG's talk beforehand was arrogantly about they had better attacking options and he set his team up accordingly. As much as the onus is on one team to be better than their opponents, the other side of the coin rarely discussed is how the opposition allow that to happen. Or vice versa of course. The ebb and flow of a football game is an intangible thing, something that even players can't put into context. There are so many factors in play at any given moment, with so many individuals emotions on the football pitch, all it takes is one to have a positive or negative impact on his team mates for a certain period or even the rest of the game. I can't remember where I heard his but I recall hearing that athletes first reflex is instinctual, rather than anything thought through, which can throw the best laid plans straight out the window. Which means of course getting inside your players head before a match is of the upmost importance.