Leicester City manager Marti Cifuentes has spoken out about what happened at halftime during his team’s 2-2 draw with Bristol City.
The Foxes appear to have gathered some momentum in recent weeks, winning three and drawing one of their last six matches. While this isn’t a mind-blowing record, it’s a step up from their previous barren run.
Prior to overcoming Norwich 2-1 in early November, Leicester had only won once since late August, causing their promotion prospects to fade and putting additional pressure on Cifuentes.
Their recent improvement in form, as well as the uncertainty surrounding the outcome of their legal case with the Premier League, have given the Spaniard more time, and those at the King Power will be hoping that Leicester can begin to claw their way back up the division in coming weeks.
Marti Cifuentes opens out during the half-time team chat versus Bristol City.
Leicester seemed destined to add another three points to their tally last time out, leading by two goals at halftime away to Bristol City.
Jordan Ayew and Bobby Reid’s goals put the Foxes in command and set them up for an excellent victory over formidable opponents.
However, Leicester’s lead was short-lived, as Mark Sykes responded to Reid’s goal straight after the break. Emil Riis scored an equaliser seven minutes from time, canceling out the Foxes’ lead and resulting in a draw.
Although the performance was an improvement over some of Leicester’s prior appearances this season, supporters were clearly disappointed that they had let the advantage slip.
Following the apparent collapse after halftime, Cifuentes spoke with his players during the break, according to the club’s website.
“I think the first half was really, really good,” the Leicester manager said. “We created opportunities, we took advantage of the space they left, and it was definitely a very good first 45 minutes.”
“Obviously, the second goal helped us gain an even bigger lead, and we talked at halftime about the necessity to keep pressing to ensure we could score the third goal.
“Then, most likely, the game would be over, but it’s terrible that the course of the second half changed after only one minute. I think we panicked a little bit, dropped too much, and credit to Bristol in the second half; they played so beautifully.”
“We spoke about certain details at half-time and we conceded from one of those details, so it’s something we need to learn from and do much better because we know there’s still a lot of games, a lot of time, to be played.”
Marti Cifuentes must learn from the Bristol City lesson.
If Leicester had won away against Bristol City, they would have 30 points after 20 games, just one point behind the play-off places.
Given how much the Foxes suffered in September and October, this would have been an impressive position for them to enter the festive season.
However, conceding twice in the second half cost Leicester this opportunity, which Cifuentes must learn from.
If the Spaniard wants to finish in the top six, he cannot afford to lose points from such dominant positions. As a result, he must conduct a thorough investigation into what went wrong at Ashton Gate to guarantee it never happens again.
If Leicester had won away against Bristol City, they would have 30 points after 20 games, just one point behind the play-off places.
Given how much the Foxes suffered in September and October, this would have been an impressive position for them to enter the festive season.
However, conceding twice in the second half cost Leicester this opportunity, which Cifuentes must learn from.
If the Spaniard wants to finish in the top six, he cannot afford to lose points from such dominant positions. As a result, he must conduct a thorough investigation into what went wrong at Ashton Gate to guarantee it never happens again.
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