Saturday 26 February 2011

Reduced conclusions from the highlights of Coventry City

Leicester1-1Coventry City
(HT 1-1)
Naughton 45King 14

Att: 25,356

NB. Apologies for the lateness and impreciseness of this post, but today I was in the Lakes and without Internet access so I was away from the game. My Winners and Losers (below) are based purely on hearsay and reports with some input from a brief video of match highlights. Think of them more as a summary of the views of fans overall and less of my own, personal perspectives.



Winners
Kyle Naughton
Pace, passion, ability, skill, threat... no superlative is too good for this lad and if Sven Goran Eriksson can snap him up at the end of his season-long stay it will be a fantastic deal done. His goal capped a fine performance, with a piece of brilliant solo skill leading to a stunning finish of the highest order.

Yuki Abe
Apart from his frustrating inability to grab his first Leicester goal, the Japanese showed what the Foxes have been missing at the heart of their midfield this afternoon. A solid, tidy performance.



Losers
Patrick van Aanholt
What's gone wrong with this bright young prospect? In his last two games he has failed to shine as brightly as he initially did for the Foxes, with today's performance certainly below par. His pace at the moment seems to be the only factor that agrees with the early comparisons of him against Chelsea team mate Ashley Cole. He possesses none of the latter's ability in the final third, indeed the Dutchman's crossing today was abysmal according to most reports. Definitely, van Aanholt needs to show some improvement if he is to keep his place in the Leicester starting eleven.

Ricardo
This bumbling fool has surely lost his jersey after a catastrophic error any under-twelve's goalkeeper would not make. To fumble a ball aimed directly at his feet into his own net is poor goalkeeping at this level, let alone for a man who played a European Championships final for his national side. It's almost a shame to see him fall so far, even if his overall performance was his best to date. It can be the smallest of mistakes that cost sides promotion - and millions of pounds - at this stage of the season.

Foxes Fans
Having said that about the Portuguese keeper, the Foxes supporters could have done more to give Ricardo confidence. There is nothing right about chanting Chris Weale's name whilst he is on the bench in order to undermine the player who possibly has the most difficult job in your team. Whilst a player wears the jersey, during the game he deserves our full support - after the game is when you should freely air your frustrations about specific players.

Andy King
Brilliant when he has a good game, but today he seemed to slip back into his pre-Christmas obscurity. In matches where King is anonymous, the team seems to suffer - testament to his importance and a pointer to the future should the likes of Everton indeed swoop for the Welshman in the future. 

1 comment:

Lazer Guided Melody said...

Naughton was excellent. Again.

Leicester didn't win the second ball today. That's costly.

Sven's two blind spots = frustrating.

1. A rigid adherence to a shape and style. I know, I know, it's so easy on the eye, but when chasing a game/striving for a winner, especially in this league, a more direct approach is a useful tool to have in one's armoury. It ain't in Sven's.

2. Keepers. First he gives us Chris Kirkland (unfit; mojo discarded in 2006). Then our present incumbent. Ricky Ricardo, last spotted getting henpecked by Lucille Ball in 'I Love Lucy', is a flapper. He'd be happier poured into a cocktail dress, then forcibly inserted into an Evelyn Waugh novel. Can we send him back to Betis now please? I'm suspecting that Chris Weale pulled a filly Sven had his eye on.