Out of all cups so only one game a week. You don't need depth for that. Just need to wrap up Vardy, Mahrez and kante in cotton wool.
Would be nice if they did it but I think city will win.
Leicester For The Title?
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Would be nice if they did it but I think city will win.
Incidentally we've won it 18 times
The myths that are eagerly being woven around that club are a bit tiresome. It's not as if they're some humble, poverty-stricken little club defying all the odds. They're benefiting in part from having been taken over by a billionaire, albeit a more financially prudent billionaire than the likes of that crook at Stamford Bridge. So it's not as sweetly innocent as the guff in the papers so wants it to seem. But I like Ranieri, he seems a decent sort, so I'll be pleased for him if they get it. Otherwise it won't bother me at all.
They haven't benefited from being owned by a billionaire. Their usual starting XI cost less than £25m. Bournemouth spent nearly £20m in January alone.
I think they can win it, mainly because who else are going to? The overall strength of the Premier League at this very moment doesn't seem frightening by no means, which kinda also highlights the sorry state we are still in, sadly.
Leicester and Spurs to me are looking the most likely candidates to bring it home at this point and 'The Foxes' next game away at City could be a rather decisive one, at least when it comes to their own self-belief of being capable of going all the way - can they avoid defeat there, they'll be sitting at the very top or close by come May.
Also, I am thinking it would perhaps do some good for the game in general should Leicester win it all - and this would also apply to some extent if Spurs did (they have now recorded a NET profit of £6M in their last 4 transfer windows under Pochettino) - as it would perhaps magnify the need for having a 'team' instead of a set of individuals and turn focus to the gains from having a solid, steady setup rather than a random buying of inform players as constant quick fixes.
Leicester and Spurs to me are looking the most likely candidates to bring it home at this point and 'The Foxes' next game away at City could be a rather decisive one, at least when it comes to their own self-belief of being capable of going all the way - can they avoid defeat there, they'll be sitting at the very top or close by come May.
Also, I am thinking it would perhaps do some good for the game in general should Leicester win it all - and this would also apply to some extent if Spurs did (they have now recorded a NET profit of £6M in their last 4 transfer windows under Pochettino) - as it would perhaps magnify the need for having a 'team' instead of a set of individuals and turn focus to the gains from having a solid, steady setup rather than a random buying of inform players as constant quick fixes.
The club has benefited, obviously. And I made the qualification about investment. The wages, though, are excellent - you don't think Vardy is so keen to sign another contract because he loves being ever-so humble, do you? Of course the owners are relevant. The point is they're not some run-down club going on an inexplicably romantic run.
Hang on, what lessons are we learning from Leicester? This is what is so infuriating. There's FUCK ALL we can learn from Leicester. It's far worse than all the quacking on when Southampton were the club model everyone needed to copy. or Dortmund. Or Atletico.
What was the Leicester masterplan? This was all part of the strategy? Come within a whisker of relegation, sack your manager and employ a clapped-out old Italian who has own nothing worthwhile in FOUR decades of management? Sign 31 year old Robert Huth on loan from Boro? Debate selling your 29 year old former non-league striker to Sheffield Wednesday- who before this season had scored a grand total of 5 Premiership goals, but decide not to, because obviously he was going to score 20 plus this season?
It's a massive, giant fluke, and there is nothing to be learned, apart from the fact that it is possible to sign brilliant players like Kante for £5m. Who was one of the very few changes to the team that was so fucking shit last season.
I get your point I do but I don't agree that this is not a 'romantic run' as I very much believe that is exactly what it is.
Had you or anyone else been asked about their chances prior to this Season, no-one in their right mind (Leicester fans aside maybe) would probably expect them to do better than around 10th at a push, and no-one would think that their wealthy owners would bring them anywhere near the top. Even though they are not poor they have still exceeded everyone's expectations by miles and miles - and also done so without buying one single obvious star-player.
The 'romantic' part for me in all this is exactly this, as Brendan pointed out, their entire normal starting XI cost less than one Firmino and there was not a single name in the squad that would raise any eyebrows before the Season. It's just an extremely well assembled and balanced team, bought for pennies, that has done marvelously well no matter which way you see it, and done so in the most competitive league in the world.
It's truly amazing, in my opinion.
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No they're not. Their wage bill is lower than Stoke, West Brom, West Ham, Swansea, Norwich, Sunderland and Villa.
In fact, only Watford - just - and Bournemouth have lower wage bills.
It's truly a fluke, in fact.
I think there's something to be learned from that. We don't win the league 'cos we hardly ever let a team develop together for longer than a year before we are clamouring for changes and starting all over again.
I actually agree that there is not a direct lesson to be learnt from this Leicester setup, I, as probably most on here, do not have a lot of faith in Ranieri as manager or Huth or even Vardy - who's obviously just enjoying the time of his life. There is a large amount of fluke about it all too and other influencing factors as lesser competition etc., but to say that there is nothing to be learned from them seems, well, slightly arrogant to me.
My point is, that you can get a long way from having the right setup, the right crop of players and the right manager (even if he is no Pep or Mourinho or whomever you consider to be great) to get along with and interact with those players. I am not asking for us to 'copy' Leicester but I would love for us to calm down a bit, actually build a 'team' and re-instate/invent a culture that is 'our' way instead of constant chopping and changing and making desperate quick fixes and stupid decisions trying to be like Chelsea, City etc., buying our way to success. We obviously can't do that.
So after many years of acting like a desperate, somewhat traumatized blind chicken, maybe we could benefit from an approach that is more about steadying the ship, continuity and balance? That's maybe the lesson to be learnt from all this.
We need to become a unit again from the very top down to the tea lady, one that follows some sort of clear direction and with some clever ideas to boot, then money can become of less importance over time and personnel, knowledge and know-how more so. After all, maybe that has been Leicester's 'masterplan' - maybe they have not been trying to hard copying others and simply followed their own way? Then only a few tweaks (like a new manager and a clever signing like Keita) and an amount of luck made them perform on a completely different level than ever before.
*I don't know enough of Leicester's background over the past years to know what exactly that has worked so well for them, but it's obvious it's a well-oiled machine that doesn't seem reliant on buying a handful of £20M players each Summer to work out.
It's all about getting the odds in your favor and Leicester have somehow managed it.
Yes, it's perhaps a fluke, but maybe not more so than when the poker pro wins 9 out of 10 heads-up against the amateur? I mean his pocket kings will never beat pocket rockets but as his general setup is based on a more solid foundation and he's acting more smart and clever overall he'll balance out the luck of the cards and get an edge over the one constantly trying to keep up with him.
When the amateur then loses 9 out of 10 the he can call it a 'fluke', simple bad luck, or a curious case of events but the pro knows better.
I know this is a shit analogy but I am trying to make a point about our 'foundation' and/or lack of it. Leicester seems to have a better foundation than us, hence the 'fluke' part is less valid - so unless we draw pocket aces (let's call them a 'Suarez') we will lose most hands against them on even terms in the longer run.
Are you saying Leicester have a better foundation that everyone else in the league? Or have I totally missed that analogy?
I doubt anyone would have said they had a better foundation than Stoke, let alone Spurs or Arsenal a few months ago.
I doubt anyone would have said they had a better foundation than Stoke, let alone Spurs or Arsenal a few months ago.
I'm not sure it's an absolute fluke but it's incredibly lucky that Chelsea and United are awful and Arsenal and City can't find any consistency.
I don't remember that many dodgy decisions they got either.
It's all about taking your chances and being consistent to challenge for the league and so far they have.
I doubt they will continue it but I've been saying that since September.
If they win the league it won't be a fluke.
I don't remember that many dodgy decisions they got either.
It's all about taking your chances and being consistent to challenge for the league and so far they have.
I doubt they will continue it but I've been saying that since September.
If they win the league it won't be a fluke.
Whilst I'm not sure that Leicester are a blueprint to that kind of thinking (in fact, I'm almost positive that they aren't), that a fine post & I largely agree with the thinking & philosophy behind it.
I want them to win it now. It's a brilliant story unfolding each week and I hope they have the ability to see it through. Although obviously not intentioned it's a clear indication to everyone in football that success can be achieved without billions of pounds begind you, and that's just refreshing to see.
If there is anything to learn from them it would be to consider their system.
I must admit that, like Atletico, I do enjoy their 4-4-2. Having 2 up front has obviously allowed Vardy the extra space upfront. They ensure that it's not a flat 4-4-2 because Mahrez drifts into the number 10 area.
I must admit that, like Atletico, I do enjoy their 4-4-2. Having 2 up front has obviously allowed Vardy the extra space upfront. They ensure that it's not a flat 4-4-2 because Mahrez drifts into the number 10 area.
We can't play a 442 until we get a better midfield balance.
Which can probably only happen when we get better midfielders.
Which can probably only happen when we get better midfielders.
That's not what I am saying, but I do believe they have a better foundation for success than us, at least at this very moment.
I also believe that the clubs you've mentioned are great examples of clubs with a solidity and foundation that exceeds ours when you look at it over the past few Seasons.
Pochettino at Tottenham is probably the finest example, as he has certainly done a lot of things right, steadying that extremely wobbly ship that we have come to know Spurs as for decades. For the first time in ages, maybe even for the first time for as long as I can remember, they have a mixture of major talents and key players that are working as an unit from the goalie to attack. It's taken them a few years to get there but mostly because they have had the coolness to stop all their changing and chopping as he arrived and also because they have bought very clever in the market. And that last bit is of course of major relevance, but it's another area where we have shown very little calmness and cleverness and a lot of desperation and myopia. 'Oh, look, he good at Southampton, he must be good here despite our completely different setup, formation, challenge and culture'.
Anyways, the quality of Spurs' squad has increased over the past two years without them having to spend big (they have actually earned money from their transfers during the past two years) and they have now got an exciting mixture of young, very talented players getting more routine and games under their belt (Kane, Eriksen, Walker, Dier) added with a few quality buys (Alderweireld, Son, Alli) and a little, exquisite group of older players (Lloris, Vertonghen) to keep them all together, that blends. That knows each other. That is strength.
Same with Arsenal and even to some extent Stoke - though I honestly am a bit more confused about what's going on there. The likes of City and Chelsea (and United, sadly) will always be around and take home trophies for as long as they can continue to break the bank for players, because that is obv one way of leveling out a lot of the cleverness/continuity you see in teams with lesser budgets.
This is all very generalized I know and much easier to explain/ask for than to actual practice as there are loads of factors influencing from the right manager, plan, idea, players, etc. etc., but I think we could at least learn that one important lesson from the league table this Season, the teams in the top are not the expensive assembled ones during Summer or last Winter but the ones where players have got time to know each other and get used to a style of play.
I think we are getting there with Klopp at the helm, that's the main reason why I have got faith in him actually, as he is not a man of panic decisions and pants peeing. He simply does not pee in his pants.
This season (from a neutral pov) is the best thing to happen to the Premier league since it began....
Out of any of the teams now with a chance, every LFC fan would want Leicester to win it.... Why would you want Arsenal, City, Spurs and by some miracle Utd?
Its actually made a mockery of what football has become and for that I am glad.....
It shows that by finding talent thats cheap and hungry and with a great team spirit it can overcome anything..... (well hopefully).
I certainly hope they win it over City.
Out of any of the teams now with a chance, every LFC fan would want Leicester to win it.... Why would you want Arsenal, City, Spurs and by some miracle Utd?
Its actually made a mockery of what football has become and for that I am glad.....
It shows that by finding talent thats cheap and hungry and with a great team spirit it can overcome anything..... (well hopefully).
I certainly hope they win it over City.
Leicester are having a perfect year. Mahrez and Vardy raised their respective games to an all time high and neither have suffered a long term injury. Fair play to them but I can't see them repeating these heroics next season.
I don't mind if Leicester win the league. They are the lesser of evils right now. I don't want Raheem Sterling's move to City to be vindicated this soon into his career there. It's a pity he's there because I'd like Pellegrini to win and make life difficult for Pep from the get go. I don't want Spurs to win. We'll probably be competing with them for players in the summer as well. Fuck it, I'd nearly prefer Arsenal to win it. I don't know that many Arsenal fans and I could deal with them for one year.
So Leicester, Arsenal, City or Spurs in that order for me.
I don't mind if Leicester win the league. They are the lesser of evils right now. I don't want Raheem Sterling's move to City to be vindicated this soon into his career there. It's a pity he's there because I'd like Pellegrini to win and make life difficult for Pep from the get go. I don't want Spurs to win. We'll probably be competing with them for players in the summer as well. Fuck it, I'd nearly prefer Arsenal to win it. I don't know that many Arsenal fans and I could deal with them for one year.
So Leicester, Arsenal, City or Spurs in that order for me.
Man City will win it.
I think people need to move on from Sterling. He will win shit at City, it's only a matter of time, so it doesn't matter whether it's this season or not.
I wouldn't want Spurs or Arsenal to win it as they are teams that can genuinely use that success as a springboard to kick on and I definitely don't want Leicester to win on account of the aforementioned bitterness, so City it is!
This is it really. They are having an incredible season at probably the one time in the past or future 25 years where not one of the traditionally 'top' teams have got their act together, in fact all of the teams expected to fight it out are having a 'mare (Spurs are over-performing), only City seem to have any consistency and Arsenal are caving in as they usually do. I'd love to see Ranieri win it, a real gent.
The only reason I'd not want to see Leicester win it is if they fail to perform in the CL next season, entirely possible if their stars are cherry-picked come the Summer. That could badly affect our co-efficient, enough so that we lose the 4th place that is already balanced on a knife edge. This can only be judged in retrospect though so we'll just have to see how they get on because I've no doubt at all they'll make Top 4 now.
That said I think City will win the PL. Leicester have still got 6, of the 7 sides queuing up behind them (only Spurs missing from that list), to play. 4 of those away from home and with still more top half of the table teams still yet to play (West Ham, Southampton, Watford etc.). I can't see them hanging on to hold off City but I'd love them to.
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I understand the bitterness and that it makes us look bad - but, so what, we have been bad. As a business we have been terribly run over recent years. Of course there is an initial horror at somebody like Leicester winning when we could not, but the resentment is not good for me so I would try to let it go and enjoy their achievement. Dislike of Tottenham and Arsenal is too ingrained - either of them winning it would make me sick. City I dislike - their taunts of Gerrard's slip ... you should be ecstatic winning the league but you still stoop to that - but nowhere near on the scale of the other 4.
If you don't play as a team and have a lot of team players then it won't matter how big stars you have.
The most important point will always be that you must play as a team. That is what Klopp is excellent getting his team to do, to play as a team. He isn't an excellent tactician. He is excellent to get the players to play like a team.
If you don't attack as a team, if you don't defend like a team then you have no chance to win the league. No chance at all.
One rotten apple could destroy it all. One big ego could destroy it all. Ronaldo is an excellent player but also a rotten apple. Messi is an excellent player but also a team player. Two examples.
The most important point will always be that you must play as a team. That is what Klopp is excellent getting his team to do, to play as a team. He isn't an excellent tactician. He is excellent to get the players to play like a team.
If you don't attack as a team, if you don't defend like a team then you have no chance to win the league. No chance at all.
One rotten apple could destroy it all. One big ego could destroy it all. Ronaldo is an excellent player but also a rotten apple. Messi is an excellent player but also a team player. Two examples.
City might just win it, that is highly likely, but also pretty boring. I hope they don't.
Btw knowing that Leicester's owners are actually quite wealthy they might be able to fend of competition for their stars next Season or are they inevitably lost you reckon?
Btw knowing that Leicester's owners are actually quite wealthy they might be able to fend of competition for their stars next Season or are they inevitably lost you reckon?
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