Post Match Leicester 1 West Ham 0

[FIF]

He wasn't great in the second half but I thought he was walking off slowly to run down the clock...

I was talking about his body and facial language, not the speed.

 

[TornadoShaunUK]

Slimani is deceptively quick IMO so it might not be such a stupid thing if both Slimani and Ulloa started sometime. Should give us a great aerial presence at any rate!

 

[yackandandah]

Mahrez was quiet generally. A lot of the first half too I thought. But I didn't think he was crap. He's just like that as a player. He's there for that bit of magic that he sometimes brings. Sometimes. There's clearly a matter of balance there though, a question of trade-off. How long do you give him to produce that bit of magic? It can unlock a game, for sure, but unless he contributes in other ways...

I was asking myself those questions at times last season. Tbh - and if anyone's going to don a tin hat, it ought be me! - I've sometimes thought we should have cashed in. That said, it'd cost us to get a player of his (rare) ability back in, and supposedly we don't need the dosh. But suffice it to say that I'm not as enamoured by him as others are - let's put it that way. In fact, I sometimes think there's a bit of 'emperors new clothes' about him; the adulation he gets from all and sundry often seems to me to be aping a commonly held belief rather than formed from any objective viewing. Every so often he's jaw dropping brilliant but Messi he ain't.

But his walking off was, I think, a combination of pissed off and running the clock down. The ref gave him a 'hurry up' touch on the back - not that it made any difference.

I'm looking forward to seeing how we get on without him. Indeed, with all of the enforced changes. For me though, Amartey's the one I'll miss most; just as he's cementing his place with consistent performances, he's off.

 

[Miles Away]

I think he's the best player to ever don the shirt.

 

[FIF]

I think he's the best player to ever don the shirt.

That's Gordon Banks.

 

[The Old Fox]

Poor old Mahrez can't win. Last week he was left on the bench and far from being praised for taking it in good grace, the press criticised him for smiling, when he should have been upset. This week, he's taken off and the complaint is that he didn't come off with a smile all over his face. Perhaps he should play in a spare of those Jamie Vardy masks, then nobody will know what expression he is pulling.

 

[FIF]

Poor old Mahrez can't win. Last week he was left on the bench and far from being praised for taking it in good grace, the press criticised him for smiling, when he should have been upset. This week, he's taken off and the complaint is that he didn't come off with a smile all over his face. Perhaps he should play in a spare of those Jamie Vardy masks, then nobody will know what expression he is pulling.

poor old Mahrez.

 

[big_mac4824]

I don't think ink you can criticise Slimani at all today. He was superb.

I was nt trying to slate him just thought ge had enough chances to bag a couple of goals

 

[camberwell fox]

I think he's the best player to ever don the shirt.

I agree, the most naturally gifted player to ever wear the shirt and that includes the likes of Banks, Weller, Worthington and Lineker.

He is quite simply irreplaceable and worth ~£75 million.

 

[Lako42]

Albright on was switched to the left because Payet switched sides, it wasn't a random act of bafoonery from the manager like some are suggesting.

 

[Matt_B]

Albright on was switched to the left because Payet switched sides, it wasn't a random act of bafoonery from the manager like some are suggesting.

Nah it depends if you want to strengthen an argument of him being a baffoon. You should know this.

 

[TornadoShaunUK]

Agree about Mahrez, probably the best player we've ever had. Will probably wind up at Barca or Madrid one day but if he wants that he's got to stop with this laxidaisical, can't be arsed, I'm too good for you type attitude we've seen from him this season and get back to working hard and showing what we know he's capable of. What Slimani said the other day about him being fined for regularly being late for training just sums up what we've seen from him on the pitch this season. He's got the ability to be able to be up there with the best in the world.....

 

[FIF]

I don't think Mahrez will ever be signed by Barça or RM. More likely Arsenal.

 

[bocadillo]

I don't think Mahrez will ever be signed by Barça or RM.

I agree. I don't think he will ever be consistent enough. Poor attitude, as shown this season when things are not going so well. We've been lucky to experience the best he'll ever be.

 

[ThaiSweetChilli]

In a team like ours, Mahrez is expected to track back, tackle, intercept and defend more than in a lot of other teams in this league, and especially more than La Liga, Bundesliga and Serie A teams. He would TEAR up those other leagues, and would do better in a bigger side in the PL who don't have the same style of play we do.

His technical ability is very rare. If he didn't have all of these other defending duties then I see him excelling more often.

The other thing mentioned (and quite rightly so) is his attitude. If he tries harder, he'll get to the very top. Second half of this season and next will determine the success of the following 3/4 years.

To make matters worse for him, he and the team are completely off form at the moment. Even Eden Hazard went through this form last season, again when his team were completely off form.

Watch out next season, Mahrez will be electric IMO.

 

[harrowfox]

Yes, probably somewhere other than Leicester.

 

[Robin127]

I think the situation with Hazard was completely different, the problems he had were more to do with the manager than anything else, that was true for the whole Chelsea team until Christmas last season.

 

[Brown Nose]

I think the situation with Hazard was completely different, the problems he had were more to do with the manager than anything else, that was true for the whole Chelsea team until Christmas last season.

The respective records of the last two seasons Champions is crazily similar though.

After 19 matches last season, Chelsea had an identical record to ours this time round - 5 wins, 5 draws and 9 defeats. Even the goal difference is only one out.

They won the league in 2015 at a canter and then looked a totally different side with their two main stars (Costa and Hazard) doing very much the same (shadows of their former selves) as Vardy and Mahrez have done with us this time round.

Club and Premier League Players Player of the Year 2015 = Hazard
Club and Premier League Players Player of the Year 2016 = Mahrez

These two players were even born only one month apart. Hazard even used to wear the number 26 shirt. As well as both having six letter surnames with a 'Z' in!!!

After scoring 20+ goals in their title winning season, Costa was linked with a move away from Chelsea in the summer after they won the league. Instead, he came out with a "I love Chelsea and am staying" statement and signed a new contract. Just like Vardy did this summer.

Despite the high expectations, last season, Costa's scoring ability dropped off massively and he got into trouble getting suspended. Just like Vardy this season.

 

[bocadillo]

[Hazard and Mahrez] ...both having six letter surnames with a 'Z' in!!!

Costa and Vardy ... both having five letter names with an 'A' in!!

You might be onto something.

 

[Motown Fox]

If Vardy next season is 75% or more as good as Costa is playing this season then we certainly need to keep him.

With the likely matter of no European action next season, bar a miracle, helping the situation we should be able to cope in the mid league to 6th spot competition, with or without Mahrez.