Post-match thoughts v Leicester

Written by kirsikka

An afternoon of battling down at the bottom of the table between two teams fighting for their lives. The kind of occasion where English football becomes all blood and thunder.

That was the script anyway. The best way to describe the temperature for most of the match was tepid at most. The Leicester crowd created the kind of atmosphere that could be described as a mild susurration at best, and their players mirrored that on the pitch. The team in red and black were the only ones showing the desire to really get at it through the 90.

Injuries meant Traore and Senesi dropped out with Gary O’Neil perhaps surprisingly going to Meps ahead of the Ukrainian. Rothwell was rightly restored to the starting XI.

Not many teams have ceded possession to us this season. However, it looked like Leicester were trying to wheel out the old hits by sitting deep and hoping to get something with a long ball. Vardy these days though looked less like a dynamic Agatha Christie detective and more like a morose Inspector Morse. Only with less movement.

Danjo looked uncomfortable on the left. I’m not sure on the logic of starting him there when we had Anthony and Tavs on the bench. However, I salute GON for making an early tactical change. To be honest, Leicester looked absolute gash at defending down our right so I’d have taken off Christie and swapped Danjo back there. However, I’m not going to criticise a brave first-half sub when he can see something isn’t working. We shouldn’t have started with DO on the left but credit for realising it was a clanger and changing it.

James Maddison wants a move to a top club this summer. Unfortunately for him and happily for us, his advertising of his skills out there today was less Madison Avenue and more Southampton docks.

It’s so long since we’ve turned the screw on a team for a concerted period, I can’t remember when it happened last. Maybe even last season? However, I enjoyed that spell of pressure, apart from the quality of the final ball/finishing. Luckily Billing stepped up when handed the gift.

A new half-time team talk was needed from GON. This time to keep at them and not let them back into the match. For the first fifteen after the restart, it certainly worked.

We can’t expect to get that many opportunities at scoring in other games. We were wasteful in front of goal and need to be more clinical. The game should have been done and dusted by 55 minutes.

After the 60-minute mark, we started to drop back more in response to the Leicester subs. I thought we let them off the hook there as they were so shaky at the back. There was a 20-minute spell where we lost our ambition but, fortunately, they were so poor they didn’t make us pay and then, after 80, we rediscovered our going forward mojo. Killed the game from there pretty effectively.

In the end, apart from the lack of a second goal that was about as comfortable an afternoon as we’ve had all season. Were they bad, or were we good? I’d say it was an even split of both.

—– Positive Performances —–

Billing – His recent good form continues. He was at the heart of everything going forward and was unlucky not to get an assist to go with his goal. His pressing was also extremely impressive, intercepting or winning the ball back numerous times.

Rothwell – Looks to have established himself as key to making this team tick. Works hard, links up play, and has quality on the ball.

Neto – When you’re 1-0 up you need your keeper to be on his toes so you don’t let the three points slip away to a moment of lapsed concentration. When called upon, he was there.

Smith – Has come in for a lot of (mostly fair) criticism lately and was up against another pacey player today but contained him well. In our spell of possession, he was also getting forward a lot like the Smudger of old. Some will say he wasn’t a stand-out player, but in terms of stepping up his performance, it was worthy of note.

—— Room for Improvement —–

Ouattara – I’m not going to be too hard on him because he was being played out of position in a role he’d already shown he didn’t look that comfortable with earlier in the week.

Tavernier – Still coming back from injury but came on to a position where their defender looked weak but didn’t really have him on toast. Not terrible, but I was expecting Tavs to give him a torrid time instead of just an awkward one.

—– GON Watch —–

He should have known after the last match that Dango on the left doesn’t appear to be something he is ready for yet. However, does get credit for the early intervention.

Responded quickly to the Leicester subs but, despite them looking an absolute mess, seemed to want us to settle back as we’ve seen so many times before. I’d have preferred us to carry on taking the game to them. So bravery and caution at different moments of the match from GON. A better opponent would have made us pay.

Ultimately, we won away from home. We got the three points. We were by far the better team. We’re out of the relegation zone. His opposite number today was Adam Sadler, but I think we know which of the two today was the Big Daddy.

The advantage we now have from the two wins is we can approach the Spurs match without the desperate need to somehow win it.

Still, some learning to be done but fair play to GON, he got it mostly right and we were well worth the three points. More please.

Your say…

alwaysacherry said…

Perfect away day for me. Great little brewery bar, brilliant pizza and craft beer place then a really good away performance. Yes, we should have put the game to bed within the first hour but we created lots of chances and we’re the better team throughout. I didn’t even feel that worried at the end because City were so poor.

I am surprised at a lot of the negativity on here both on this thread and the match thread as it was our most complete away performance this season. Yes, Outtarra got it wrong a few times and it was noticeable he wasn’t on the same wavelength as Billing and Solanke. But he did offer a threat and will surely get better. Plus it was brave of GON to take action so early in the game.

All in all, I’m a happy Cherry tonight.

AFCBade added…

I think all cherries are happy but there was a sense of frustration that we bossed the game for an hour but only scored due to a terrible back pass. Should have been four up rather than fear a late undeserved leveller or some random var intervention.

Thought the first hour was excellent today. Yes, should have had more goals but an excellent approach to play, good movement and calm passing between the lines. Really positive game plan and early sub by the coach.

The team has been strengthened with Christie reborn since the international break while Rothwell keeps the team ticking over with a positive approach. No doubt both are inspired by the pressure of new signings – often happens. Lots of praise for billing again. He looks like a genuine prem player and nearly had a hat trick today. – To join the conversation, click here.