What Are Leicester Playing At?

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.

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.

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Originally Posted by 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.

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Or Bayern.

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)

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.

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.

Rex was allsome tbf. Best character in Toy Story.

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Originally Posted by Marc Overmars

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.

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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?

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Originally Posted by Kano

Rex was allsome tbf. Best character in Toy Story.

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Does he have his coaching badge though?

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Originally Posted by Letters

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?

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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.