Is our job one of the easiest in football with a squad far too good for the division? Are we winning in spite of Enzo rather than because of him?
Or
Is Enzo performing miracles to have a poor squad top of the league?
Neither is my suspicion. Not close to either extreme end of the spectrum.
There was a big overhaul required and we lost some key personnel. There was a huge negative feeling and dark cloud hovering over the club.
We recruited reasonably well on the surface and have a squad packed full of internationals and as last midweek (at Premier League opposition) proved, we have almost a second team worth of players that can be competitive.
I don’t know how anyone could say it’s a really poor squad given guys who were playing in the World Cup just over a year ago can get nowhere near our starting lineup.
78 points from 32 games was extremely impressive. 78 from 35 is still impressive.
The Boro nor Leeds game were overly worrying as we created a shit ton of chances in both games so there’s a big element of negative luck there. Last Saturday however was concerning.. it was a limp and lifeless display where we didn’t create a single good chance against a relegation battling side at home. Our goal came from a terrible goalkeeping error. There was no hard luck stories, we were simply beaten by a better side on the day. That is alarming. It’s just one game but I wonder about emerging negative patterns.
Is it a crisis? probably not as extreme as that but even the most ardent of Enzo disciples/BAMs must be getting somewhat nervous after 3 straight defeats with a rapidly dwindling lead.
The most worrying trend of all is the points being coughed up late in games and it makes me think that we are lacking in mental strength rather than ability. Does that come from the gaffer? To a fair extent you’d have to say.
He chose to play an inexperienced kid (who had a hand in both goals conceded) rather than experienced international options in centre of defence.
He is the one who makes the substitutions in the second halves of these games we are throwing in the bin.
He is the one who sets us up negatively in the latter stages of said games rather than looking to kill them off.
I’m not even going to get into Daka debate. It’s a weird one for me because he often doesn’t look like a footballer at all and he has missed some very easy chances this season but I feel like we operate more functionally as a team when he starts.
Would I or anyone have taken this present position 3 points clear at the top at this stage of the season? Undoubtedly near enough all of us would.
Am I worried we’re going to fuck it up? Absofuckinglutely. After the two monumental champions league chokes under BFR, you’d be hard pressed not to be bricking it a touch as a Leicester fan right now.
I’m on his bus for now. We’re in a better position than I expected to be, but that gap between reality and expectation is closing fast and I cant pretend that I find the football wildly entertaining either but I’m trying to acquire the taste given it’s the modern way for so many teams now.
You can never get too comfortable, complacent or attached in football. So it’s probably best to stay flexible. That doesn’t mean you support the team any less but it does mean that you know that the collective comes above any one individual.
It was sad when Ranieri got sacked after what he’d achieved but who knows where we’d have ended up if decisive action wasn’t taken. Things can change and very quickly.
Not many people would have envisaged how much they’d end up hating BFR if you asked them in Dec 2019. In fact most were still pro him in summer 2022.
Could it be that Ndidi was our most important player all along? Hopefully he is back soon as the curve goes back upwards.
I’ll stop waffling soon honest… anyway… we have the highest wage bill in the division and, at the very least, the third best squad in the division. Plenty would argue it’s the best.
Ourselves, Leeds and Southampton in no particular order all have a huge advantage on the field so being upper play offs was a bare minimum requirement really on that basis.
If you asked me a month ago I’d have said Enzo was doing a wonderful job.
Today I’m downgrading it to him doing a good job.
In a month who knows maybe I’ll have my pitchfork at the ready like some of you already had when we were 14 points clear.
I’ll throw in some stats in to finish up my waffle bollox cus I know how much you all absolutely love them.
How do we compare to the other 3 title rivals in terms of points won and lost from the 75 minute mark?
We have gained 11 points and lost 13 points.
Ipswich have gained 12 points and lost 0 points.
Leeds have gained 9 points and lost 3 points.
Southampton have gained 14 points and lost 6 points.
XG Differential in the championship
1/ Southampton 1.88 XG and 1.12 XG against +0.76
2/ Leeds 1.61 XG and 0.98 XG against +0.63
3/ Leicester 1.73 XG and 1.14 XG against +0.59
4/ Ipswich 1.62 XG and 1.16 XG against +0.46
Keep the faith I guess. Or don’t.
On the bus til I’m not.
A lot of words, a tinge of negativity and a slightly splintered arse.
Or
Is Enzo performing miracles to have a poor squad top of the league?
Neither is my suspicion. Not close to either extreme end of the spectrum.
There was a big overhaul required and we lost some key personnel. There was a huge negative feeling and dark cloud hovering over the club.
We recruited reasonably well on the surface and have a squad packed full of internationals and as last midweek (at Premier League opposition) proved, we have almost a second team worth of players that can be competitive.
I don’t know how anyone could say it’s a really poor squad given guys who were playing in the World Cup just over a year ago can get nowhere near our starting lineup.
78 points from 32 games was extremely impressive. 78 from 35 is still impressive.
The Boro nor Leeds game were overly worrying as we created a shit ton of chances in both games so there’s a big element of negative luck there. Last Saturday however was concerning.. it was a limp and lifeless display where we didn’t create a single good chance against a relegation battling side at home. Our goal came from a terrible goalkeeping error. There was no hard luck stories, we were simply beaten by a better side on the day. That is alarming. It’s just one game but I wonder about emerging negative patterns.
Is it a crisis? probably not as extreme as that but even the most ardent of Enzo disciples/BAMs must be getting somewhat nervous after 3 straight defeats with a rapidly dwindling lead.
The most worrying trend of all is the points being coughed up late in games and it makes me think that we are lacking in mental strength rather than ability. Does that come from the gaffer? To a fair extent you’d have to say.
He chose to play an inexperienced kid (who had a hand in both goals conceded) rather than experienced international options in centre of defence.
He is the one who makes the substitutions in the second halves of these games we are throwing in the bin.
He is the one who sets us up negatively in the latter stages of said games rather than looking to kill them off.
I’m not even going to get into Daka debate. It’s a weird one for me because he often doesn’t look like a footballer at all and he has missed some very easy chances this season but I feel like we operate more functionally as a team when he starts.
Would I or anyone have taken this present position 3 points clear at the top at this stage of the season? Undoubtedly near enough all of us would.
Am I worried we’re going to fuck it up? Absofuckinglutely. After the two monumental champions league chokes under BFR, you’d be hard pressed not to be bricking it a touch as a Leicester fan right now.
I’m on his bus for now. We’re in a better position than I expected to be, but that gap between reality and expectation is closing fast and I cant pretend that I find the football wildly entertaining either but I’m trying to acquire the taste given it’s the modern way for so many teams now.
You can never get too comfortable, complacent or attached in football. So it’s probably best to stay flexible. That doesn’t mean you support the team any less but it does mean that you know that the collective comes above any one individual.
It was sad when Ranieri got sacked after what he’d achieved but who knows where we’d have ended up if decisive action wasn’t taken. Things can change and very quickly.
Not many people would have envisaged how much they’d end up hating BFR if you asked them in Dec 2019. In fact most were still pro him in summer 2022.
Could it be that Ndidi was our most important player all along? Hopefully he is back soon as the curve goes back upwards.
I’ll stop waffling soon honest… anyway… we have the highest wage bill in the division and, at the very least, the third best squad in the division. Plenty would argue it’s the best.
Ourselves, Leeds and Southampton in no particular order all have a huge advantage on the field so being upper play offs was a bare minimum requirement really on that basis.
If you asked me a month ago I’d have said Enzo was doing a wonderful job.
Today I’m downgrading it to him doing a good job.
In a month who knows maybe I’ll have my pitchfork at the ready like some of you already had when we were 14 points clear.
I’ll throw in some stats in to finish up my waffle bollox cus I know how much you all absolutely love them.
How do we compare to the other 3 title rivals in terms of points won and lost from the 75 minute mark?
We have gained 11 points and lost 13 points.
Ipswich have gained 12 points and lost 0 points.
Leeds have gained 9 points and lost 3 points.
Southampton have gained 14 points and lost 6 points.
XG Differential in the championship
1/ Southampton 1.88 XG and 1.12 XG against +0.76
2/ Leeds 1.61 XG and 0.98 XG against +0.63
3/ Leicester 1.73 XG and 1.14 XG against +0.59
4/ Ipswich 1.62 XG and 1.16 XG against +0.46
Keep the faith I guess. Or don’t.
On the bus til I’m not.
A lot of words, a tinge of negativity and a slightly splintered arse.
