ZeGuy Posted 21 August 2017 Share Posted 21 August 2017 28 minutes ago, jayfox26 said: The question is can he get a good partnership with Vardy. We all know that vardy starts every week when fit and no reason for him not to with no european games. Okazaki has started the season well and deserves to be in the team at present and Iheanacho linked well with vardy against BMG. So as good as people may think Slim is or can be, Shakey won't drop Okazaki if hes playing well and if he does then Iheanacho will be picked ahead of Slim in my opinion. I do feel Ulloa and Musa are surplus to requirements though. The fact that we still rely on Okazaki as "holding striker" reveals how lightweight the midfield actually is. Shinji works his socks off to the point where he dies at the 60-65min, but he'll never be a goal scorer and I already see him being bullied at Old Trafford. We're effectively playing with one striker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Fox Posted 21 August 2017 Share Posted 21 August 2017 16 minutes ago, Thracian said: Good job you're not the manager. You'd want to play 13 or 14 players at a time or making changes for the sake of keeping players happy rather than acting according to the game's requirements. Spot on Thrac........simply put be it Slim, Gray, Ulloa, Amartey etc they need to earn their bloody spot in the team! Like Danny Simpson did a couple of years ago - if the players are not willing to earn their spot then they can leave for me as the likes of Drinky, Vardy, Riyad have proved themselves as quality prem starters and actually anyone wanting their starting spot needs to proved it!! I hate this idea of pandering to keep them happy - train harder, practice, improve and when given the opportunity show that they are desperate to play. Personally would not bother me one jot if Musa, Slimani and Gray all left as they are just not good enough and actually their attitudes are not particularly positive!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thracian Posted 21 August 2017 Share Posted 21 August 2017 1 minute ago, HighPeakFox said: Apparently, Vardy is travelling with the squad tomorrow. He'll probably have friends/family up there apart from anything else. Can't imagine he'll be utilised. Don't we usually play the groundstaff in cup matches anyway - or take the attitude that all our cup games are a bit of an inconvenience! There's always some reason half the team's not playing and an air of "we're only picked when it doesn't matter," from the shadow team. I knew we'd lose at Millwall at the death if there was any danger of us needing a replay. Millwall fans say they beat us fair and square but I say they only beat part of us. Our heart was never in it, the same as against Burton Albion and Hull in recent memory. We once had a proud tradition in Cup games. Nowadays we shouldn't have the cheek to even charge for tickets but should instead give em to fans as a reward for their fortitude in being willing to travel at all for what is invariably a much devalued football outing and much more a training exercise for the shadow squad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thracian Posted 21 August 2017 Share Posted 21 August 2017 14 minutes ago, Old Fox said: Spot on Thrac........simply put be it Slim, Gray, Ulloa, Amartey etc they need to earn their bloody spot in the team! Like Danny Simpson did a couple of years ago - if the players are not willing to earn their spot then they can leave for me as the likes of Drinky, Vardy, Riyad have proved themselves as quality prem starters and actually anyone wanting their starting spot needs to proved it!! I hate this idea of pandering to keep them happy - train harder, practice, improve and when given the opportunity show that they are desperate to play. Personally would not bother me one jot if Musa, Slimani and Gray all left as they are just not good enough and actually their attitudes are not particularly positive!!! Can't agree about Slimani - he looked sharp, focused and involved enough on Saturday and has a record that emphasises how dangerous he is in the penalty area. i don't know how happy he is but he could sure do himself a lot of good with the involvement he's likely to get this season if he gets his head down. He'll be a likely starter at Sheffield tomorrow and I hope he makes a case for himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cc_star Posted 21 August 2017 Share Posted 21 August 2017 Slimani could easily bag 20+, Being fit enough to play two games running is the biggest obstacle to this If the opinion is that he's never going to be fit enough to rely on him week in week out, get rid - If they think he can be relied on, then make use of him A good 60mins again Sheffield Utd, followed by really needing his height defensively against ManUtd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cc_star Posted 21 August 2017 Share Posted 21 August 2017 35 minutes ago, ZeGuy said: The fact that we still rely on Okazaki as "holding striker" reveals how lightweight the midfield actually is. Shinji works his socks off to the point where he dies at the 60-65min, but he'll never be a goal scorer and I already see him being bullied at Old Trafford. We're effectively playing with one striker. That's the whole point, in most games without Okazaki as the pivot we're nothing. At OT, Okazaki should be tasked with keeping Matic busy, he's been the change at Utd, he breaks the play up & the turnover of play allows them a fast transition which Rashford, Martial, Mkhitaryan are able to take advantage of and Pogba & Mata freed up to be greater attacking threat If Matic can be restricted, our defence will have a greater chance of being 'set' by the time the attacking players are running at us Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeGuy Posted 21 August 2017 Share Posted 21 August 2017 1 minute ago, cc_star said: That's the whole point, in most games without Okazaki as the pivot we're nothing. At OT, Okazaki should be tasked with keeping Matic busy, he's been the change at Utd, he breaks the play up & the turnover of play allows them a fast transition with Rashford, Martial, Mkhitaryan are able to take advantage of, with Pogba & Matic freed up to be greater attacking threat Watch us being overrun and/or being ineffective upfront then. It's a game for Slim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cc_star Posted 21 August 2017 Share Posted 21 August 2017 Just now, ZeGuy said: Watch us being overrun and/or being ineffective upfront then. It's a game for Slim. Vardy couldn't get away from Bailley the last couple of times we've played them & Utd will defend longer balls to Slimani all day long Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeGuy Posted 21 August 2017 Share Posted 21 August 2017 6 minutes ago, cc_star said: Vardy couldn't get away from Bailley the last couple of times we've played them & Utd will defend longer balls to Slimani all day long You underestimate his link-up play and how much he weighs on a defense. Shiniji is not considered as a goal threat and this allows the defenders to concentrate on Vardy and Mahrez. With Slim there is no way Matic would go more than 5 yards away from his defense. We need a physical presence upfront, Vardy's not enough. Their midfield is even stronger than last season and frankly if we go there with holding the line in mind, relying on Shinji as first defender we'll be destroyed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle10 Posted 21 August 2017 Share Posted 21 August 2017 15 minutes ago, cc_star said: Vardy couldn't get away from Bailley the last couple of times we've played them & Utd will defend longer balls to Slimani all day long I think the United game is a good one for Slimani. He always delivers in big games, last year against Man City he was excellent, here in Sporting in the big games he always scored, or made something happen. Apart from that, a good cross is most certainly a goal with Slimani in the area, and his link-up play is good, as much as people may think it isn't, he is good linking up. Either way, I don't think Shakespeare is a manager that can see that, and he will play the usual team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UpTheLeagueFox Posted 21 August 2017 Share Posted 21 August 2017 Slimani in an orthodox 4-4-2 with proper wingers could be useful. But we don't play that way. He hasn't gelled with Vardy and Vardy is first pick every game. Vardy and Okazaki in behind is the best combo we have, although we haven't seen much of Iheanacho yet. I get the feeling Shakespeare prefers Ulloa to Slimani. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoustonFox Posted 21 August 2017 Share Posted 21 August 2017 24 minutes ago, UpTheLeagueFox said: Slimani in an orthodox 4-4-2 with proper wingers could be useful. But we don't play that way. He hasn't gelled with Vardy and Vardy is first pick every game. Vardy and Okazaki in behind is the best combo we have, although we haven't seen much of Iheanacho yet. I get the feeling Shakespeare prefers Ulloa to Slimani. Iheanacho likes scoring against Man U! Let's hope he's fit on Saturday!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simi Posted 21 August 2017 Share Posted 21 August 2017 As much as I like Slimani, anyone advocating dropping Okazaki for the United game needs their head checking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanity Posted 21 August 2017 Share Posted 21 August 2017 1 hour ago, Simi said: As much as I like Slimani, anyone advocating dropping Okazaki for the United game needs their head checking. I know he has played well the first two games, but there is a decent chance he proves an ineffective little pinball against United's size. Not saying we should try to match their physicality and size necessarily by playing Slimani, but if Shakey thinks he matches up better, I hope he starts. We don't want too much sprawling dispossession up front against a team as talented as United. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucey Posted 21 August 2017 Share Posted 21 August 2017 4 hours ago, UpTheLeagueFox said: I get the feeling Shakespeare prefers Ulloa to Slimani. Every time those two have been on the bench together, Shakey has picked Slim to come on.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayfox26 Posted 22 August 2017 Share Posted 22 August 2017 16 hours ago, ZeGuy said: You underestimate his link-up play and how much he weighs on a defense. Shiniji is not considered as a goal threat and this allows the defenders to concentrate on Vardy and Mahrez. With Slim there is no way Matic would go more than 5 yards away from his defense. We need a physical presence upfront, Vardy's not enough. Their midfield is even stronger than last season and frankly if we go there with holding the line in mind, relying on Shinji as first defender we'll be destroyed. You may be right, but playing 2 strikers will mean we would be playing 442 and our 2 man midfield would get overrun by United's 3 man midfield. Its A tough choice as i see your point about Slim supporting Vardy but could be a risk as we could just get destroyed in midfield. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redouane Posted 22 August 2017 Share Posted 22 August 2017 16 hours ago, Simi said: As much as I like Slimani, anyone advocating dropping Okazaki for the United game needs their head checking. Agreed. At shinji's current form why would he be dropped? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grebfromgrebland Posted 22 August 2017 Share Posted 22 August 2017 20 hours ago, Col city fan said: I agree. Personally I wouldn't shed a tear. If we don't see much more from him, this could end up being one of the most expensive flops in the club's history. We need to see him in the side, staying fit, looking dangerous and scoring goals. If this don't happen, take it on the chin and fookin get rid. Unfortunately if Shakey cannot learn to keep a squad of players happy rather than just the first eleven then we'll become a very unattractive club to join. He needs to learn to rotate his squad, give everyone games to keep them sharp so they don't get injured / or of form when called upon. And keep us an attractive club to our existing and future players. This year he had viable options in defence, midfield, attack and currently in the wings. It will be interesting to see how he manages the squad this season as we've never had such a deep and strong squad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeGuy Posted 22 August 2017 Share Posted 22 August 2017 1 hour ago, jayfox26 said: You may be right, but playing 2 strikers will mean we would be playing 442 and our 2 man midfield would get overrun by United's 3 man midfield. Its A tough choice as i see your point about Slim supporting Vardy but could be a risk as we could just get destroyed in midfield. Since Kanté went to Chelsea, every time we played the usual 4-4-2 away against a big fish we got wiped out. Every single time bar a shaky Arsenal this season, if I'm not wrong. Same players, same formation, I don't see why it should go otherwise this time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovejoy Posted 22 August 2017 Share Posted 22 August 2017 5 minutes ago, ZeGuy said: Since Kanté went to Chelsea, every time we played the usual 4-4-2 away against a big fish we got wiped out. Every single time bar a shaky Arsenal this season, if I'm not wrong. Same players, same formation, I don't see why it should go otherwise this time. We beat City and Liverpool at home, drew with Arsenal and at Spurs. We actually played ok against City at the back end of last season with Benny and Fuchs at centre back, the former of which pretty much cost us the game. Hardly every time we played a big fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeGuy Posted 22 August 2017 Share Posted 22 August 2017 16 minutes ago, Lovejoy said: We beat City and Liverpool at home, drew with Arsenal and at Spurs. We actually played ok against City at the back end of last season with Benny and Fuchs at centre back, the former of which pretty much cost us the game. Hardly every time we played a big fish. I'm talking about the away games: 2016-2017 (away against top 6): Manchester United - Leicester 4-1 Chelsea - Leicester 3-0 (got trashed home too) Liverpool -Leicester 4-1 Spurs - Leicester 1-1 (you're right on this one, they killed us at home 6-1 though) Manchester City - Leicester 2-1 (we did okay) Arsenal - Leicester 1-0 5 losses (3 beatings) / 1 draw Not every single time, true, but also not a great record. By far. So why not try something different this time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovejoy Posted 22 August 2017 Share Posted 22 August 2017 4 hours ago, ZeGuy said: I'm talking about the away games: 2016-2017 (away against top 6): Manchester United - Leicester 4-1 Chelsea - Leicester 3-0 (got trashed home too) Liverpool -Leicester 4-1 Spurs - Leicester 1-1 (you're right on this one, they killed us at home 6-1 though) Manchester City - Leicester 2-1 (we did okay) Arsenal - Leicester 1-0 5 losses (3 beatings) / 1 draw Not every single time, true, but also not a great record. By far. So why not try something different this time? You're right mate, we did get absolutely walloped in those games, but I do think we gave a good account of ourselves in more games against the "big 6" than most in the league last year. I think Saturday will give us an idea of whether we need to adapt this season when playing those teams. United look monstrous so far, if they duff us up with our usual lineup then we really should think about trying something different. I've never liked us playing 4-3-3 so a 3-4-3 (or 3-6-1 ) could be worth a look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nnfox Posted 22 August 2017 Share Posted 22 August 2017 I like Slimani, but Okazaki has to play against Utd. He is only 9 games away from equalling a certain Premier League record... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROB-THE-BLUE Posted 22 August 2017 Share Posted 22 August 2017 4 minutes ago, nnfox said: I like Slimani, but Okazaki has to play against Utd. He is only 9 games away from equalling a certain Premier League record... Bet Vardy is bricking it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROB-THE-BLUE Posted 22 August 2017 Share Posted 22 August 2017 Well after hearing what Shakey just said, I think Slim's on his way out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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