Iheanacho

[Chelmofox]

1 hour ago, Happy Fox said:

It doesn’t have to be two up top, it could be where Nacho drops into that false 9 position and Vardy as the most advanced forward. We need creativity in the centre of the park and Nacho can provide that imo.

At the expense of another player on the pitch with an aging Vardy. Nacho has been dropping deep anyway and not adding much creativity. I'm not sure i can see Enzo changing the system just to try and suit Nacho.

[burleighfox]

Let's be honest, he's still largely useless. Scores a belter now and again but has brains made of mashed potatoes. 

[whoareyaaa]

35 minutes ago, burleighfox said:

Let's be honest, he's still largely useless. Scores a belter now and again but has brains made of mashed potatoes. 

he needs more support from the two 8's KDH/Nididi did nothing to help him yesterday, neither did Mcateer who kept wasting ops and Yunus spent most the time tracking back.

 

Caesdi needs to start and probably Preat, I agree he didn't have a good game yesterday though.. could do with being a bit more energetic/sharper.

Edited 3 September 2023 by whoareyaaa

[Heathrow fox]

He really misses Maddison more than any other player imo.

[splinterdream]

4 hours ago, Claudio Fannieri said:

Yes we did Casadei linked up so much better with Fatawu than the other 8’s and wingers did and it was no coincidence that Fatawu looked arguably our best and most dangerous player. 

That was my point really, perhaps it wasn't vardy that made us look more dangerous, but those players. I think our player selection let us down yesterday. I'm not entirely convinced nacho can get us 20 goals and maybe we should give cannon a chance, purely because he has something to prove. We must play the players most hungry, I think Nacho needs to know his place isn't an automatic given

[SpacedX]

1 minute ago, splinterdream said:

I think Nacho needs to know his place isn't an automatic given

Trust me, after last season, he'll be acutely aware of that. 

[nettle]

40 minutes ago, whoareyaaa said:

he needs more support from the two 8's KDH/Nididi did nothing to help him yesterday, neither did Mcateer who kept wasting ops and Yunus spent most the time tracking back.

 

Caesdi needs to start and probably Preat, I agree he didn't have a good game yesterday though.. could do with being a bit more energetic/sharper.

Has he has a good game in the championship yet apart from when he comes off the bench. You mention energetic/sharper I think you'll be waiting a long time for that to happen that's not his style 

Edited 3 September 2023 by nettle

[st albans fox]

16 hours ago, Ric Flair said:

Well Tom Cannon scored all his goals at Preston in a front two so I'm now even more baffled by what Maresca's up to with our strikers. All of them suit two up top, including Daka.

Nixon reckons it was a Georgian fella at Metz - ended up going to Ajax 

[CaliFOXnia]

Still waiting for him to “tear this league a new a******e” like many on here assured he would.. 

 

Few good touches yesterday but again largely anonymous before being hooked. 
 

No goals, 1 Assist in 5 games at a level he’s supposedly far too good for is at the very least, concerning. 

[Dan LCFC]

14 hours ago, Neutral said:

I am not going to come here and defend any players for how they perform, but there's quite obviously an issue with the system Leicester are using in terms of involving the strikers and producing chances for them. Say what you want about Kelechi or even Vardy, but the two of them have proven to be goal threats and creators at a higher level throughout their careers, and it is not like they are missing a bunch of chances with poor finishes or touches.

 

It seems like Maresca is playing a system very similar to Pep's, with technical central players and the wingers very wide. It works for Manchester City because their central players are extremely creative and good finishers/shooters who take advantage of the wingers pulling the opposition wide, and their wingers can also beat their man 1 v. 1 and put in service if it gets switched wide with all the focus centrally. The benefit of having infinite funds to curate your squad.

 

LCFC's midfield is not anywhere near that level creatively, even relative to the lower competition. KDH and Casadei will are good at breaking late into the box and scoring, but are not great passers or technical players. Winks is not creative or forward thinking at all. Ndidi is a great athlete and tackler who has been willing to throw himself forward in this system, but he's never going to breaking sides down with passing. The wide players are talented, but they are shunted so far wide, that it's difficult to create from the position. Iheanacho is isolated as a result (Vardy as well) and that doesn't play to his strengths at all. You have seen that he is a big threat when he has players close to him that can link with and especially with players willing to run ahead of him. In this system, the only players near him are mostly non-threatening midfielders, while the forwards he would prefer to link with are on the touch line. I watched the match today, and he did not play very well, but he wasn't set up for success at all, tbh.

 

Your team will likely be fine due to the general high level of talent, but it's hard to see this team scoring a ton of goals. Your system contradicts the strikers you have (Vardy and Daka looking to run in behind which won't happen with the slow passing and low blocks, Iheanacho looking to interchange, I don't know the boy you just signed or if he's suited) and the team is not creative overall. They really needed  a quality central creator or a striker stylistically similar to Haaland who could feeds off scraps/low involvement and threaten with physicality. Honestly seems like adjustments are needed.

This is a really decent assessment of things and about where I stand. I've forgiven some of the earlier shortcomings but the fact we now have Casadei (and have had him 3 weeks) yet Ndidi still gets the nod as one of the attacking eights is baffling to me, it's so restrictive. Said it earlier but I think you'd be as well playing Iheanacho as one of them as he has proven he can create (his creativity beats his goalscoring for me).

 

I'd be intrigued to see our front 5 be something like... Mavididi, Iheanacho, Casadei, Fatawu, behind Cannon.

[sacreblueits442]

15 hours ago, Dan LCFC said:

I'm prepared to get absolutely mauled for this but I think in this system I'd sooner have him where KDH is than as a striker. He doesn't get on the ball or get any chances and it's wasting him.

...there is a lot more to the KDH position that Nacho will not be comfortable doing!!!

Reading the game, tracking players, making those lung busting runs to support the attack, defensively helping out, Nacho is clumsy at best in most circumstances. So long as Nacho adjust his game where he looks to play as a false #9 after discussing the setup with Maresca it will take this selfishness out of his game. Nacho's role is to facilitate and be aware of who or what is around him, he could be devastating playing this way and solve a lot of our current problems when we are going forward.

[Chelmofox]

I presume he has been selected for Nigeria? He could really do with an uninterrupted week at Seagrave working with KDH, Winks and the wingers. Cannon and Vardy will hopefully pull out all the stops in training for now. With a few games close together I wouldn’t be surprised to see Vardy start the Southampton game with Cannon to come on as sub. Games start coming thick and fast in October so we need rotation. 

[Ed 1]

Would love to see the odd 30 minute spell where, when chasing the game as on Saturday, Vardy comes on to support Kel rather than to replace him. (Aware Kel looked like he had cramp or something as he came off) 
 

They’ve proven they have a great understanding and a good goal scoring record together. 

[Dahnsouff]

He is getting on my tits tbh, as he has so much skill, but I think he lacks the mentality, the game intelligence

 

Desperate to be made to look, (more of) a twat, but he is not going to deliver this season imo

[Chelmofox]

10 minutes ago, Dahnsouff said:

He is getting on my tits tbh, as he has so much skill, but I think he lacks the mentality, the game intelligence

 

Desperate to be made to look, (more of) a twat, but he is not going to deliver this season imo

The sad matter of fact is that he needs to be given time. The argument for keeping him (regardless of the horrible financial implications) was that he was perfect for this system. One game later and the system needs to be changed to incorporate him again.  I think he is away on international duty now (i might be wrong), so i think he gets dropped to the bench for the Southampton game anyway. You would be hoping that the significant work going on in training over the next week would involve Vardy/Cannon/KDH/Casadei/Yanus/Fatawu/McAteer/Mavadidi. 

 

I just dont think Ineanacho has the nouse to 'implement' this system, but i still think he can be effective in it. Being away for a little while and letting the others get to work might actually be good for him.

[Chelmofox]

1 hour ago, Ed 1 said:

Would love to see the odd 30 minute spell where, when chasing the game as on Saturday, Vardy comes on to support Kel rather than to replace him. (Aware Kel looked like he had cramp or something as he came off) 
 

They’ve proven they have a great understanding and a good goal scoring record together. 

Right now, i don't see Enzo doing anything of the sort, and probably quite rightly. We are a long way away from resorting to desperate measures at the expense of his system. I am sure it would be different if we were in a relegation scrap. Right now, i believe he sees the priority as developing the system/team. Nacho was given a role to play, and it was his job to action that. I am sure Enzo and his team will analyse how he implemented what was asked of him and how Nacho can develop to improve that implementation.  Currently, what ever Vardy / Nacho did several years ago needs to be cast aside.

 

Enzo isn't stupid. We are going to lose games this season. Fulham won the title in 21/22 losing 10 games. We would all rather not lose anything, but right now I would rather do it without panicking.

[danny2997]

I think Iheanacho is still the best striker option by a mile (excluding Cannon who we can't really judge yet). He's got the numbers to prove his worth, and has probably been dropping a bit too deep to get involved thus far especially against Hull. If the system we are playing works well and we get the midfield up and around him, then he shouldn't need to be dropping so far back. I think I saw another post that our strikers have had an incredibly low xG so far, so with such limited opportunities being created, who would score with so little opportunities? Even Haaland struggled with that kind of service against Sevilla.

[ARM1968]

Thing is with strikers they need supply. 

[-sodapop]

Think he's a victim of a lack of creation in the side, but he can also be that creative outlet. Would love to see us run two up top with him and Vardy/Daka/Cannon playing off him

[foxile5]

3 minutes ago, ARM1968 said:

Thing is with strikers they need supply. 

More than a grain of truth in this.

 

However, they also need industry and the ability to create chances. Cottee, Nugent, Vardy, Heskey, Marshall... They all made their own opportunities with movement and timing.

 

Iheanacho doesn't do that.

 

In theory this should be the most easily coachable element of his game. In theory.

[LinekersLugs]

Adds nothing to the system, shocked he is still here 

[sacreblueits442]

1 hour ago, foxile5 said:

More than a grain of truth in this.

 

However, they also need industry and the ability to create chances. Cottee, Nugent, Vardy, Heskey, Marshall... They all made their own opportunities with movement and timing.

 

Iheanacho doesn't do that.

 

In theory this should be the most easily coachable element of his game. In theory.

...it will not benefit him, or if it does it will have a minuscule effect on his game!!!

He is to all intents and purposes in his head and where he looks to occupy on the pitch a #10, All those other players were out-and-out strikers, Cottee was a very intelligent forward, diminutive but very effective.

[BKLFox]

Whilst on international duty he should study videos of how Firmino played the role, he might learn a thing or 3 

[TJB-fox]

On 03/09/2023 at 15:00, CaliFOXnia said:

Still waiting for him to “tear this league a new a******e” like many on here assured he would.. 

 

Few good touches yesterday but again largely anonymous before being hooked. 
 

No goals, 1 Assist in 5 games at a level he’s supposedly far too good for is at the very least, concerning. 

I think we’ll see the best of him now the window has shut. Probably doesn’t know whether he’s been coming or going. 
 

also - hardly like we’re playing fluid football creating lots of chances! 

[danny2997]

20 minutes ago, BKLFox said:

Whilst on international duty he should study videos of how Firmino played the role, he might learn a thing or 3 

Would argue it's not quite the same as he had wing backs that were constantly getting forward and whipping balls in. With our lack of conventional full/wing backs, we're getting much less early balls in than what firmino would have had.