From My Seat: Leicester (H)

Overall a disappointing day out as the game reflected the weather –not the best.

A good win away in Europe and playing the bottom team in the Premier League should have been easy meat for the Blues at a rain-soaked and cold Goodison Park. Yet, somehow at the back of many a mind in the room of nonsense pre-game confidence was found wanting given our record of results after a Euro encounter.

The teams came through and right away I wondered how the midfield would perform as McCarthy and Besic are an untried force and that is not the best of situations for that all-important engine room. Both players are tireless workers but creativity is something seldom seen from either; not exactly midfield generals.

Pre-kick off, the 2015/16 season ticket promo video was played on the big screen and it looked classy and slick and was well- received by those assembled. Any more games like today and we may need a sequel to drum up support especially as we haven’t won at home since December 15th and a home record in the EPL that reads played 13 - drawn 7 Won 3 and lost 3. Fortress Goodison?

The first half started with Leicester making the running and any thoughts of a ‘park the bus’ scenario were soon put to bed as Leicester came for us. All over the park we had players looking shaky and none moreso than Besic and Barkley, which is disappointing as we fans are looking to them to be our future and have faith in them. But today showed they have some way to go yet before the word consistency is used and that is very important in the positions that they are occupying. Lukaku is another running more cold than hot and demonstrated that first half when he shot high over the bar after good work by Coleman who beat his man in a run for the by-line and pulled the ball back for that over-the -ar effort from just about 10 yards.

Next Lennon showed good pace got down the right and put in a good low cross that saw Lukaku swing at it and have it blocked but the ball ran kindly for once and gave our other hot-and-cold man Barkley a wonderful opportunity in front of goal but his effort was, shall we say, a little high. Poor effort really.

So the half went on with us having maybe more of the possession but forever breaking down on either offside or a poor first touch and, yes. even passes to no one in particular. In between, Leicester broke when they could and, in truth, looked more dangerous than us and this was highlighted on the final knocking of the first half when the wonderfully named Schlupp got in and was only denied by a great block from John Stones.

H/T and the chat was of no one really knowing what to make of it as chances had been made and passed up but, conversely, going the other way we looked as though we were not as water tight as we would have liked and Leicester were testing us.

Second half and more of the same from the off. Leicester were pushing on and Tim Howard had the crowd gasping and then showing displeasure when he palmed a shot from wide right into the path of that man Schlupp who, thankfully, blasted wide when better could have been expected by his manager.

Just three minutes later both Besic and Barkley were hooked in favour of Gibson and Atsu, there were a few booing when Besic went off but really neither player was offering much. The manager’s move was vindicated within two mins when Gibson strode forward looking ahead and found a good ball forward to Lukaku who held it up well on this occasion it has to be said and he turned one around the corner for the ever willing Naismith to latch onto and shoot passed two defenders and find the net just inside the post.

A roar of relief was heard and the faithful replied to the Leicester hoards who had been likening our support to excreta by chanting ‘We only sing when we are winning’. I think many thought that would be it but, hey, you never can tell with us; when we are ahead we somehow seem to abandon what got us into the lead and go all jittery making unforced errors, and so it was today.

Time after time this season we have succumbed to shipping a sloppy goal—guess what?—we did it again when Leicester responded to our two subs and sent two of their own on just some five minutes after ours and they did to us what we had done to them. Vardy, on for Schlupp, raced clear down our right after we gave the ball away and his cross had Howard and Stones acting like strangers at the near post. The ball ran on for our true Blue fan Nugent on for Mahrez who gleefully swept home. The silence from our fans told a story.

For those who may not have seen the game, look away now as it got worse. Just seven minutes after their first Howard again blundered when he no more than flapped at a ball and it fell to Vardy near the by-line who cut it back for the evergreen Cambiasso to sweep home and celebrate as if it was in the Champions League final. The travelling fans were delirious singing ‘we're bottom of the league and winning away’ and with many a Blue making for the exits it did look as though that might be it.

I held to the belief that you just never know in this great game of ours and so it panned out. Lukaku, who had been guilty of three glaring misses second half and none worse than when Naismith fed him in and he brushed off his man with strength and speed and with the goal gaping hit it over the angle (incredible miss that one). But it was the Belgian who dived to head a great cross from Atsu into the net... that is until the goal was replayed and it was clear it was an o/g, but nonetheless, without the cross and header, a goal would not have occurred.

We did drive on in the last minutes but frustratingly a poor touch or final ball was the best we could do and in the four minutes added we found ourselves defending a few corners and I think in the end we were glad to hear the final whistle.

M.o.t.M. – Cambiasso but for us no one stood out. Maybe Gibson when he came on he did seem to possess some craft and guile, always went forward and tried to thread a pass.

Overall a disappointing day out as the game reflected the weather –not the best. As I was making my way out of the ground among the throng Howard, Barkley and Besic seemed to be in the firing line with Baines being deemed out of form. However, from my viewpoint, it seems that we are set up well to cope with the play in the Europa league yet the players seem to not be comfortable with our set up to cope with domestic matters and that is of concern. Domestic matters are our bread and butter. Lennon did quite well showing good pace and a willingness to work yet when Atsu came on for his cameo he looked the better all-round player to me. Be interesting to see what our present manager does with those two. A further meeting between Manager and players may need to be called.

Europa again on Thursday and then on the Sunday Arsenal away. If my theory is anywhere near the mark, God help us. Something is not quite right to the spectator’s eye so all we can hope is that manager and players are on to it.

Still in these days of positive spin I will close by saying today we gained another point toward safety on the back of suffering from ‘Europaitis’

UP THE BLUES

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