Mickael2:


Against Tottenham Leicester absolutely did not play a single long ball. All their chances came from brilliant combinations. I will get a YouTube video of the highlights from that game then I will post it.

Earthquake2:

TheGoodJoe:


I did not remember the game you are talking about, if I watched it. However, I have repeatedly watched Nacho at Leicester City and I have seen the negativity the game style brings to Nacho.

I pointed this out before he even joined the team. So what is happening now is not new to me.

Play Nacho in an offensive side that creates multiple chances. Not telling me of Nacho taking up positions in a game.

How many good chances do they create in a game. Even Leicester City fans have been critical of Puel's system.

No need to go far. Look at the performances of Manchester United players under Solskjaer and Mourinho. You will see a large gap in their plays.

Look at Pogba then and now. Tell me you do not see the effect in their game.

Again, 63 touches is way below Mikel's capability.

TheGoodJoe:


I remember watching the game. That was the game Vardy came as a sub and Nacho came in later. One of the recent games. The game he left out Ndidi and later Mendy injured and Ndidi started.

Mickael2:


The game I am talking about is the recent 3-1 loss. Chances were created for people who got into the right positions, who made the right runs. Even Ndidi of all people actually got a nice chance in the first half from which the penalty was awarded because instead of pulling the trigger after a combo with that Barnes guy(or whatever his name is from the U23) he passed to Madison I believe who was then fouled. A system that creates chances even for the DMF is not a bad system. I will post the highlights right away then I expect your opinion afterwards.

TheGoodJoe:


63 touches is decent but far below Mikel's capability. Mikel should be hitting at least 90 passes and above. I doubt he made up to 50. Good he is doing well but the system is not close to bringing the best of Mikel.

Mickael2:


Thank you very much. So I reckon no point posting the highlights right? OK tell me that in that game Leicester did not create enough chances? Heck, they created more chances than ManU did against Tottenham the only problem is that they were not clinical. Iheanacho came on and never for once got into a goalscoring opportunity, he was always out on the edge of the box doing what I totally did not know, at some point Perreria who was creating everything down the right totally started ignoring Iheanacho and I doubt he touched the ball more than 5 times. Forget the system, that was a totally horrific display, and considering that that was in all honesty one of his better performances I think we should stop blaming the system or his teammates or the coach

Mickael2:


Even in a possessive team like Wolves, if you meet a better team like Man City then Reuben Nerves who occupies a similar role to Mikel will definitely not touch the ball more than 70times if he will even get up to half of that. In that game yesterday Blackburn were the favourites, David Prutron in fact predicted a 2-0 win for Blackburn, when they were reduced to 10men they turned up the steamer and played out their hearts, how was Mikel supposed to get 100 touches Refer to their game against Newport County and tell me how many touches Mikel had.

Pulis is otherwise a conservative manager, but since Mikel made his debut I think his team have been favouring a more possessive brand of football. I have watched two of their games so I know

TheGoodJoe:


I do not need the highlights. I remember the game. However, Gray started as a forward. The idea was good and the system was okay. However, Vardy was dropped and Puel opted for Gray.

I was okay with it, but not blown away. If Leicester City plays that way consistently with Nacho playing upfront and the chances coming, I can understand.

But Heck, we had the chances coming to people who wasted the chances.

Nacho was there for some feww minutes, it is impossible to use those few minutes to grade his performance.

TheGoodJoe:


Leicester City created chances but Nacho was not on the field for most of the game. So why are you using that to judge Nacho. At the time Nacho came on to the best of my knowledge the game was already dead with Jamie Vardy still leading the line.

Mickael2:


OK thank God you agree that the performance was brilliant at least, unlike Basco.

Now to the point, Vardy played barely 10mins more than Iheanacho and still got three good chances, granted he missed two(minus the penalty), coming on around 70minutes with 20minutes to go is not a few minutes, it is enough to grade your performance. If Iheanacho had made decent runs in that game he would have gotten decent chances to score. Someone once told me that being a striker is not just about how clinical you are, that's how many goals you score compared to your xG, but it also depends on the magnitude of your xG which shows that your movement is top notch. (xG means expected goals which is the number of good chances you get per game). Iheanacho did not have a single xG in a game where his team created close to 7 chances after he came on, as a striker that means your positioning is off, totally off

Mickael2:


Ah? Iheanacho came on when the game was still finely poised at 2-1, Leicester were hammering away at Tottenham's defence. Iheanacho came on to form a double strike force with Vardy while Perreria was allowed total freedom on the right flank to keep on whipping in crosses. They created chances, enough chances after Iheanacho came on, then Son scored in added time and the game was gone

TheGoodJoe:


Newport and Blackburn is not Manchester City. Mikel had a good game but the system of Pulis will not let Mikel perform close to his capability. 63 touches and below 60 attempted passes is too low for a midfielder who was making more passes than Paul Scholes and Xabi Alonso.

Players are pulling 100 passes and above in games for us to flip for below 60. Good for Mikel but it is way below his capability. This is due to Pulis system.

TheGoodJoe:


Vardy is leading the line, he is supposed to get more chances. No one got more chances than Vardy in those minutes he was on. If Nacho came in before Vardy and he led the line, he would have gotten those chances too.

You can not expect Nacho to do more than he did in that game. He worked hard. However, I want to see Nacho, play in an offensive system for at least five games before judging. Not coming in for ten minutes or less and expecting Messi. The criticism does not hold.

By the way, Barnes was terrible in that match.

Mickael2:


Does Middleborough have the same quality of players that Man City has? If you watch that game you'd know that the other three players in that midfield four on the day are carpenters, nothing more. How do you expect them to be forming passing triangles with Mikel? Make Pulis the manager of City and give him the same quality players and Mikel will be making 100 passes for him every weekend.

Mickael2:


Barnes was not exactly terrible. He missed chances I know but he put in a good defensive shift to cover for Tielemans. However that is just me finding the positives here but even that his performance I would take it over that of Iheanacho.

By the way wasn't Gray the one leading the line when Barnes got that brilliant opportunity to score? So once it is Iheanacho he must be leading the line before we can judge him? The same layere we have said is the next best AMF and SS in our team??

TheGoodJoe:


He was awful. If Nacho played that way, you would have been criticising him all over the thread.

I said Nacho did not have enough time to draw the criticism you are aiming at him. It was about ten minutes or below and the game was almost wrapped.

Barnes played the whole game and was atrocious in front of goal.

Finito.

TheGoodJoe:


Puel is not that type of coach to set his team up that way. When Guardiola was at Barca B, his team still setup to play fluid possessive attacking football. You are making it look like if Pulis will over night want his players playing that way.

I just pointed out that Mikel is still playing below his capability. You can blame the players, but the system is also guilty.

I am just glad Mikel is doing well there but I am pointing out that he can perform way better.

Mickael2:


He was atrocious in front of goal no doubt at all, but his performance as LMF(removing the missed chances) was absolutely brilliant, or at least decent. Have you ever seen me saying Iheanacho has only scored one goal? Those are not even the things that matter to me excessively, Suarez misses open nets like every other Sunday, my problem is how well you lead the line, how well you get into goalscoring opportunities or how well you create them for others. Iheanacho doesn't get into goalscoring opportunities, does not create for others and does not score, how is that down to the system while other players (strikers and even midfielders like Madison and Barnes) are getting into goalscoring opportunities.

Mickael2:


If you have ever played as a midfielder with guys who do not want the ball at their feet but ahead of them you will understand. Who was he supposed to be exchanging passes with? Besic who kept on running around then he will drop the ball at Mikel's feet and then run around some more? Or Saville? Who was naturally uncomfortable at SM? Put De Bruyne and Silva into that team, Pulis may still favour his conservative approach but with these two players who want the ball played to their feet, Mikel will get over 100 passes

TheGoodJoe:


If Nacho missed those clear chances, you would have criticised him all over the thread. That is a fact. I did not say if Suarez or any one. I said Iheanacho.

You might pretend but you know it. Barnes was atrocious.

Barnes and Madison did not play for ten minutes. I have said it before. Play multiple games in an offensive system. I will want Nacho judged in that. Not ten minutes or less in a game. That is biased criticism.

TheGoodJoe:


I said Mikel can play above that performance. What you are writing there agrees with me. Writing Silva and De Bruyne means a coach aligning his philosophy in a possessive offensive way. Which Puel is not. So he is not going out looking for players like David Silva and De Bruyne.

Finito.

Icon4s:


That is the transition from Youth to Senior level we always talk about here. Not just some but MOST Youth Players do not leave up to expectations

Mickael2:


Na so, he will pick up such quality players from Middlesbrough's academy abi? No be if you get money you go buy those players?

Mickael2:


If he missed the chances at least we will have something to talk about. We will then start saying that his sharpness will return with game time. Even if I were to criticise him for missing those chances it would be because I want to laugh at you all who said he is the most clinical striker in modern day football, but at the back of my mind I would knwo that it is at least an improvement, he is getting into those goalscoring chances and he will start scoring. This one he did absolutely nothing for over 20minutes and not 10minutes.

And finally you don't need 100minutes to get into a good goalscoring opositon, you just need a few seconds as was demonstrated by Vardy after he came on as well.

raindodger13:
Paul Onuachu scores for FC Midtjylland.

TheGoodJoe:


Pulis spent loads at Stoke. Not Manchester City money but money to land good players. If I remember right, Arnautovic and Bojan played for him at Stoke. I did not see him play a possession based attacking system then.

Mickael2:


Bojan and Arnautovic played under Mark Hughes. Pulis was already gone then. Pulis played with Crouch and that long throw guy, name starts with D and then Shawcross.

Mickael2:


Bojan and Arnautovic played under Mark Hughes. Pulis was already gone then. Pulis played with Crouch and that long throw guy, name starts with D and then Shawcross.

TheGoodJoe:


Why not give Vardy the ten minutes and give Nacho the twenty, let Nacho lead the line and let me see if Vardy will dominate more.

Simple, if Nacho missed those chances, you would have criticised him but now you are here trying to defend another for something you would have criticised Nacho negatively.

Is that not bias? No matter the excuse. By the way, Nacho's clinical stats is on record.