Post Match Leicester 0 Manchester City 0

[glyn]

And it's clear from the last two games we need another scoring option for when Mahrez and Vardy's runs don't come off. Be it a set piece threat, a free kick specialist or a number 10.

 

[alex]

Inler was superb, knobs. Kante is the buy of the century though...

 

[atlantafox]

Inler is not going to be satisfied on the bench as he wants game time for the Euros. From what we have seen (including today) he is not at a level we need to challenge for the top 4 and we should send him out on loan. With James coming back a midfield choice of Kante, Drinkwater, King and James should be more than enough. Send Kramaric out on loan as well and it should free up some money for 2 new signings....one at the back and one up top.

 

[Dour]

Inler was superb, knobs.

Inler just doesn't move the ball fast enough. He is a fine player but he just doesn't look suited for the Premier League - and even less so for Leicester given the way we play.

 

[M17TT C]

Good point. A little disappointed we didn;t put them under more pressure but still a really solid performance and unbelievable that we are second only by goal difference after half a season!

Inler criticism seems harsh imo. He was blatantly told to do a job of sit in front of the back 2 to mop up and behind Drinky & Kante to let them press which is exactly what happened and the stats proved he did his job. Hopefully we keep hold of him as his experience could be vital for us imo and he's bound to take game time to adjust. Drinkwater took a whole season and Cambiasso took a good few months himself before he grew into the legend he was so I would expect Inler to get better if he gets more chances.

Great performance by all but Kasper deserves a good mention as he gets a bit of stick from some on here but kept us in it in the first half.

 

[Mawsley]

I found the post-match résumé (on whatever stream it was) bizarre. "Oh I wished Leicester had just attacked with gay abandon", tit junior said. Yep, but then we could well have lost like we did with Arsenal.

It was a superb tactical play by Ranieri to nullify their strengths and hope to win with sucker punches. I love that we've learnt from earlier mistakes, I adore that we can cope with these "large squads".

Bring on the big teams.

 

[M17TT C]

Just seen the chance for Sir James Vardington in the first half again and he should have done better but still a really good point.

Another big two games coming up but hopefully this is the first of another 10 games unbeaten.

 

[londonfox]

Inler is not going to be satisfied on the bench as he wants game time for the Euros. From what we have seen (including today) he is not at a level we need to challenge for the top 4 and we should send him out on loan. With James coming back a midfield choice of Kante, Drinkwater, King and James should be more than enough. Send Kramaric out on loan as well and it should free up some money for 2 new signings....one at the back and one up top.

What possible benefit do we get from sending an experienced 31 year old with nearly 90 international caps out on loan? That's bordering on disrespectful to him. If he needs regular game time and he's professional in his attitude, as he appears to have been all season, then we should let him go on a permanent basis.

 

[Brown Nose]

Ranieri was tactically excellent last night. He set us up in a 4-1-4-1 formation to nullify their forward players and it worked perfectly. Man City have rarely, if ever, been able to field that front four supported by Toure and two highly attack minded full backs. The fact that we kept them out and Schmeichel only had to make one save of note (from Sterling) speaks volumes.

Yes, we were stunted going forward at times but we have to respect who we were up against. This is the same Man City team that virtually toyed with us in the equivalent fixture last season when they fielded a much inferior side to the one that they played last night. Kompany aside, this was as good as they get.

I thought Inler did a cracking job in front of the defence, which allowed Kante and Drinkwater to play their normal games. Maybe it didn't come across on TV but for someone who's hardly kicked a ball in months, it was a very impressive impact. If anyone expects someone to come out of the cold of only training to be perfect, they're living in cloud cuckoo land.

Kante was the star of the show once again. I genuinely cannot think of one central midfielder in the Premier League that I'd swap him for.

Tactically, our forward players appear to be conserving their energy much better now. Vardy and Mahrez played in bursts. This may be because they're knackered, but it's also a sign of us being cleverer.

I was as proud of last night as any win we've had this season. We needed to come back strongly after the Liverpool match and we did exactly that. If four teams are good enough to finish above us in nineteen games time, I'll be surprised.

 

[Lako42]

I will be interested to see how we approach the B'mouth game.

I know we have played two decent sides most recently but to me it seems we have lost all ptency or ideas when we get the ball.

I know we set up defensively last night, but when we had the ball we spunked it to nobody every single time, we created pressure on ourselves with our panicked and scattergun approach.

I will say our defending was absolutely fantastic, altnough im not sure how they didnt expose the right hand side of the pitch better, Simpson was all alone with nobody infront of him.

Probably being harsh but I dont like the fact our attacking approach recently has been to play aimless, panicked balls to the opposition defenders.

Ref was a ****, plain and simple.

I think it may have been worth playing Mahrez as one of the middle three but with a bit more attacking licence than the other two, he played the entire game so narrow anyway that we had no right sided midfielder. Would have given Dyer a chance out wide.

Being picky I know, I would have taken a point before the game.

 

[Matt_B]

I will be interested to see how we approach the B'mouth game.

I know we have played two decent sides most recently but to me it seems we have lost all ptency or ideas when we get the ball.

I know we set up defensively last night, but when we had the ball we spunked it to nobody every single time, we created pressure on ourselves with our panicked and scattergun approach.

I will say our defending was absolutely fantastic, altnough im not sure how they didnt expose the right hand side of the pitch better, Simpson was all alone with nobody infront of him.

Probably being harsh but I dont like the fact our attacking approach recently has been to play aimless, panicked balls to the opposition defenders.

Ref was a ****, plain and simple.

I think it may have been worth playing Mahrez as one of the middle three but with a bit more attacking licence than the other two, he played the entire game so narrow anyway that we had no right sided midfielder. Would have given Dyer a chance out wide.

Being picky I know, I would have taken a point before the game.

We scored 3 against Everton, lost to Liverpool with a very poor performance and then set up to defend last night. I wouldn't worry.

 

[David Gwilliam]

I suppose the two main talking points of the match were the way Andrej Kramaric has again been overlooked. and the question of Yohan Benalouane's autograph,

However events on the field can also be interesting. I thought our man of the match was Kasper who made a couple of world class saves. Vardy played well as we have come to expect but he is better when he has a striker alongside.

Andrej Kramaric is surely the leading candidate for "Talking Balls Jermaine Beckford Award." This is given to the player who is praised when just occasionally he does something right. There were signs that members of the forum felt Kramaric deserved to play. Just because he has looked completely ineffective whenever he has played in the past does not mean he should be overlooked for future games. In the same way Jamie Vardy has scored his goals in games that are now over. Andrej Kramaric goal's this season are yet to come and if he is not picked he cannot score them.

I am not an autograph hunter but I would love to see a Yohan Benalouane autograph. He signs a lot of autographs - indeed autograph signing is his main contribution to the season. One of the most interesting parts of match day is to see the speed with which he signs. I could understand this with names like Andy King (8 letters) or Ben Hamer (again 8 letters) but Yohan Benalouane has 15 letters. In years to come father's will show their children the autograph's of Claudio's Premier League winning side. I am deeply worried that Benalouane's part may be forgotten because of an illegible squiggle.

 

[Volpone]

I thought Inler did a cracking job in front of the defence, which allowed Kante and Drinkwater to play their normal games. Maybe it didn't come across on TV but for someone who's hardly kicked a ball in months, it was a very impressive impact. If anyone expects someone to come out of the cold of only training to be perfect, they're living in cloud cuckoo land.

I agree. In the first half our passing was woeful and we gave away possession so often it seemed only a matter of time before they scored but our back four and keeper were fantastic.

Inler gave the ball away no more than Kante and probably a lot less. It's just that we were all concentrating on watching Inler so his every mistake was amplified. Fuchs also gave the ball away a lot in the first 45 minutes, again probably just as much as Inler.

I just can't understand those who say we should get rid of Inler and Kramaric by selling them or sending out on loan. What is the point of having a squad? If we were to replace them with so-called better players in January and they also did not play regularly, what would be the point?

 

[popillius]

...Just because he has looked completely ineffective whenever he has played in the past does not mean he should be overlooked for future games.....

Therein lies the issue David. Many people, myself included, don't think he has looked 'completely ineffectual whenever he has played'. Okay, we have seen very little of him but I think he's looked far more exciting and naturally gifted than Ulloa at times. I'm not criticising Ulloa, he does what he is brought in to do on the whole but he doesn't look like he's going to score a plethora of goals. Some of the chances he has missed thus far have been stunningly bad; take the Manchester United game for one (okay, so now I may be criticising him a little!).

I think the situation with Kramaric is a bizarre one. We don't see how he acquits himself on the training field so that must be a big part of CR's decision not to put him into the squad but I cannot help thinking that he can't really be as bad as is seemingly the case. His history speaks for itself.

 

[SJN-Fox]

From the Beeb ...

Leicester not going away

It is the question that has been asked all season - how will Leicester City react to a defeat?

After the 1-0 defeat at Liverpool on Boxing Day, the visit of Manuel Pellegrini's expensively assembled squad was both a test and an opportunity.

Christian Fuchs touched the ball 94 times down Leicester's left flank, only Bacary Sagna saw more possession

They answered the question emphatically with a performance bursting with spirit and energy, roared on by the trademark vibrant atmosphere at a packed King Power Stadium.

This was a night when Ranieri's undercard once again came to the fore and outshone the pair he calls "the pinnacle of the iceberg" - Vardy and Riyad Mahrez.

N'Golo Kante, a £5.6m summer signing from French club Caen, has been winning plaudits and he looked a bargain again here.

Kante almost broke the deadlock with a flashing 25-yard shot just wide then showed remarkable pace to catch Raheem Sterling in a footrace to stop a City attack.

Wes Morgan was once again a powerhouse in defence alongside Robert Huth, while Christian Fuchs ran a marathon down the left, almost creating a first-half goal for Marc Albrighton with a superb cross.

Vardy and Mahrez deserve every headline written about them this season - but there is much more going on under the pinnacle of the Leicester iceberg.

 

[gregs_y2k]

Went along to the game last night and like a few others on here, I thought the criticism of Inler is incredibly harsh. Bearing in mind he hasn't started for such a long time, to come into a game against the likes of Man City was always going to be tough. He broke up the play well and whilst he gave the ball away a few times whilst on the pitch, so did the rest of our midfield. In fact Kante did so sloppily at the beginning of the second half and this almost resulted in Man City scoring. Inler's performances are under close scrutiny due to the large question mark hanging over his head about whether he can make it in this league and which is why each misplaced pass or tackle whilst in possession gets highlighted by the majority of fans.

I really don't think we'll play 3 in central midfield often this season except the bigger teams. Can see us employing it against Spurs in January, as well as teams like Arsenal, Chelsea and Man Utd but I think for the bulk of our fixtures we'll stick with the 4-4-2.

Great way to sign off what has been a remarkable year for the foxes. Let's continue it in to 2016.

 

[Redditch Fox]

Thought Inler did the necessary job that was asked of him. No way can we afford to lose this option of an experienced defensive midfielder. Krameric has been a waste of space but the hope remains that he will wake up at some point if and when needed and put in a shift. It's a good job for him that we never get seriously heavy pitches in the PL - if of course he ever gets to play. I go along with the view that Vardy is currently a bit knackered after his heroics...which shows that he is only human after all. That said, he was more or less isolated last night in the interests of the greater good of Leicester City...and that way we got a point which was psychologically crucial. Finally, Ulloa does a lot more work than the reports from Brighton suggested would be the case when he signed for us.

 

[Borderfox]

Just back after my visit to the KP. Firstly the fans; you lot are truly superb no matter how many points the team finishes with, you must have contributed at least twenty. The game was a true test of the City's character they were under the cosh for long periods, but the defence held up and snuffed out their potential attacking threat. The back four all deserved a 'MOM' award. The midfield also played their part, Inler looked good breaking up play, but then wanted to much time on the ball. The quick break threat never really materialised, because some of the passing from midfield was easily read and snuffed out. Vardy looks tired he needs a break. Mahrez was basically bullied out of the game and also needs a rest. The Ref had a very poor game in my opinion, but we don't see what he does and vice versa so I am not going to Ref bash. I think Claudio needs a definite plan 'B' and probably 'C' as well, so he has work to do.The quality of the squad is going to be tested over the next few weeks methinks.Overall it was a brilliant experience and pity we didn't win but a draw was a fair result.

 

[Real Sharapova]

On an inconsequentual note, I thought the patterns the groundsman had mown on the pitch last night looked lovely, especially under the lights. The important stuff never passes me by.

 

[camberwell fox]

On an inconsequentual note, I thought the patterns the groundsman had mown on the pitch last night looked lovely, especially under the lights. The important stuff never passes me by.

BT Sport commented that the pitch was immaculate.