Team V Arsenal

We back. The season starts for real this week.

Danny Drinkwater has been ruled out by Shakey aswell as Robert Huth he will be back sometime next month. Kelechi Iheanacho isnt fit enough to start yet. Islam Slimani is a doubt with a cut at the back of his leg but apart from that we have everyone else available. So here is what I would go with

Schmeichel

Simpson
Morgan
Maguire
Fuchs

Iborra
Ndidi
James

Mahrez
Gray

Vardy

Subs- Jakupovic, Benalouane, Chilwell, King, Albrighton, Iheanacho, Ulloa

 

This for me

Schmeichel

Simpson
Morgan
Maguire
Fuchs

Ndidi
James
Mahrez
Albrighton

Okazaki
Vardy

Subs- Jakupovic, Armarty, Chilwell, King, Gray, Iheanacho, Iborra
Iheanacho on for the last 30 in place of Okazaki regardless of how we are going. Gray not done enough yet to get in font of Albrighton despite being given reassurances of game time.

 

Agree entirely with this

 

Schmeichel

Simpson
Morgan (reluctantly)
Maguire
Fuchs

Albrighton
Ndidi
James
Gray

Vardy
Okazaki (reluctantly as no one else fit)

 

If 4-3-3

Schmeichel
Simpson - Morgan - Maguire - Fuchs
Ndidi - Iborra
James
Mahrez --------------- Gray
Vardy​

If (more likely) 4-4-2

Schmeichel
Simpson - Morgan - Maguire - Fuchs
Mahrez - Ndidi - James - Albrighton
Okazaki
Vardy​

 

Will be this.

Is not good how predictable we are.

 

A

at least we know our best team...

 

not sure we do at this point once Iborra and Iheanacho are 100% fit and up to speed, we will see.

 

I don't see Gray competing against Albrighton for a place. He should be competing against Mahrez. Play both Gray and Albrighton in this one. We need a team of hard working players against Arsenal to stop them higher up the pitch.

 

Mahrez is a right winger while Gray plays on the left - Albrighton can play on the right but Simpson/Amartey are not a good enough attackers to overlap like Fuchs/Chilwell do.

Pressing Arsenal higher up the pitch doesn't work - even when everyone was 2 years younger and we had an extra player in Kante, they beat us 5-2 and 2-0. The best way to defeat them is via counterattacking and we need to have clever players on the pitch that have the creative spark to make something from nothing - as shown by our preseason, the only player with that is Mahrez.

 

Mahrez is not a winger. If he is so creative he should be playing in the number 10 position but, as he lacks competitiveness he can't manage it, so he gets stuck out on the wing. An example of a square peg........

 

Don't you remember how good he was in our championship season playing on the right wing? Don't you remember how ****e everyone else was last season - don't solely put the blame on him as Drinkwater was shocking and we lack any other creativity and are dependent on Mahrez.

Should he play as a #10? Why not imo as he would do better then Okazaki who just runs around without any end product but doesn't get any slack because that is being "competitive".

It really bothers me that we aren't linked with anyone else - if Arsene finally opens his wallet, Mahrez will be gone and we will be buggered.

 

Forget the championship winning season and remember how he was last season. That is the one that is more relevant. I know he has the potential to be creative, but he doesn't do it consistently, and he doesn't work hard enough. I just don't like 'half' players in a team game. Players will have different skills depending on which position they play in, but 100% effort is within every player's capability.

 

I think Mahrez's ideal position would be on the right of a front 3. He's wasted tracking back and at the same time seems better cutting in from the right.
I don't like how he has gone about the wanting a move with the public statements but there's players like Van Diik and Siggurdson who are behaving worse and we'd be much worse off without him

 

Then you should be glad that Drinkwater is out - was our worst performer imo last season and couldn't pass the ball without it going to an opponent. We relied on him to start moves and he repeatedly failed meaning that Mahrez had to drop deeper to get the ball so had much less space to do anything and Vardy was isolated.

This season I have more hope that Mahrez can stay in the opposition half and annoy people by being "lazy" by not tracking back or running around aimlessly and just make chances or score - Simpson is a crap attacker so need him to stay back which and hopefully the likes of James and Iborra should be able to pass to him in the opposition half unlike Drinkwater could.

Without him we will end up like Stoke with the players we have - get the ball and launch it to the wings for a cross into the box or long ball to the lone striker.

 

End of the day, Mahrez or no Mahrez we desperately need more creativity. We've looked awful generally in the pre-season games aside from the second half against BMG when Iborra and Iheanacho lit it up. Would love that Hazard from them to add a bit more spark

 

Exactly mate - is shocking that we aren't linked with anyone else that has that spark, Lawrence and Gray might get it but don't have it now from what I have seen

Our new signing George Thomas is a right winger - this is a much higher level then he is used to though.

We were linked with Thorgan Hazard last season - wish we pulled the plug seeing him against us.

 

Ditto

 

From CS today: Ibbora has a groin problem, out for a week or two. Huth is training again and expected to play in an U23's match, is ahead of schedule. Drinkwater expected to be out for another week. Slimani and Iheanacho available.
Mahrez is focused on LCFC and will be considered for selection as long as that continues. No reasonable bids, no sale.

So expecting a team selection of
Schmeichel
Simpson
Morgan
Maguire
Fuchs
Albrighton
James
Ndidi
Mahrez
Okazaki
Vardy

 

Vincete Iborra has been ruled out by Shakey

Iheanacho is fit but not yet match fit and Robert Huth is ahead of schedule and will play for the under 23's on monday