Leicester City boss Marti Cifuentes has revealed what was said at the interval during his side’s 2-2 draw at Bristol City.
The Foxes appear to have picked up a bit of momentum recently, recording three wins and a draw in their last six outings. While this isn’t spectacular, it’s certainly an improvement on the barren run they endured earlier.
Before the 2-1 victory over Norwich in early November, Leicester had managed just one win since late August, a slump that dented their promotion ambitions and increased pressure on Cifuentes.
Their recent uptick in form — combined with the unresolved outcome of their legal dispute with the Premier League — has bought the Spaniard some breathing room, and those at the King Power will hope Leicester can begin climbing back up the table in the weeks ahead.
Marti Cifuentes reveals his half-time message at Bristol City:
Leicester looked poised to add another three points last time out after taking a two-goal advantage into the break at Ashton Gate.
Goals from Jordan Ayew and Bobby Reid put the Foxes in a strong position and on course for an impressive win against stubborn opponents.
However, Leicester couldn’t preserve that cushion for long, with Mark Sykes replying almost immediately after the restart. Emil Riis struck seven minutes from time to level, erasing Leicester’s lead and meaning the spoils were shared.
Although the display represented progress compared to some of Leicester’s earlier performances this season, supporters were understandably frustrated that the team allowed the advantage to slip.
After that collapse following the interval, Cifuentes explained what he told his squad at half-time via the club’s website.
“I think the first half was really, really good,” stated the Leicester manager. “We created chances, we exploited the space that they left, and it was definitely a very good first 45 minutes.
“Obviously, the second goal helped us to get an even bigger advantage, and then we spoke at half-time about the need to keep pushing, to make sure we could score the third one.
“Then, probably, the game would be over, but it’s unfortunate that after just one minute, the development of the second half changed. I think we panicked a little bit, we dropped too much, and credit to Bristol in the second half, they did so well.”
“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.”
Lessons for Cifuentes to take from Bristol City:
Had Leicester held on to win at Bristol City, they would have been sitting on 30 points from 20 matches — just one point outside the play-off positions.
Considering how much the Foxes struggled during September and October, that would have been a very encouraging place to head into the busy festive period.
But conceding twice after the break meant Leicester squandered that opportunity, and it’s a mistake Cifuentes must scrutinise.
If the Spaniard genuinely believes his side can finish in the top six, he cannot afford to drop points from commanding positions. He must dissect what went wrong at Ashton Gate and ensure the same problems don’t reoccur.