LEICESTER CITY 0 BRENTFORD 4
Post Match Analysis by Paul Weston
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.
I vowed that I would be more positive in my match report following the glimmer of hope we gained from the match against Arsenal. In that match there was a togetherness of spirit albeit ruined by a lack of concentration from our defence 10 minutes from the end which took away a point that would have been deserved.
How wrong could I be. The best part of this evening was the pizza beforehand and the first 10 minutes of the match. It went downhill fast after that!
RVN made one change for the match, bringing in Coulibaly for the injured Justin. The formation looked the same as usual. As usual too the subs bench looked weak and there were no opportunities for any Academy players. Coulibaly made an immediate impression, looking confident on the ball and creating a shooting chance. El Khannouss then set up Vardy for a shot well saved by the Brentford keeper.
Brentford then found their feet and realised that City’s midfield pairing of Ndidi and Soumare was easy to pass through and that our central defence of Faes and Okoli was as strong as a wet paper bag. The first Brentford goal was an absolute shocker.
City had about four chances to clear the ball and eventually Wissa bobbled the ball in. Mbeumo curled in a lovely shot when not closed down for the second. Norgaard, who controlled the match, headed in unopposed from a free kick after about half an hour. 0-3 and the match was over and certainly it was in the minds of our players whose confidence evaporated quickly.
As this match evolved City players, except for Coulibaly, Vardy, Kristiansen and El Khannouss, looked like they wanted to be somewhere else. Body language was terrible, strong tackles absent, and they seemed terrified every time Brentford attacked, which was lightning quick and effective. The atmosphere in the stadium was awful with the usual chants and ironic cheers and boos certainly not helping to support the players.
RVN made changes for the start of the second half. Bizarrely he took off Coulibaly and put Okoli on the right. It made no sense and Okoli clearly was uncomfortable in this role. Mavididi was brought on for De Cordova Reid. He made no impression whatsoever and looked completely out of sorts and wanting to be somewhere else. Vestergaard and Skipp were brought on and neither did anything to enhance their CVs. Buonanotte was brought on too late to make a difference but brought the crowd to life with a shot which brought ironic cheers.
Brentford played the second half in second gear whilst City players seemed to just want to pass it around in damage limitation mode. It was depressing to watch and no surprise when Brentford scored a fourth when our central defence folded yet again and did not clear the ball.
I cannot remember such an awful performance from our team and makes me wonder whether to go to the remaining matches in this depressing season. Team is an important word. It is clear from the rant from Hermansen to his so-called defence when the fourth goal went in that we are not a team. We are a poorly managed collective of players, many of whom are just not good enough for this league and will not be at this club next year when we are in the Championship.
RVN seems unable to change tactics or strategy, and it looks like picking a manager who had not managed in this league is a gamble that has failed. The signings that we have made are of poor quality generally and many chickens have come home to roost which has to rest with our senior management team e.g. lack of support for Vardy but sale of Cannon; Edouard loan signing at high wages but deemed not good enough to play by two managers; loaning out young players instead of bringing into the playing squad in preparation for next year. I could go on, but I am sure readers feel the same.
How could this have happened our club which used to be the template for togetherness? Supporters, management and players are now divided and somehow this needs to be brought together again. Make no mistake the rebuild will be in the Championship. Perhaps we might even score a goal at home then?
Ratings: Hermansen (5) Coulibaly (4) Faes (1) Okoli (1) Kristiansen (3) Ndidi (3) Soumare (1) El Khannouss (5) Ayew (1) De Cordova-Reid (1) Vardy (4) Subs: Coady (1) Vestergaard (1) Skipp (1) Buonanotte (4) Mavididi (1)