A new low
With no disrespect to their opponents on Saturday, Leicester’s poor season is reflected in the fact that they went into the game with a similar record over the last five games to Oxford (won, 2, drawn 1 and lost 2 compared to 1,2,2). Overall, though, the U’s were a sizeable 14 points behind the Foxes, second bottom of the Championship with only crisis club Sheffield Wednesday below them. In the last two matches, however, they have managed to achieve something that has eluded City for 22 games: Keep a clean sheet.
On paper, then, it was a game that Leicester ought to have won, even with injury problems which, as predicted, meant that both Oliver Skipp and Jordan James were absent. Not a bit of it. Oxford took the lead after sloppy defending allowed defender Sam Long to score with a tap-in. Oxford’s lead could have been doubled when a headed ‘goal’, again from a corner, was disallowed for pushing. The Foxes offered little going forward.
In the second half, Oxford were content to sit back and soak up pressure, hitting Leicester on the break when they could. Still, the Foxes never really looked like scoring. On 71 minutes, a quick break out saw two U’s players free on the half way line and the ball was threaded through to Mark Harris who rounded Jakub Stolarczk to score the second. Only then did City come to life and a trademark Abdul Fatawu goal after 84 minutes briefly kindled hopes of a comeback. But it never materialised.
At the final whistle, a frustrated Leicester team clashed with Oxford players and the disturbance continued near the players’ tunnel. A sad end to a sad day for the Foxes representing a new low. Many of the problems evident all season were present. The build up was too slow, there were too many backward and sideway passes, too many passes went astray, too many battles were lost. The defence looked vulnerable, particularly to set plays (that's now 23 league games without a clean sheet). Both wingers worked hard but there were no real targets to aim at. I think we know by now that Jordan Ayew is not a goal-scoring central striker and Patson Daka is simply not good enough.
Shaky keeper
Since returning from injury, Jakub Stolarczk has struggled to reproduce the form that has made him the club’s number one keeper following the sale of Mads Hermansen to West Ham in the summer. He has looked vulnerable when coming for crosses and his distribution has been sub-standard. Against Oxford, both of these flaws were in evidence, and the Blue Army’s frustration at his mistakes boiled over at times.
One option is to turn to 38-year-old Asmir Begovic. Another is to target a signing this month. It is no real surprise that Leicester have been linked with out of favour Sunderland man Anthony Patterson although it seems they will have competition from both Southampton and QPR.
Surely he can’t survive this?
When the second Oxford goal went in, Leicester fans in the Kop joined in with the Oxford chant aimed at the Foxes’ boss: ‘You’re getting sacked in the morning’. This remains a possibility. Marti Cifuentes now has one of the worst win records of any recent City boss, and in the second tier too. It may be significant that Top was at the game, his first for a while. He would have heard the reaction to the defeat. Whether finances allow this to happen is another matter but, surely, there is now a strong case for replacing Marti Cifuentes. Other candidates, two previous managers of Southampton for instance, wait in the wings.