I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if NP had sent them out with an instruction to lose v Shrewsbury 0-1. The last thing teams in Leicester's position this season want or need is a cup run that in all probability will end in a defeat one or two legs prior to the QF or maybe the semis. This season, they're better off out of it.
No he's wrong, if you are that distracted by an extra match every five or six weeks then I'm worried about the squad's strength and depth.
Newly promoted squads are usually weaker in strength and depth than the others in their division. It's no suprise that all the newly promoted sides have gone out this round to lower league opposition. LC is a decent competition for mid table teams in all the divisions or for those with a very strong squad, everyone else just views it as heightening the chance of picking up injuries and fatigue.
I think retention of top flight status pre empts cup runs for leicester city. What is a pain in the backside is the stop start to the fixtures. No game til mid sept after sunday. Why cant football be like rugby union where the teams just have to get on with it while the england national rugby team is competing.
Well as soon as the national teams are prepared to pay each player £100k a week or whatever every time they play they can have them as much as they want.
I think he's right personally. Better off out of them.
You hardly need much squad depth to play an extra eight games over nine months. (I think it's eight if you are a Premier League team entering the competition in the second round and getting to the final).
Remember, Leicester played 46 league games last season. They only play 38 this (a full two months less of games - if you use the one league game a week which exists in the Premier League). That is already eight less. They coped fine last season, so wht can't they cope with a cupp run this?
Yes, they might struggle this season. But that is more likely to be caused by a lack of ability rather than a small squad (any club can only use 25 players plus U21s in the league over the season anyway). Besides, Leicester had a large squad last season.
You hardly need much squad depth to play an extra eight games over nine months. (I think it's eight if you are a Premier League team entering the competition in the second round and getting to the final).
Remember, Leicester played 46 league games last season. They only play 38 this. That is already eight less. They coped fine last season, so wht can't they cope with a cupp run this?
Yes, they might struggle this season. But that is more likely to be caused by a lack of ability rather than a small squad (any club can only use 25 players plus U21s in the league over the season anyway). Besides, Leicester had a large squad last season.
Are you seriously comparing how they coped in the Championship to the Premier League?
Ps - playing league fixtures at the same time as internationals would see a huge leap in the number of players 'unavailable for international selection due to injury', those injuries that always happen to players like Rooney, Giggs, Lampard etc in the last few minutes of the last game before an international break and always just need the corresponding 5-7 days rest to clear up.
Are you seriously comparing how they coped in the Championship to the Premier League?
Yes why not?
Success is primarily determined by ability rather than occasionally playing two games in a week.
If Leicester get knocked out of the League Cup and FA Cup at the first hurdle, then they play 40 games this season (or 41 if they have an FA Cup replay). That is an average of one game a week which is nothing for professional sportsmen. They can easily play a few extra on top of that.
Besides which, most Premier League teams play squad players in their cup games in the early rounds and it is very rare for players to be ever-present (even just in league games) nowadays. Unless you are talking about goalies who could easily manage eighty odd games a season as they do very little running during a match.
Playing two games a week occasionally will have little to no effect
Even if a Premier League team does have a cup run or two, then that is no guarantee their league form will deteoriate through playing more games.
Example:
Sunderland last season. They got knocked out of the FA Cup by Hull City after playing a second-string team in that game. They then went on a disastrous run of league form that only improved (dramatically) in the last four games of the season. Their terrible run coincided with a time when they played no cup games whatsoever.
They also played more fixtures close together than the other teams at the bottom during their final four games (mainly due to their earlier cup run). But that is when they started playing really well!!
Blimey. Re your last post matt, it's less to do with players being tired and all to do with core players not picking up knocks & injuries in meaningless matches. That's why I reckoned NP would be happy to do without a few extra matches in a competition they probably won't win once the big guns arrive in the QFs with their full strength squads.
Blimey. Re your last post matt, it's less to do with players being tired and all to do with core players not picking up knocks & injuries in meaningless matches. That's why I reckoned NP would be happy to do without a few extra matches in a competition they probably won't win once the big guns arrive in the QFs with their full strength squads.
Clubs like Leicester don't use their key players in these competitions anyway, so the whole supposed issue doesn't make much sense really.
Besides which, players get injured as often in training as they do in matches. If a club gets knocked out of the cups early, they will just spend more time in the week training rather than playing cup matches.
Blimey. Re your last post matt, it's less to do with players being tired and all to do with core players not picking up knocks & injuries in meaningless matches. That's why I reckoned NP would be happy to do without a few extra matches in a competition they probably won't win once the big guns arrive in the QFs with their full strength squads.
Yeah, exactly. I'm sure they'd be happy to progress but it's not worth risking the key players. Seriously don't think NP will be losing any sleep over going out of the competition at this stage.
Cambiasso's a bit of a coup, he's hovering around the mid-30s and all but was a regular for Inter last year. it's just whether he can compete with your Dave Nugents, that's the thing.
Cambiasso's a bit of a coup, he's hovering around the mid-30s and all but was a regular for Inter last year. it's just whether he can compete with your Dave Nugents, that's the thing.
Yeah, was just reading about him. Good move. Looks like they're also bringing in McArthur from Wigan.
Cambiasso's a bit of a coup, he's hovering around the mid-30s and all but was a regular for Inter last year. it's just whether he can compete with your Dave Nugents, that's the thing.
Pearson is very big on getting players in with the right attitude, so Cambiasso must fit the bill.
He should be an enormous help with his experience and know-how to our very promising other CMs in Drinkwater, James and King.
Clubs like Leicester don't use their key players in these competitions anyway, so the whole supposed issue doesn't make much sense really.
Besides which, players get injured as often in training as they do in matches. If a club gets knocked out of the cups early, they will just spend more time in the week training rather than playing cup matches.
8 of the players who started in the cup were in the matchday squad against Chelsea.
8 of the players who started in the cup were in the matchday squad against Chelsea.
We had a good enough team to win the game. The weak areas were centre midfield because we'd lost three of the four first team CMs to injury and naturally couldn't risk another, whilst the back-up RB was making his debut. The rest of the team should've had enough to win it.
But we didn't play well and the manager wasn't happy as we deserved to lose.
Yeah, he never strikes me as one of those players who'd be content to coin it on a semi-retirement kind of contract.
If he was, he would surely have gone to the US, Qatar or Australia. I think he's a god signing - resilience and experience are good qualities for a promoted side to add.
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You hardly get fixture pile-ups in the Premier League if you're ot in Europe.
Let's concentrate on the League is such a cliche
Nah, he's right, when you're fighting for survival you don't want any distractions.
Newly promoted squads are usually weaker in strength and depth than the others in their division. It's no suprise that all the newly promoted sides have gone out this round to lower league opposition. LC is a decent competition for mid table teams in all the divisions or for those with a very strong squad, everyone else just views it as heightening the chance of picking up injuries and fatigue.
Well as soon as the national teams are prepared to pay each player £100k a week or whatever every time they play they can have them as much as they want.
I think he's right personally. Better off out of them.
You hardly need much squad depth to play an extra eight games over nine months. (I think it's eight if you are a Premier League team entering the competition in the second round and getting to the final).
Remember, Leicester played 46 league games last season. They only play 38 this (a full two months less of games - if you use the one league game a week which exists in the Premier League). That is already eight less. They coped fine last season, so wht can't they cope with a cupp run this?
Yes, they might struggle this season. But that is more likely to be caused by a lack of ability rather than a small squad (any club can only use 25 players plus U21s in the league over the season anyway). Besides, Leicester had a large squad last season.
Are you seriously comparing how they coped in the Championship to the Premier League?
Yes why not?
Success is primarily determined by ability rather than occasionally playing two games in a week.
If Leicester get knocked out of the League Cup and FA Cup at the first hurdle, then they play 40 games this season (or 41 if they have an FA Cup replay). That is an average of one game a week which is nothing for professional sportsmen. They can easily play a few extra on top of that.
Besides which, most Premier League teams play squad players in their cup games in the early rounds and it is very rare for players to be ever-present (even just in league games) nowadays. Unless you are talking about goalies who could easily manage eighty odd games a season as they do very little running during a match.
Playing two games a week occasionally will have little to no effect
Even if a Premier League team does have a cup run or two, then that is no guarantee their league form will deteoriate through playing more games.
Example:
Sunderland last season. They got knocked out of the FA Cup by Hull City after playing a second-string team in that game. They then went on a disastrous run of league form that only improved (dramatically) in the last four games of the season. Their terrible run coincided with a time when they played no cup games whatsoever.
They also played more fixtures close together than the other teams at the bottom during their final four games (mainly due to their earlier cup run). But that is when they started playing really well!!
Clubs like Leicester don't use their key players in these competitions anyway, so the whole supposed issue doesn't make much sense really.
Besides which, players get injured as often in training as they do in matches. If a club gets knocked out of the cups early, they will just spend more time in the week training rather than playing cup matches.
Yeah, exactly. I'm sure they'd be happy to progress but it's not worth risking the key players. Seriously don't think NP will be losing any sleep over going out of the competition at this stage.
Yeah, was just reading about him. Good move. Looks like they're also bringing in McArthur from Wigan.
Pearson is very big on getting players in with the right attitude, so Cambiasso must fit the bill.
He should be an enormous help with his experience and know-how to our very promising other CMs in Drinkwater, James and King.
8 of the players who started in the cup were in the matchday squad against Chelsea.
Seems like the latter deal is off now - mind you their new midfielder isn't a bad player is he.
We had a good enough team to win the game. The weak areas were centre midfield because we'd lost three of the four first team CMs to injury and naturally couldn't risk another, whilst the back-up RB was making his debut. The rest of the team should've had enough to win it.
But we didn't play well and the manager wasn't happy as we deserved to lose.
If he was, he would surely have gone to the US, Qatar or Australia. I think he's a god signing - resilience and experience are good qualities for a promoted side to add.
Yes, but you are allowed seven subs in the Premier League.
How many players played 90 minutes in both games?
No that was leicslad, I have been mistaken for him and Leicesterbloke.
leicslad and you seem to be the same person to me.
Or are people from Leicester often really pessimistic?