Another uninspiring fixture for Cifuentes' Blue Army. The King Power side marched on to defeat due to a lethargic arrogance which plagued their first half performance, compounded by a shattering lack of confidence after the early goal was conceded. Clearly, there is a lot to unpack here.
Now, I could just pick most of the team as standing out like a sore thumb in how atrociously they played both as a team and even individually, with mistakes from players like Abdul Fatawu and Wout Faes not helping the situation. However, an entirely negative hit piece on the whole team is probably unnecessary. So, let's explore two of the worst, and one bright spark (probably obvious).
Aaron Ramsey
To get the obvious one out of the way, goalscorer Aaron Ramsey. After coming on at half-time for Jordan James - a baffling decision to remove James and not Boubakary Soumare - the loanee showed for the second match in a row why we have him at the club.
Offensively, the player got us the only glimpse of hope Leicester had in the game. With a goal at the 67th minute giving the Foxes plenty of time to chase for the draw after a dreary first half outing by the East Midlands outfit. Add to this that he only had 18 touches, four of those being shots, and had an 83% passing accuracy, it is easy to illustrate why Ramsey is helpful.
Despite a lack of involvement due to systemic issues persistent in a fundamentally flawed structure and team lineup, Ramsey still managed to get Leicester City a chance. Where our strikers fail to convert, our midfielders and wingers typically do. Which is why the starting lineup was absolutely astounding.
Luke Thomas
I usually leap to the defence of the home-grown academy graduate Luke Thomas. However, I cannot do as such after this defensive surrender on the left flank. Thomas is partly responsible for one of the goals after failing to press, failing to close down, and failing to make the right defensive decision in the moment. It is not easy to be fair, but we expect quite a lot of a team now outside the top six.
The left-back made only two realistic challenges for the ball in the whole match. Now, this could reflect Hull's offensive capabilities on the wings, but it is also telling that the Foxes' local was simply not cut out to handle the sort of pressure he was under. Specifically, Hull City have two of the most explosive, high-octane, goalscoring wingers in the division, and Thomas was unable to keep one of them from cutting inside and scoring.
Aside from ceding possession a minimum of 14 times either directly or indirectly, the fullback also only made one successful cross. When we are looking for a natural left-footed left-back to make a well-timed cross from the left-flank to a well-positioned forward or attacking midfielder, an inability to land a cross or even remotely be creative on the overlap is a little concerning. Again, a weakness in Cifuentes' system is being exposed. Perhaps that is where an attacking fullback like Victor Kristiansen might perform better.
Jordan Ayew
Honestly I am sick to death with these strikers. Patson Daka's confidence remains in the bin and is unable to get on the scoresheet, while Julian Carranza sold us so much promise only to show a lack of positional awareness up front, and Ayew - despite technically being the highest scoring of them - just really is not cutting it.
Leicester City's experienced forward played 90 minutes of football. Across that entire span of time, the whole match, Ayew accumulated *checks notes* two shots, one successful cross out of six (as he was a winger in the first half), yet managed to cede possession 19 times. Granted, Ayew did have 55 touches this time, so certainly is more involved than others at least.
However, simply being involved does not make that involvement either quality or sensible on the part of the head coach. Jordan Ayew is not a winger in our system, and using him as one was as criminal as it was clinically insane. Jordan Ayew is not a striker in our system, and opting for him over Daka was just asking for another limp final third performance. We needed explosive energy, not lethargy upfront.
Marti Cifuentes needs to wake up and actually observe what is happening in that final third. When Ayew has the ball, the game slows down, and we seldom see any players in a position to maraud forward and take the initiative. We have explosive, pacy forwards available to suit the play style the Spaniard has developed, but the head coach seems to want to play unsuited players in unsuited positions playing an unsuited system.
Realistically, the next match needs to see Ramsey and Jeremy Monga (half-time subs) start the game, Thomas should be dropped, Faes should be dropped, Ricardo Pereira should always start, and Leicester City needs to look at that centre-forward role. Ayew is better behind a main striker, but when the Foxes lack that main striker who knows where the net is and what positions to get into, the forward can do little but pass the ball around. Jake Evans should start the next match.