Leicester without Vardy is just an average side!
Once again, we fell to another defeat to Leicester, but what is becoming clearer is that we don’t lose to Leicester as a team, we lose to one person, and this time round it was no different. We didn’t lose to Leicester we lost to Jamie Vardy.
So, it is worth asking, if Vardy didn’t come on or if he was ruled out of this game, would we have lost the game? And the answer to that for me is no!
Because up until the point of when Vardy came on, the game was pretty much in Arsenal’s control and it was ours to lose. Leicester hardly created chances and Leno hardly had a save to make, becoming more of a spectator in the game rather than actually having to be called into action.
Maybe it could be said that knowing Vardy was on the bench, the boys thought that the game would be easy, and that Vardy was Leicester’s only threat. But surely it would always be in the back of our minds that Vardy ALWAYS scores against us. Of course if you have the cocky mentality of it will be an easy win if Vardy is not on the pitch, then there is always the chance that it will backfire, as it did for us.
Even if Vardy was not fully fit you would never have guessed. Vardy could be using one leg and he would still manage to score against us, that is just how things seem to fall when he plays against us! In fact, after scoring 10 goals in 11 games against us, we should have been expecting it.
But we had more than enough on the pitch on the day to get the three points out of the game regardless of whether Vardy was on the pitch or not, but as always the lack of finishing, the lack of creative flair at times and the introduction of Vardy into the game ended up being a real kick in the teeth for our boys who despite their possession and intensity mainly in the first half, failed to come away with yet another win.
And so we lost to another solo strike, yet again by Jamie Vardy, but I guess that is what we get when we fail to stop Leicester’s biggest threat!
Maybe that is why Arsene Wenger tried his hardest to buy him for Arsenal?
Shenel Osman
He reminds me a lot of SuperMac.
Older fans know who I mean.
Yeah Declan- I get what you mean. Totally different in size and stature but MM was a great striker for Arsenal and knew where the net was that’s for sure. In comparison to Lacazette there just is no contest
Gabriel was shouting at Mustafi to get back with Vardy. Gabriel saw it coming and he was right.
We lack a Santi Cazorla type and an Ozil type. I think Willian could be converted to our little Santi role. Play Willian a little deeper to be a playmaker. He often played there for Shakhtar Donetsk with Douglas Costa wide. He could be our little Santi/Silva/Xavi.
Yes he is really a bogeyman to Arsenal same like Henry to Spurs and other clubs. The thing is Arsenals game plan suits him ie 90% possession and plenty of passing ,etc. Once it breaks down,he has plenty of time and space.
Against West Ham whenever he had the ball ,
2/3/4 players will surround him .He had hardly any room to move,let alone shoot or head like he did against Arsenal.
When he had come on ,Arteta shd have detailed more attention to him.
Btw,according to an ex referee,the goal shd have stood.Thats why VAR officials and refs
who make such game changing decisions shd be held accountable.Var was brought in to
make it more transparent. Instead it has gone the other way.
If we claim to be a Big Team but we still players like Mustafi at the back and we have players like Xhaka in middle of park playing week in week out I am seeing a problem,I would play Elneny more than Xhaka every week.