Tactics Under Maresca

[LVFox]

Feel like we are really clicking at times now, first half yesterday a prime example.

 

I'm also convinced that there are numerous players that don't quite fit the system, I know people are pointing at Burnley as reason why we need to change a little next year, and we will obviously have more defending to do, but I'm really confident with some good additions we can be comfortable next season (I do however, expect us to get the occasional hiding)

[Babylon]

3 minutes ago, LVFox said:

Feel like we are really clicking at times now, first half yesterday a prime example.

 

I'm also convinced that there are numerous players that don't quite fit the system, I know people are pointing at Burnley as reason why we need to change a little next year, and we will obviously have more defending to do, but I'm really confident with some good additions we can be comfortable next season (I do however, expect us to get the occasional hiding)

For all the grumbles about style, which I think have been reasonable, it's not his team, he's inherited a lot of players, he's trying to play a style that is clearly better suited to more technically gifted players. 

[coalvillefox]

One thing to bear in mind is that we have played very few teams, especially at home that are willing to play an open attacking style of Football. This means we have had limited space to work in and can lead to alot of keep ball while we wait for an opening. As a newly promoted club next season, pretty much every side will think they can come here and beat us, that should in theory work to our advantage, if we have the personnel and the skill to utilise the space we will get.

[Aleksz]

1 hour ago, coalvillefox said:

One thing to bear in mind is that we have played very few teams, especially at home that are willing to play an open attacking style of Football. This means we have had limited space to work in and can lead to alot of keep ball while we wait for an opening. As a newly promoted club next season, pretty much every side will think they can come here and beat us, that should in theory work to our advantage, if we have the personnel and the skill to utilise the space we will get.

Agree with this. Lots keep saying we won’t be able to play this way in the  Premier League with how well teams will press us but the higher and more aggressive a team presses the more space we will have to play into. Works both ways. 

[CUJimmy]

Almost every team plays out from the back now.  The main difference is that some teams press hard whereas others sit back so assuming we get promoted it will be interesting to see which way we go on this.  A high press is exciting for the fans but the top defences capitalise on the smallest mistake and can take two players out of the game in an instant.  I guess the key is to have options and we can usually tell from which striker Enzo picks what he is planning.  Daka/Vards means high press, Nacho means sitting a bit deeper.  Not sure what Cannon’s strengths are yet apart from looking like a natural goal scorer and clean striker of the ball.

[StriderHiryu]

 

 

Very relevant video to the way we play this season.

[StriderHiryu]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/02/15/enzo-maresca-interview-leicester-city-manager-transformed/

 

Must read!!!

[An Away Move]

32 minutes ago, StriderHiryu said:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/02/15/enzo-maresca-interview-leicester-city-manager-transformed/

 

Must read!!!

“I understand that the fans go to the stadium and they want to see the team play a certain way. They want ‘attack, attack, attack’ but it is impossible,” he says.

“The problem is that some people think that as we keep the ball we sometimes don’t go forward, but you can’t do it for 95 minutes.

“Sometimes we use the ball to defend, or we are recovering our energy to go again. This is what some people struggle to see or understand.

“I was at Manchester City a few weeks ago and the fans were saying the same to Pep. It is normal.”
 

Close thread! 😂

[HarryDee8]

If we make it to the prem. I wonder if Enzo already knows who is good enough

[5waller5]

3 minutes ago, HarryDee8 said:

If we make it to the prem. I wonder if Enzo already knows who is good enough

I’d say that he does. Guilem in the BSLB podcast indicated that he thought 8-10 were good enough in the squad…. So assuming Enzo agrees (wouldn’t be too difficult to imagine given their friendship).

 

The obvious ones to me:

 

Mads

KDH

Ricardo

Winks

Mavididi

 

 

Then likely ones:

Fatawu

JJ

Vesty

Faes

Ndidi

Daka

Doyle

 

Vardy at 38?? 
 

Anyone I’ve missed? We’ll need to be recruiting an awful lot of talent!! 

[Tuna]

He's going all the way to the very top, enjoy the ride guys!

[Muzzy_no7]

Very similar to Pep’s first season at Man City. 
 

Flat track bullies but consistently came unstuck against quality. 
 

Results against Hull, Boro, Cov, So’ton, Ipswich and Leeds very telling. 
 

We also massively got away with it at WBA. 

[Trent Steel]

Well he got it totally wrong today

 

Bit embarrassing really 

 

People already cumming hard about Leeds after earlier result ... dont fvck.it up Leicester please....

[Tuna]

Just now, Trent Steel said:

Well he got it totally wrong today

 

Bit embarrassing really 

 

People already cumming hard about Leeds after earlier result ... dont fvck.it up Leicester please....

He can't head in Daka or Vesty's chances and he can't send off Clarke

[Tielemans63]

I'm a big fan of Enzo's, but he does need to find a way of taking the handbrake off when it's needed. I know he's a fan of waiting for opposition mistakes, but Boro haven't looked like making one, and we haven't pressured them into one, either.

[Chrysalis]

Hoping Strider analyses last game, as curious if he thinks was any obvious problems.

For me I think we was tactically naive perhaps with how open we were at back allowing the counters.  I lay no fault with the defenders, just tactical issues.

 

When we were searching for goals in second half it felt we were making too much effort to find someone in the box instead of making something happen from outside the box.  If thats what Tielemans63 means by taking the handbrake off, then I agree, the urgency also didnt seem to go up enough until the last 1/4 of the game.

[Mark]

If Praet is his idea of a perfect 8 then I give up

[Fox92]

His subs have always worried me, said it throughout this thread and again today…. A striker on yet playing left wing?

[m4DD0gg]

Every single time we go behind we fold like a pack of cards, all 5 defeats this season. Its like he has no answer to it and in the end today it was blind panic.

 

Leeds will batter this team, especially at a raucous elland road. You will soon see who the shrinking violets are.....kdh and justin for sure.

[Kierzz]

Boro played a very similar system as Sheffield wednesday on the second half with five at the back, compact but also trying to keep a relatively high line in the first half so they could hurt us on the counter. But they were better at it than Sheffield Wednesday.

 

More teams will try to play that way against us but hopefully we will be more clinical to see us through those games.

 

Doubt Leeds will play that defensive though at home - they won't change the way they play looking at their recent form

[HybridFox]

We don't have a Plan B when Plan A fails. Always a worrying trait when teams figure us out as Middlesborough clearly did their homework. 

 

You surely have to throw caution to the wind when we desperately need a goal (or two)

[SecretPro]

Tactically poor today, he's bought Akgun on so we can no longer pretend his absence is down to finances. There is simply no way on earth Praet should be starting games, let alone playing almost a full match. 

 

We currently have nothing in the middle creative wise which is fine if our wing play holds up, but today it wasn't working because we lacked a CF capable of scoring with his bonce. Cannon could have helped there but to take of both Mavididi and Fatawu and slap Cannon out on the left was frankly ridiculous. Reminds me of when we used to take Ulloa off just as we were bring Albrighton on, leaving Albrighton basically whipping balls in to midgets. 

 

Praet should not be starting games. If the wings aren't working then we need central creativity so that we can switch to playing through the lines with better movement and follow-ins on the 18 yard box. You can't try and play both systems with limited players trying to fulfills roles or play roles our of their normal position. 

 

Either leave the wingers on and bring Cannon on for an actual aerial outlet, or take the wingers off along with Praet and bring Akgun on to play mote centrally. It was a right mess today, players out of position, making reactionary subs like Kasey at RW then two minutes later Albrighton at RW...just lost his head a bit for me and I think Carrick sussed him tactically today. 

Edited 17 February by SecretPro

[Chrysalis]

He does seem to have a tendency to lose faith in KDH and Mavididi in games (subbed of a lot), but yeah I heard cannon coming on and thought two strikers then seen he was playing as a winger.

[Matt]

Total football looks poor when you’re chasing a game.

 

Ironically when we lost to Middlesbrough earlier in the season I posed the question “whatever happened to throwing the kitchen sink at a team?!”, I felt we did change today, we did throw the kitchen sink at them (this time) in the last 15 minutes, just a shame we left it too late though.

[coolhandfox]

1 hour ago, Trent Steel said:

Well he got it totally wrong today

 

Bit embarrassing really 

 

People already cumming hard about Leeds after earlier result ... dont fvck.it up Leicester please....

Yeah he was really shit missing 4 sitters and making 2 mistakes leading to goals.

 

Kids don't use the Internet and drink....