'Time and games are running out'published at 15:13 18 February
15:13 18 February
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Former Leicester City winger Matt Piper says the Foxes will need to learn how to grind out results "quickly" if they are to fight relegation from the Premier League this season.
Last weekend's defeat and the results of rivals saw Ruud van Nistelrooy's team drop to 19th place on goal difference.
Speaking on BBC Radio Leicester's When You're Smiling podcast, Piper said: "They will have to find a way to do it - and quickly. If you can replicate the kind of performance we saw against Arsenal against Brentford, then you are going to have a big opportunity to grind out that result at home.
"Ruud should set up in most of the games that are left to play aiming to keep a clean sheet.
"That has to be the basis to build from because staying in the game as long as you can gives the players confidence. Then you can try to build on that.
"It is just about ironing out the small details because time and games are running out.
"If you want to stay in the Premier League, you have to find a way to start picking up points - and that needs to happen really quickly."
'Goal threat has depleted since Van Nistelrooy's appointment'published at 07:52 18 February
07:52 18 February
Kate Blakemore Fan writer
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Yet again, we find ourselves talking about activities off the pitch and this week it came in the form of an organised fan protest.
'Project Reset' is a fan movement demanding change within the Leicester City leadership team and some took to the streets prior to Saturday's match against Arsenal to let their voices be heard.
The rumblings during the week obviously reached the Leicester board as owner, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, released his matchday programme notes a day early - acknowledging that improvement is needed, calling on fans to get behind the team and outlining that the lack of activity during the January transfer window was hampered by Leicester's PSR predicament.
Finally, some communication! A starter for 10? Who knows.
Sadly, the performance on the pitch, while resilient and competitive in periods, had an all too familiar ending for Leicester - zero goals scored and two late goals conceded.
Playing defensively can be useful when you are up against it, but there has to come a point - especially when you find yourselves 19th in the table with 55 goals conceded - where you have to accept that goals are going to be conceded in every game and attention has to be turned to creating some of our own to try to counteract our terrible defensive record.
Our goal threat has depleted since Ruud van Nistelrooy's appointment and while one can see some cohesion and style of play under him, the aim of any match is to score more than the opposition and the hard facts are that we are not creating or threatening enough.
We have not scored at home since early December and have only scored four goals in the league since then. The old adage of "attack is the best form of defence" could not be more apt right now and in this apparent mini-league of four teams in the relegation scrap, I think we need to place more focus on scoring goals.
Leicester 0-2 Arsenal - the fans' verdictpublished at 09:06 17 February
09:06 17 February
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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Leicester City and Arsenal.
Here are some of your comments:
Leicester fans:
Louise: Depression has set in at Leicester City. We all know negativity spreads and infects everything around. Our fans are at a loss. They don't know what to think or do. We all love our club and will always carry on supporting Leicester City through the good and bad times. But right now, we all need to come together. We have to believe and push our club out of this funk. Is Ruud van Nistelrooy the right man for the job? Yes, and I do believe he can keep Leicester City up, but my confidence is draining as weeks pass by.
Brad: Gutted. The lads dug in deep and even had chances to have got a result. Sadly it's been the story of our season two 50/50 breakaways fell to Arsenal and the rest is history.
Chris: Really proud of the whole team. Played resolutely and as a team for the whole game. Unlucky not to get something from the game, but this should give us some much-needed confidence for the next few games.
Mike: Great performance for 80 minutes. As RVN says, "the results will come". Need to get behind the team. We can stay up if we play like this.
Arsenal fans:
Michael: Poor performance but they got the job done. No-one came away with any real credit aside from maybe two players. The annoying thing is how many, without any original thought, blamed Raheem Sterling for all their ills while he was on the pitch. Give the man a break.
Leigh: We're not alone in having injuries. We've just got to get on with it and, as we did against Leicester, find a way to win. I trust the youth and scouting set-up to unearth talent at home or overseas and we must strengthen over the summer. A good run in the Champions League will make an offer from Arsenal an attractive one. Ridiculous to suggest that Mikel Arteta be given the push. We're going in the right direction!
Martin: I had an inkling that Mikel Merino would work as a false nine, but I didn't imagine he'd work out this well. Both his finishes wouldn't look out of place from Erling Haaland or Chris Wood. Ethan Nwaneri is playing well beyond his years. Sadly, it looks like Sterling is finished at the top level - all the pace that made him great is gone. Merino needs to start at least until we get Bukayo Saka back.
David: Fantastic that we won but - and it's a big but - we struggled to score against a team that has won four games all season. They have a goal difference of -30. Yet we had to wait for two goals from a midfielder who has never played up front before coming off the bench. Great work, Merino, but what will we do when we meet a more in-form side?
'Like trying to tell him to ice-skate up a hill'published at 07:52 17 February
07:52 17 February
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Former Leicester City winger Matt Piper thinks Ruud van Nistelrooy will have been told the club had money to spend on more transfers in January.
Speaking after the Foxes' defeat by Arsenal on Saturday, Piper told BBC Radio Leicester's When You're Smiling podcast: "In 'Top's' [Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha] notes this afternoon he spoke about PSR and that's why they were unable to bring anyone in.
"If we're restricted because of PSR and the rules created around that, I understand.
"But, when you take someone on like Ruud van Nistelrooy, they clearly would have said we've done our homework and we're going to have a little money to spend in January.
"That has turned out to be a lie. We had the money to spend but we couldn't spend it in January due to PSR. That is what 'Top' is telling us.
"What you've done to Ruud there is like trying to tell him to ice-skate up a hill."
🎧 'In the end - disappointment once again'published at 19:02 15 February
19:02 15 February
The latest episode of BBC Radio Leicester's When You're Smiling podcast has landed, listen to post match analysis of Leicester's game against Arsenal from Matt Piper and hear reaction from Foxes boss Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Leicester attacker Bilal El Khannouss has been speaking to Sky Sports after their loss: "I think we did well for 80 minutes to take a result today but you cannot lose concentration against those teams. It is easy for Meriono to head it in. We have to do better in those situations.
"We were fighting all together as a team. We know we have to fight for each ball and it's what we did for 80 minutes. It's hard to take.
"When you defend like that, you always know something will fall at the other side. We had some opportunities but we didn't take them. It's a hard fight but we played a lot of good games already that we didn't take results in."
'I believe the results will come one day'published at 15:01 15 February
15:01 15 February
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Leicester boss Ruud van Nistelrooy has been speaking to BBC Match of the Day after today's defeat: "Thin margins. The chance of Bobby just by Lewis-Skelly, you can get up with a game in a goal. That makes it hard.
"We did what we could for all parts of the game. Playing out and playing in certain moments when we could. We didn't really look long. Two chances from Ndidi with the header and the volley. You need some luck to get a goal and go up against a side like this.
"The players know and are disappointed that we couldn't take anything from the game. Arsenal are contending for the title so we know if we keep putting in performances like this then eventually you're going to win games and pick up points.
On James Justin: "It was an unfortunate moment to take him off before half-time. He couldn't continue so it's definitely something.
"It's ups and downs. When you are a promoted team and fighting for the bottom places, you have to deal with losing games but it's a matter of keeping working. I believe the results will come one day."
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