After a few poor and surprising outcomes, which followed inconsistent performances, some Leicester City fans have started to lose faith in the club’s latest head coach, Marti Cifuentes. I must confess, I didn’t anticipate this situation unfolding this season.
Even though the squad is talented and capable enough to secure promotion from the Championship back to the Premier League this term, they are not behaving like one of the division’s leading contenders. Not in the slightest.
At times — in certain matches and brief spells — the East Midlands side look composed and convincing. Yet, those moments are scarce. While several issues are apparent, I don’t believe the overall picture is quite as grim as some supporters and pundits make it out to be.
For instance, a victory at Millwall on Saturday could elevate the King Power side back into third place. That would also mean potentially overtaking the high-flying Lions in the process.
If LCFC had just one consistent and clinical striker, they’d probably be sitting comfortably in the automatic promotion spots. So, in fairness, Cifuentes isn’t performing disastrously when you consider everything — including his shortened pre-season and late transfer dealings.
However, the former Queens Park Rangers boss has seemingly made a few firm choices within the squad. Here are three Leicester players who appear to have landed in the Catalan coach’s bad books after only 11 matches.
Foxes in the doghouse at Leicester City:
Ben Nelson:
To begin with, Nelson clearly hasn’t caught Cifuentes’ eye since his appointment. Many among the Blue Army expected this season to be the centre-back’s big breakthrough — it hasn’t happened.
Perhaps a minor injury is behind Nelson’s lack of involvement, but it seems more likely that he’s simply fallen out of favour.
Oliver Skipp:
Skipp is next on the list. Honestly — what a misuse of up to £25 million (including add-ons). Cifuentes initially appreciated what he saw from the ex-Tottenham Hotspur midfielder, but like the rest of us, he’s now realised the Englishman isn’t the right fit.
Skipp quickly squandered that initial chance and has since been confined to Leicester’s bench — an expensive and unproductive backup option.
Stephy Mavididi:
I could have picked a few others here. Luke Thomas, for example, may soon find himself in Cifuentes’ metaphorical doghouse, while Hamza Choudhury has been oddly deployed out of position.
Still, the winger has endured a rough campaign so far. Mavididi seems almost weighed down by his own disappointing Premier League form from last season.
The 27-year-old has produced no goals or assists in 2025/26 and was recently dropped from the starting XI before fitness problems also arose.