adminLeicester City are slipping towards League One after a tepid 1–0 defeat at home to Swansea City, and the fall from grace has prompted concerns over deeper issues within the dressing room.
With four games left and now four points from safety, the situation is reportedly more complicated than results alone, with sources suggesting problems inside the squad that go beyond tactics.
Swansea arrived at the King Power Stadium on Saturday afternoon with nothing particularly at stake comfortably mid-table, no promotion ambitions, no relegation concerns.
They left with three points they barely had to work for, while home supporters departed in anger after another disappointing performance in a difficult season.
The only goal of the game came eight minutes into the second half through a counter-attack that exposed Leicester’s defensive weaknesses.
Eom Ji-Sung won possession deep inside his own half and carried the ball the length of the pitch before setting up Zan Vipotnik in the box.
The Slovenian striker, who has now scored 21 Championship goals this season, finished emphatically with a shot that went in off the crossbar.
Vipotnik continues to attract interest from Premier League clubs, and his finish highlighted once again how easily Leicester were opened up in transition.
It was a goal that summed up Leicester’s inability to deal with simple counter-attacks, leaving manager Gary Rowett visibly frustrated on the touchline.
Leicester had actually been the better side in the first half. Ricardo Pereira hit the post early on, Patson Daka was denied twice by Lawrence Vigouroux in quick succession, and Oliver Skipp saw an effort cleared off the line just before half-time.
Rowett later described the goal they conceded as “absolutely ridiculous.”
The King Power Stadium erupted at full-time with chants of frustration aimed at the board and boos directed at the players.
For a club that won the Premier League less than a decade ago, the decline has been stark.
A six-point deduction for a profit and sustainability breach confirmed after an unsuccessful appeal earlier in the week has worsened their situation.
Without it, they would be closer to the play-off positions; instead, they sit second bottom with four matches remaining and face the real possibility of relegation.
TalkSPORT reporter Alex Crook, who has sources close to the club, suggested there are deeper issues inside the dressing room following the defeat.
The comments point to concerns that Leicester’s problems are not only tactical, but also cultural.
A squad that has struggled throughout the season, failed to score in recent matches, and picked up just one win in five games is already under pressure.
But reports of unrest within the dressing room suggest a bigger problem that will need urgent attention, regardless of which division the club ends up in next season.
Leicester now face Portsmouth away in their next fixture, with time running out to avoid what currently looks like an increasingly likely relegation.
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Abdulhafiz Teslim