Russell Martin got to showcase his managerial skills at Leicester City for the initial time as they played their first non-friendly match of the 2026/27 season at King Power Stadium against visitors Northampton Town, whom LCFC beat in an earlier non-competitive fixture at their luxurious Seagrave Training Centre. Martin's maiden match as Foxes manager brought EFL Cup victory, and anything else would have been really questionable; a loss, for example, would have seen certain City fans already questioning the boss and potentially pulling what hair they have left out.
Though the win didn't come without its problems: Leicester had minimal touches inside the opponent's box, which is something Martin openly admitted he must work on. Meanwhile, a few striking positives were evident: new signings bedded in encouragingly, either generally or in starring roles; above 70 per cent possession really shows domination from the Leicestershire club.
This particular article will assess which of the starting 11, along with others including one or two substitutes, had a good game against the Cobblers. Not to mention which Leicester stars were ultimately unimpressive on the day.
Leicester City player appraisals vs Northampton Town
First of all, City fans will be absolutely delighted to hear that goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk is back in form. The Pole even rushed out to close down an opposition attacker, thwarting a possible goal for Northampton and subsequently making a separate impressive save.
Elsewhere in defence, Jaden Joseph at right back (who seems to have supplanted Bade Aluko already) had a fairly comfortable game. The former needs to work on his passing a bit, but still had some very good moments on the pitch.
Caleb Okoli received a satisfactory '7' rating from Leicester Mercury, although he could still make improvements to his overall play. While Harry Souttar was actually criticised slightly by the same outlet for trying a skill in his own box and taking too little care with certain passes, giving the opposition chances; the current Leicester captain earned praise for his imposing communication skills as well.
Luke Thomas is another player who struggled again; he has his moments of decent football, but this writer can see Christian McFarlane coming in as left back soon. Sammy Braybrooke and Oliver Skipp did about enough in the middle of the park, even if there is still plenty of room for both to dominate further.
Liam Cullen is finding his way in the side and looked dangerous whenever he got on the ball in the right areas. Although, the ex-Swansea City was arguably outshone by Leicester's Will Alves, who can create chances from any situation.
Tommy Watson showed glimpses of being a good signing when he came off the bench. However, Stephy Mavididi appears uninterested at times, and has now started to pick up criticism from fans for that very reason and his wastefulness in possession.
"Stephy MavididiLCFC Live
Frustrating and complicated. Mavididi always looks like he could cause the defender an issue, only to then show a lack of confidence to progress. He ot in-behind once but allowed Tyrese Fornah to
stop him from shooting. 5/10"
Bobby De Cordova-Reid has naturally been labelled 'not a striker'; he is someone who didn't perform exceptionally well in the match versus NTFC. Nonetheless it is said that the Jamaica international could still do a solid job in a support striker role.
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