CITY’S CONFIDENCE HITS ROCK BOTTOM

LEICESTER CITY 1  LIVERPOOL 3

Report by Mike King

After the very open game away to QPR the previous Saturday, with apparently a record number of goal attempts in the Premier League for any match so far, it was interesting to see what manager Pearson’s approach would be to visitors Liverpool who scraped a 1 – 0 win themselves, but had lost 4 of their 6 away games so far this term.

Remaining loyal to his players, Pearson announced an unchanged team with Liverpool starting with Gerard in their team, perhaps thinking this would not be a hard game for his ageing body. Oh to have those type of selection problems!

However 3 points for the City would see them get out of the bottom 3, such is the nature of the bottom half of the Premier League which is very close and 2 victories in a row can take a team into the top half of the table.

The game started at a slow pace and for the first 15 minutes the evidence from the City’s players was that they had a total lack of confidence, probably understandable after a dreadful run of results, with missed passes from just a few yards, missed tackles and continually losing the ball in their own half.

Sterling made a clear dive but the referee bottled out from giving him a yellow card (being an England player?) and this carried on throughout the game. Had referee Mason booked Sterling first time he dived it may have stopped his antics as he would have been treading a knife edge for a second card, and a red.

The Foxes had a fantastic opportunity to take the league in the 20th minute. A ridiculous error almost handed the Foxes the lead, when Liverpool ‘keeper Mignolet gave the ball straight to Esteban Cambiasso when not under a challenge.

The Argentine could not make him pay, his low left foot shot zipping fractionally wide of the post, but the reprieve was only temporary as in the next attack City took the lead. Left back Johnson went on a 70 yard unchallenged run, but on the edge of the City’s box, De Laet made an excellent tackle.

The ball fell to Mahrez on City’s right and he advanced to edge of the Liverpool box, then putting an excellent through ball through to Vardy, whose shot was headed off the line by Skrtel, but Ulloa saved the ball from going out, turned and his shot to the near post hit the post and rebounded off Mignolet’s shoulder and into the net. Unfortunately not an Ulloa goal.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Mignolet stood with his hands on his hips, smiling ruefully. This, however, was no laughing matter. The longer he continues to be found wanting, the more vulnerable his side will be. It is an issue Liverpool must address.

On this occasion, it didn’t prove costly. High on endeavour and brimming with determination, the Foxes did not play like the worst team in the Premier League but every error they make is being ruthlessly punished.

In the 26th minute, Liverpool equalised. A run by Sterling towards the City’s penalty area ended with a trip but he did enough to stay on his feet then fall into the box. Correctly a free kick was given outside the box. The resultant free kick to the far post was headed out by Morgan only to fall at the feet of Lallana who hammered the ball home from 12 yards.

The game went from end to end and perhaps the City edged the remainder of the first half but with no player exerting any real pressure on the visitor’s mid-field or defence. Perhaps 1 -1 at half time was a fair score and the City were still in the game.

De Laet had a fierce drive from 25 yards blocked as did so many of the City’s shots in the second half. Then in the 54th minute, Liverpool took the lead. Sterling ran with the ball down the City’s right, his low drive was blocked by Morgan, but the ball fell to Gerrard who does not miss the target from 14 yards.

Morgan has the highest number of “blocks” in the Premier league, which is fine if the ball is cleared well away from the danger zone, but at the moment, when your luck is down, it seems chances are just being teed up for the opposition.

Then yet another disaster follows. After 64 minutes, Morgan’s night reached its nadir on the hour when his weak back pass allowed Lambert a free run at goal. Floundering, Morgan yanked Lambert’s arm back and sent him sprawling and gave referee Mason a simple decision. Red card, game over?

I cannot understand a defender, with the centre forward going away from goal, making such a challenge, as there is every chance the ‘keeper would save, and even if he did score, surely 11 men on the pitch is better than 10.

Then Mahrez had 2 free kicks some 30 yards out but nothing came from them, surely other players can hit a good free kick with power. With 10 minutes to go, a long ball from Albrighton wide on City’s right found Mahrez at the far post but his total lack of control enabled the ball to be cleared – confidence again!

Then the ball was cleared by the Liverpool defence but landed at the feet of Cambiasso. His drive was goal bound, just inside the post, but it hit Vardy 3 yards from the goal line and simply rolled out the wrong side of the post.

The Foxes could have been down to nine players when Schmeichel collided with Gerrard in the penalty area but perhaps referee Mason was sympathetic to the City’s cause, but frustrations were only temporary. Schmeichel erred in the 84th minute, Sterling cut the ball back and Henderson swept the ball in from 8 yards.  

Another frustrating night for the City faithful against a team that was beatable or at least able to gain a point. As said at the beginning, the run of games without a victory has bought a complete lack of confidence in the City players. Only one substitute was used – why is Drinkwater completely out of favour now?

With Morgan now sitting out the next game, (perhaps he may have been anyway!), probably replaced by Moore, perhaps Pearson has to do something to energise his team. With his well publicised “spat” with a supporter he seems to be deflecting things away from his players, but let us all hope that the performance against Villa on Sunday will bring some rewards.

Oh and the officials were dreadful, referee Mason never has a good game at the King Power and his assistant infront of the East Stand was oblivious to the offside law.

CITY: Schmeichel, De Laet, Morgan (C), Wasilewski, Konchesky (Albrighton 80), James, Schlupp, Cambiasso, Mahrez, Ulloa, Vardy

SUBS NOT USED: Drinkwater, King, Hamer, Knockaert, Wood, Moore  

LIVERPOOL: Mignolet, Johnson, Toure, Skrtel, Manquillo (Moreno 45), Lallana (Allen 70), Gerard, Lucas, Henderson, Sterling (Lovren 90) Lambert

SUBS NOT USED: Jones, Coutinho, Can, Markovic

ATTENDANCE: 32,000

REFEREE: Lee Mason

The views expressed in this report are the opinions of the Trust member nominated to file the report only and do not represent the views of the Foxes Trust organisation