Trying not to be all gloom and doom but are we now starting to see what Southampton saw last season. Puel has turned us into a possession based team but we have no cut and thrust. Who cares if you can string 10 passes together if you cant get past halfway in the process. Vardy has seen more of the ball in away games than the last two home games combined. 13-1 in corners but never looked like coring from any of them, same as against Stoke. Thank goodness for that last piece of magic but it does tend to detract from another banal performance.
Puel has gone into games now trying not to lose. Thats not what we are about I like James and love the way he has battled back from serious injuries but he isnt any more then a championship player and at the very most a squad player. We would have been better off with Andy King because at least he has a goal in him How how badly are we missing Shinji. You watch him at times and he looks a fish out of water but he dont half bring alot to the team Recent weeks alot of cracks have appeared. Schmeichel isnt looking assured, Simpson dropped completely out the squad, Dragovic undeservingly dropped, Chilwell lacking confidence, he has been holding the ball much too long and making the wrong choices, Iborra has fell off the face of the earth, Silva doesnt look like he understands how to play in a team, Gray has gone back to what he has been since he signed, all mouth not much substance We are over reliant on Mahrez producing and starving Vardy of proper service
For me it’s easily fixed - play Dragovic next to Maguire and play Iborra next to N’didi. That way you don’t concede and win the midfield battle
We haven't suddenly got a squad of bad players; Puel just isn't playing them as a cohesive team. We started off so brightly under him but have suddenly gone backwards at an alarming pace. I don't think we are missing a big striker; after all, playing Slimani or Ulloa this season has not worked as a solution. We are missing Okazaki pressing the opposition high up the pitch, and missing creativity in central midfield. Even though Iborra sometimes wanted too much time on the ball, he did offer something more creative. Puel needs to sort himself out before the end of the season and field a team that can play together and live up to being top 7 or 8, or he won't be here at the start of next season.
What has been obvious in the last couple of games is that we struggle if we go behind against teams with a 'contain' game plan ... Mahrez moving into a more central role appears to be our only way out when that happens ... which begs the question why we don't do that from the off ... Diabate coming on also helped tbf ...
I agree with what you say re Okazaki and Puel. I don’t think I was clear about what I meant with clear out. I didn’t mean in terms of talent but attitude. It looks to me at least that some of the title winners still pick themselves and don’t get picked on merit. The best defensively we’ve been this season was with Amartey, Dragovic, Maguire and Chilwell. Morgan walks straight back in is wrong, I don’t gave anything against him or Simpson but we look better for Puels system with Amartey at RB and LB is more even but I’d keep Chilwell in for the future. In midfield I can’t understand James over Iborra or Silva. And all Albrighton does recently is swing harmless crosses into the box as we only have Vardy in the box so if we want to play the possession football game we need Dragovic, Chilwell, Silva/Iborra, Diabate etc supporting Vardy but as you say Okazaki is key as well
Agreed, when we had the good run early under Puel, we are scoring early (Burnley 6th min, Spurs 13th min spring to mind). Obviously didn’t always work, we scored first against Man U and Mo Salah Fc and didn’t win either but at least we look more likely especially against lower sides. We can’t rely on Mahrez to dig us out every time as he won’t always be here. There’s just been some odd team selections from Puel recently
Gunna be an interesting game against WBA. Pardew keeping his job as they are improving ... not convinced we are going to win it tbf.
