Leicester City goalkeeper Danny Ward has commented on the lack of transfer activity. His comments were ironic, and here is what he has said.
Six games played, one point earned, rock bottom of the Premier League. The Foxes have been poor on and off the pitch: with lacklustre performances and an abysmal transfer window. The King Power club can do better and should be doing better.
Much criticism has been levied by Brendan Rodgers on the lack of refreshment of the East Midlands side, while simultaneously saying he just has to put the work in with the team he has. The head coach just wants to deflect while still remaining mildly professional.
Leicester City goalkeeper’s form
The Welsh ‘keeper Ward has been handed the No. 1 spot with the departure of Kasper Schmeichel, with Daniel Iversen becoming his understudy. Personally, I was initially optimistic for the Welshman, yet that initial enthusiasm has quickly dissipated.
Our No. 1 is in the 1st percentile (literally the worst possible) for goals against per game, post-shot expected goals versus goals against, save percentage, and clean sheet percentage. Further, being in the 18th for goal-kicks accuracy and 9th for long distribution more generally.
Those statistics are just atrocious. Of course, a lot of it has to do with an utterly shambolic defence. Zero coordination between the backline and midfield line, a total lack of ability from set pieces, and incompetence on both team selection and individual decision-making. These myriad problems are festering and are more frustrating the longer they persist.
Danny Ward responds
So, yes, it is fair to say that Ward has been left to dry by a terrible start by the King Power club. However, the Welshman could be doing better even with the poor hand that has been dealt. Ward himself does not blame a lack of transfers.
"“We can’t blame the transfer window for the performances… Sometimes it doesn’t help… our job is on the pitch regardless we’ve got a group of players who can achieve something” Via LeicestershireLive"
To be honest, Ward is not entirely incorrect. With the squad available, the Foxes should be doing better and can certainly achieve greater. However, it is entirely an issue of confidence and mental momentum. For example, when Manchester United signed several players, the form of all their players increased. Please select the link underneath this sentence in order to go to the final page of the article.
Mentality is everything in football, and when that mentality is a winning one underpinned by a positive and exciting attitude, teams will do better. In our moment, Leicester appear feeble, weak, scared. On the pitch, the team lack confidence.
It is ironic for the ‘goalie’ to not blame transfers, as with the departure of one of our best ever goalkeepers, we should have seen a high class signing to fill that gap long term. A player who can win you games by clawing onto clean sheets, not a floundering Welshman.
If Rodgers’ side had signed an Alban Lafont and actually improved their position at the back, not just would they be doing better with the same team, they would also see greater confidence from the backline. The Foxes could have seen better performances from a more coordinated and less nervous defence.
"“It’s just a case of putting in performances that will get us results and 40 points has always been the first milestone and then we go again from there”"
Ward also confirmed the target is to first reach 40 points. Now, when Leicester City won the league, this too was the first target, however, this team is significantly better than that team minus probably two positions now. We should not be merely aiming for a safe volume of points.
I believe that either Ward needs to improve, or the Danish goalkeeper given a run out. After that, in January, Leicester needs to purchase a better player. Transfers are needed to build confidence. In this moment though, they have got to do better with what they have.