Month: December 2018

Jamie Vardy is no longer having a party

The 2018/2019 season is proving to be one of the more trying ones for Jamie Vardy at Leicester as the striker battles to adapt to Claude Puel’s tactics.

The Leicester boss insists his players keep the ball given he favours a more possession-based style. But that doesn’t always get the best out of Vardy, who is more of an old-fashioned striker that thrives on collecting through balls and finding the back of the net.  

Vardy has now admitted that Puel’s style doesn’t suit him – but that won’t stop him from trying. In fact, the 31-year-old has suggested that it is up to him to find a way to make it work under Puel and rather pointed towards working harder in training as a way of it all coming together. Despite Vardy’s pragmatic tone, his comments will be slightly worrying for Leicester City fans and for the more cynical among them. The timing may be quite curious as well with the January transfer market just around the corner.

After all, this is a striker who played a massive part in their title-winning season as he broke the record for scoring in the most consecutive games in Premier League history. If Vardy is happy in a certain system, he will always score goals and now that he is retired from international football he should be able to keep playing at a very high level in the Premier League.

His recent comments may well prompt one of the top six to splash some cash and bring Vardy on board.

Still, you’d have to think that any move to a club in a better position than Leicester would mean Vardy would play second fiddle to someone.

That doesn’t mean an offer won’t arrive for the former Fleetwood Town man. The Foxes may well see the sense in letting him go should Puel also agree that Vardy isn’t a natural fit for his style of football.

It’s not unheard of to think that Vardy may well feel he can win the Golden Boot in the Premier League, but it certainly won’t be this season with his odds at William Hill of being top goalscorer at 50/1 suggesting his race is run already.

That will be frustrating for Vardy, and what he does next will be very interesting – especially if he chooses to grumble a bit more in public.

There’s still every reason to believe Vardy is happy at the King Power and it was only in August that he signed a new and improved deal to keep him at the club until 2022.

One shouldn’t forget though that the last few months at the club would have been a mixture of sadness and agony for Vardy after Leicester owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha was tragically killed in a helicopter crash outside the ground in late October. Both Vardy and Srivaddhanaprabha were very close.

In some ways, it would be more than understandable if the striker was feeling a bit too close to all of it at the moment.

Jamie Vardy’s latest utterances certainly weren’t a “come and get me to another club”, and it’s highly unlikely he would go as far as to say that at any stage given his respect for Leicester City. There is, though, reason to believe he may not be as happy as he was once was and that as well all know in football, invariably leads to a change.  

 

Man Utd unveil club legend Solskjaer as caretaker manager

Manchester United have announced that club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will take over as caretaker manager for the remainder of the season.

Jose Mourinho’s two-and-a-half year stint at the club came to an end on Tuesday, two days after the Red Devils were beaten 3-1 by bitter rivals Liverpool at Anfield.

The club’s start to the season has been a disaster, and Toals Coupon Code who offer free bets tips have noticed a huge drop in punters backing the team this season, and it’s easy to see how, with United as high as 1000/1 with many bookies to claim the Premier League title.

The move may, however, revive their chances of success in Europe, and England’s other domestic trophies. Having said that, United’s odds of winning the Champions League this season are 50/1 – and with PSG up next for the Red Devils, and taking into account their form – it’s easy to see why.

United revealed that the interim appointment would be made before bringing in a full-time replacement in the summer.

After deciding to axe Mourinho, the club moved quickly to secure the services of Molde boss Solskjaer, with the deal finalised within 24hrs of Jose’s departure.

Mike Phelan – who was Sir Alex Ferguson’s right-hand man whilst he was with the club – will join as first-team coach at United, working closely with Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna.

Solskjaer is fondly remembered for his 126 goals in 366 appearances whilst at Old Trafford in his playing career, but captured the hearts of many United fans none more so than when he was a key part of the Champions League final triumph in 1999, which confirmed the treble.

Speaking after his appointment, Solskjaer said:

“Manchester United is in my heart and it’s brilliant to be coming back in this role,” Solskjaer said upon being appointed.

“I’m really looking forward to working with the very talented squad we have, the staff and everyone at the club.”

United’s chiefs were keen to bring someone in for the interim who understands the club, and executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward was delighted to announce his return:

“Ole is a club legend with huge experience, both on the pitch and in coaching roles,” Woodward said.

“His history at Manchester United means he lives and breathes the culture here and everyone at the club is delighted to have him and Mike Phelan back.

“We are confident they will unite the players and the fans as we head into the second half of the season.”