"In a season that has badly unravelled, the Guardian has learned that Ranieri has become increasingly distant from members of his backroom team and is in danger of losing his grip on the dressing room, where some of the tactical changes and selection decisions have left players scratching their heads. Ranieri has made alterations in a desperate attempt to try to engender a reaction from a team who are clearly struggling and short of confidence, yet players have been left bewildered at times.

Team spirit has also suffered and that is not just a product of poor results. It is understood there was a strange incident after one match when the players were told that their opponents had been briefed beforehand about problems with egos and bad attitudes in the Leicester squad. That story caused a storm because it was alleged that the information had initially come via someone in the Leicester camp"

Ranieri has according to Leicester sources this season;

- Alienated Craig Shakespeare and other club staff
- Gone nose to nose with a staff member in front of the players
- Changed tactics 2 hours before a match confusing players
- Not given any instructions as to how they should play

I'm lost Blackstarr, genuinely (although not literally ) as opposed to sarcastically....are you....agreeing this has been a problem....I do have a chest infection so this may be killing my brain cells

Yes I do agree to a point but posting the above as I believe there are far more issues than just defence and formations to explain our run

Absolutely. But I guess this was quite a specific point about our defending but I guess ultimately our success going forward. And really, a lot of the points from the guardian article (to be fair, most of which we could probably all have guessed anyway) are perhaps as a consequence of Ranieri's lack of appreciation for the defensive unit in front of the back 5

While I agree with the analysis, I think this is merely one problem among many. What you're speaking of here is about fine margins in close matches for me, but we're not losing by fine margins. I think the spirit in the squad is the first thing to sort out before we get to addressing issues like this.

I agree with your riposte DM, but again, I think a lot of the repercussions have surfaced due to frustration, stress, pressure and feeling demoralised, a lot of which have come as a result of our form, which in turn I feel has come as a result of what I have written about.

The one thing I would disagree with slightly is about 'fine margins'. I think the defence of the defence is an imperative part of our success.

I appreciate that we can't use a time machine and go back and therefore these issues and incidents that have occurred are of equal importance or more
Importance than the starting 11.

But the fact is, whether we have a host of off field problems or not, we still need to pick an 11 and play a football match each week and the worrying thing for me is that I could suggest a 4-4-2/4-5-1 team with a regular 7/8 players in each and most would agree on here I imagine. But I worry Ranieri doesn't see it this way. I worry he doesn't even think the same way about a defensive four in front of the back four and even if they all go for a pizza and hug and kiss, it will still come back to the original problem (and as mentioned, one I think that has caused so much of what has been mentioned in the article below) ... I don't think it's about Ranieri choosing to opt for a different tactic from what I have analysed, I don't even think he is recognising in the first place what I have mentioned As an option or even relevant to our recent success -and for me, this is what is most worrying/demotivating as a fan

I agree with both KTF and Dunge. We need to fix the formation and the spirit.

I guess the return to 4-4-2 is Ranieri's attempt to do that.

The problem for me Mersey is that he is simply looking at a formation as just that - a formation. I don't think he is recognising what worked in 'our' 442 and I think this is evident by his tactics and changes.

I had hope when he selected a team the other week with Chilwell on the left and recently with some signs midweek but then he kept putting Albrighton on the left, didn't play Mahrez in behind and changed it pointlessly just as we started to look half decent with Albrighton on the right. I don't see his tactics and substitutions as being based around keeping this secondary 4 defensive unit, I see it as impulsive and sometimes desperate and any fleeting moment when we do have this secondary unit of 4 I think is by coincidence

People say he has tried a 442 with regularity like our '442 last year' - I don't think he has. At all. With any consistency.

I think he, and maybe we to a certain extent, have thought it was just about replacing Kante. But it wasn't. And isn't.

Completely agree with this thread.

I said recently the defence had been let down by the way CR had set us up considering we all know they can struggle going all the way back to our first year in the Prem.

I don;t think it's about formations, it's about the way the team is asked to play ( the Italian way ) of having more possession if possible and building from the back, that's not the way our squad is good enough to play, the lack of intensity by not defending from the front and putting the opposition under pressure exposes our own defence.

Not sure how much credence to give the newspaper reports coming out but it doesn't really surprise me at all as it explains many things this season, many people suggesting it's only the last few games but the Guardian states it goes back to Copenhagen away when the formation was changed at the last minute, most people didn't even realise we started with 3 at the back!

Ironic as well that I posted just the other day that player power and not losing the changing room was key to Ranieri staying on in his position.

If he goes there is a shortage of replacements but for continuity why not Craig Shakespeare, he knows the players and Club inside out and if he has been sidelined as suggested then that could go a long way to our issues being sorted without bringing an unknow outsider in?

Agree with TB here. These newspaper reports are listing events that go back months

Absolutely, I think it goes without saying that unrest like this would be a gradual, mounting process

Think we all agree.

Let's find something to disagree about again!!

Another interesting article. I'll add Vardy in to the 4 players mentioned in front of the defence. As I mentioned in my comment on BS's losing the dressing room thread below, for some reason Vardy isn't closing down like last year. Defending last season really did start from the front as the opposition back line were frequently forced into making hurried passes by the threat of losing the ball to Vardy.

I agree Nuneaton, and nearly mentioned Vardy but I think defensively, we could still play a similar way without Vardy if we had this secondary 4 so I guess he (by he I mean Vardy last year!) is a an additionally bonus but not imperative (hence, why I see him being dropped unfortunately when Slimani is fit )

comment by nuneaton_fox (U7936)
posted 9 minutes ago
Another interesting article. I'll add Vardy in to the 4 players mentioned in front of the defence. As I mentioned in my comment on BS's losing the dressing room thread below, for some reason Vardy isn't closing down like last year. Defending last season really did start from the front as the opposition back line were frequently forced into making hurried passes by the threat of losing the ball to Vardy.


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This is where I think I 'disagree' with most others , most fans blame the players for being either too lazy on fat cat wages or not interested but I think this comes form CR himself and the way he wants them to play.

IF players are consistently not working hard and going against instructions, why oh why haven't they been dropped or at least getting shouted at from the touchlines, my take is it's because they've been told not to as part of playing the 'Italian way'?

I agree with true blue

There was plenty of effort at Burnley but they are being coached to keep a clean sheet. Vardy doesn't look fit enough and fitness for me has gone out the window since Pearson left

comment by True Blue (U9486)
posted 2 hours, 58 minutes ago
comment by nuneaton_fox (U7936)
posted 9 minutes ago
Another interesting article. I'll add Vardy in to the 4 players mentioned in front of the defence. As I mentioned in my comment on BS's losing the dressing room thread below, for some reason Vardy isn't closing down like last year. Defending last season really did start from the front as the opposition back line were frequently forced into making hurried passes by the threat of losing the ball to Vardy.


----------------------------------------------------------------------
This is where I think I 'disagree' with most others , most fans blame the players for being either too lazy on fat cat wages or not interested but I think this comes form CR himself and the way he wants them to play.

IF players are consistently not working hard and going against instructions, why oh why haven't they been dropped or at least getting shouted at from the touchlines, my take is it's because they've been told not to as part of playing the 'Italian way'?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
At the risk of repeating myself I think it's either because he's lost a yard of pace or he's being told to play that way; if the latter then it needs to be changed pronto.

comment by nuneaton_fox (U7936)
posted 9 minutes ago
comment by True Blue (U9486)
posted 2 hours, 58 minutes ago
comment by nuneaton_fox (U7936)
posted 9 minutes ago
Another interesting article. I'll add Vardy in to the 4 players mentioned in front of the defence. As I mentioned in my comment on BS's losing the dressing room thread below, for some reason Vardy isn't closing down like last year. Defending last season really did start from the front as the opposition back line were frequently forced into making hurried passes by the threat of losing the ball to Vardy.


----------------------------------------------------------------------
This is where I think I 'disagree' with most others , most fans blame the players for being either too lazy on fat cat wages or not interested but I think this comes form CR himself and the way he wants them to play.

IF players are consistently not working hard and going against instructions, why oh why haven't they been dropped or at least getting shouted at from the touchlines, my take is it's because they've been told not to as part of playing the 'Italian way'?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
At the risk of repeating myself I think it's either because he's lost a yard of pace or he's being told to play that way; if the latter then it needs to be changed pronto.


----------------------------------------------------------------------
I think the same can be said for Oki, he and Vardy used to hunt them down, not seen much of that this season either?

They've stopped pressing from the front and that's a coaching thing

BS did Vardy break the goal per game record under PN .....No
Second top scorer in the premiership under pearson ....No
You get the rest blah blah blah.

Just one more thing in the great escape season how many goals did Vardy score until Cambiasso took over the team and got them to believe in themselves.

Did anyone see the one man team today Kante for Chelsea the best ever midfielder we have had an destined for the very very top. He has made more challenges than any other player in the last three seasons but in the last two.

He is and remains the issue and why CR needs to change the formation team etc to compensate.
The players can't do it so back to 4411/442