Leicester 0-4 Brentford: Three Foxes Talking Points | OneFootball

Now or never

The word vital is often overused by football pundits but it is no exaggeration to say that the home match against Brentford was a must win, or at least must not lose, fixture. As Josh Holland pointed out in Friday’s Leicester Mercury, the Foxes face a difficult run of fixtures up to the end of March with trips to West Ham, Chelsea and Manchester City and a home encounter with Manchester United. Few would bet on City getting much joy out of those games.

The Foxes were also desperate to avoid unwelcome records. City had never lost six successive home games and, before the Brentford game, they shared, with three other clubs, the ignominy of losing five consecutive home games without scoring a goal in the Premier League. Leicester would hold the record outright if that was repeated on Friday evening.

Any changes?

Josh Holland also makes the point that it was around this time of the season in 2015 that Nigel Pearson, with his team anchored to the bottom of the Premier League, tried a different formation with some changes in personnel. Given their recent record (one win in 11 games) there was a desperate need for Ruud van Nistelrooy to do something similar going into the Brentford game. The front three, Jamie Vardy, Jordan Ayew and Bobby DeCordova-Reid have failed to deliver and surely Stephy Mavididi and Facunda Buanotte, and maybe even Patson Daka, are worth a shout. It may even, as FoL previously suggested, be the time to blood some of the club’s young players such as winger Jake Evans. It might also be appropriate, as Pearson did, to move to a back three and/or play with two strikers.

In the event, the Leicester boss was, as predicted by FoL, very conservative in his team selection, Woyo Coulibaly coming in for the injured James Justin the only change. Hearing this news, I feared the worse.

And so it proved with the Foxes succumbing to a heavy defeat. The opening ten minutes or so saw Leicester on the front foot and Vardy might have done better with a trademark run on goal. But then a comedy of errors by City’s hapless defenders saw Brentford notch three quick first half goals. Game over. The Leicester boss did make some second half changes bringing on players, such as Buanotte, who probably should have started. But it was all too late. Leicester created very little in the second period and Brentford scored a fourth late in the game.

The Bees were much quicker and more mobile than the home side, and played to a system in which each player knows his part. Leicester, by contrast, seemed confused and hesitant. The arguments between the players after the fourth goal went in was symbolic of a club in crisis.

The fans chanted again for the sacking of the board and thousands voted with their feet by leaving well before the end. The unwelcome records came to pass. Recent results, one win in 12 games with few goals scored, have been truly dreadful. Mangers have been sacked for less. Sean Dyche anyone?