adminLeicester City are a team that has forgotten what three points are and how to get them. Faced with a must-win match, they simply looked as if they did not know how to do it.
That’s now one victory in their last 18 matches. Over the past two seasons, they’ve won 17 of 81 league fixtures. Of all clubs in England’s top four divisions, only Sheffield Wednesday have won a lower proportion.
Whether they were inhibited by the importance of the game, whether their confidence has been drained by their desperate position and imminent relegation, or whether they could not understand how to put the game plan into action, they produced a performance that did not reflect the significance of the fixture.
They lost any composure and quality they might have had. In the first half, surely one of the worst halves of football in any Championship match this season, they looked clueless.
Gary Rowett has wanted them to be more direct, but not like this players aimlessly lumping the ball towards the channels, often out of play, in the hope that Patson Daka might make something of it.
They weren’t much better when they went short. The Fratton Park pitch was in good condition, yet Leicester players still misplaced passes, tripped over their own feet, and struggled to maintain control.
Their pass completion rate ended at 66%, down from an 81% season average. The only time it has been lower was when they played with 10 men at Birmingham.
Hamza Choudhury, brought in for midfield bite, barely touched the ball. Abdul Fatawu repeatedly overhit crosses.
It wasn’t until Portsmouth took the lead that Leicester created any meaningful chances, but even those faded in the final stages.
Portsmouth, despite their own struggles this season, looked like a team that understood how to win when it mattered.
This was a poor performance from a side for whom winning appears unfamiliar.
Even that is a more generous description than how this team may ultimately be remembered. A lack of quality in key moments is forgivable, but this team risks being remembered as one that did not care enough.
“Sorry, but these players don’t care about the club I pity the supporters,” came the brutal reaction from Roy Keane after another disappointing Leicester performance.
Questions are now being asked after costly mistakes once again proved decisive.
The reaction from Portsmouth fans reflected disbelief at the lack of urgency from a team that desperately needed a result.
Leicester supporters have received sympathy from across football for the situation their club is in, but the players have not done enough to change perceptions.
Statistically, they also rank poorly. They are among the bottom teams in the Championship for running metrics and are last for sprints.
Choudhury’s reaction to Portsmouth fans after being substituted and Harry Winks’ heated argument outside Fratton Park were not signs of passion, but frustration boiling over.
No matter what happens from here, this Leicester City team will likely be remembered as a side that failed to show enough fight.
As the season has worsened, Gary Rowett has hinted at deeper issues within squad construction. He suggested the squad may not be suited for a relegation battle and raised concerns about recruitment in attacking areas.
He pointed to a lack of goalscorers in the team and suggested finishing quality has been a major issue.
He also highlighted the loss of athleticism and physicality compared to previous squads and noted that several players are now older or no longer at the club.
He added that set-piece defending has cost the team repeatedly and that failure in both boxes has been decisive in tight matches.
It’s the Championship. Unless you do the basics consistently, you will struggle to compete…
admin
Abdulhafiz Teslim
