Rival watch
- Thread starter Spurlock
- Start date
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You make it sound so easy, it makes me wonder why no other team seems capable of doing it.
No other team has ever played counter-attacking football.
Certainly not any from Ranieri's home country.
It's all new and innovative, people with their staid, old fashioned tactics just can't cope with it hence the PL win
These things go in cycles. Sam Allardyce will be seen as an innovator for his England hoofball. Possibly...It's all new and innovative, people with their staid, old fashioned tactics just can't cope with it hence the PL win
Yep, everybody seems to follow the trend of the time. Pep did well with his possession **** so many followed him, now the new thing seems to be high tempo high press, you hear it from supporters all the time as if it's something new.
If most teams are going that way then the sensible thing to do would be get some rapid attackers and send it long, cut the high pressing players out and get behind the high defence. When the other team has the ball, let them have it just don't let them walk through you.
Which is why I don't understand why everyone thinks that Leicester are going to bomb in the Champions League.
They don't even have to change their tactics and they're set up to play most sides that they'll face.
Same here mate, they will be facing some teams who are thinking "what the **** is going on". I expect them to do much better than the popular opinion thinks (or in my opinion hopes).
Some are just desperate to see them fail.
They rely on muscular defending which often works well in the PL - and they were well protected by Kante and Drinkwater too. I'm not sure they will cope with the pace and movement the top European sides have up front. Arsenal did the double on them last season, they were fortunate v Spurs, they didn't beat Utd, they beat City because their defence was weak against the high ball into Huth.
Is there much evidence to suggest they can handle the forward power of teams like Real, Barca, Bayern, PSG etc?
Yes, agreed. A full Barca side, in a serious competition, would rip Leicester a new one!
Is there much evidence to suggest Real, Barca, Bayern, PSG etc can handle the direct pace of Leicester?
Leicester are an unknown quantity in the CL, but their success in the PL last season wasn't based on them catching the top sides cold on the counter (as alluded to in my last comment).
I think the best sides will be too savvy
They're seeded though, so they'll avoid all of them in the group, at least.
If they get through, which I think they will, then they'll be playing a style that they're used to, which isn't normally true of English sides.
If there's anything suspect about the likes of Barca and PSG, then it's their defence, especially against pace.
Only time will tell, but Leicester were a one trick pony. It worked because the usual title contenders were weak and/or in transition.
They are very worthy champions, but their success was based on consistent results v the lesser PL teams, who didn't cope with their game plan.
The top European sides are a different kettle of fish.
I don't think continental referees will be as tolerant of Huth as the PL refs and Leicester won't be a fairy tale club and lauded by the European press like they were in England. It depends on the draw and how they adapt to 2 games a week with lots of travel, as to whether they get through the group stages. There is a better than even chance of drawing Napoli Dortmund or Atletico from pot 2 and some of those in pot three could well be other teams that are happy to cede possession in the opponents half and whose idea of a high line is on the edge of the goal area..
Also teams in Europe won't be thinking ''we prefer them to win, than another team'' or, ''they are harmless and will run out of steam''.
Only 4 teams in a group, each one fighting for success.
The fact they are in pot 1, actually makes it harder IMO, as they will be playing against some possibly weaker teams who will also employ similar tactics and won't play open football.
Only 4 teams in a group, each one fighting for success.
The fact they are in pot 1, actually makes it harder IMO, as they will be playing against some possibly weaker teams who will also employ similar tactics and won't play open football.
The problem with that is we know that in UEFA land the refs enforce powder-puff physical contact.
What is taken as granted in the PL is often a capital offence there.
I was surprised last season that the Spurs pressing game last season did not result in far more
yellows/reds in the Europa.