Russell Martin's Leicester City Adaptation Gains Momentum
Leicester City manager Russell Martin is hopeful that his team will begin to understand how he wants them to play after some "scary" moments in the Carabao Cup win over Northampton Town. The Foxes progressed to the second round thanks to Caleb Okoli's first-half winner.
What Happened?
Inside 40 seconds, Northampton were handed a huge opportunity when Harry Souttar played the ball straight to the feet of Harvey Saunders, who squandered the chance. Towards the end of the game, the away side applied pressure and forced City to be less smooth in possession. Okoli, Souttar, and Oliver Skipp all conceded possession under pressure, but Northampton lacked the quality to capitalise.
Why It Matters for Leicester City
Martin acknowledged that there will be mistakes as his team adapts to his system, but insisted that City are going to need the fanbase behind them this season. He said: "We're going to need the supporters and that's what they've done in a few scary moments with how we start the game and the end, which we will sort out. They were brilliant."
What Comes Next?
Martin added: "There's a lot to change and navigating change can be quite messy. Everyone at the club so far, the players, the coaches, and the staff are really navigating brilliantly. I think the fans have been brilliant. I don't follow any social media stuff, maybe they had a preconceived idea of what we would have been when we came in, but hopefully they can feel that we're all in on this and that we're excited about it."
Current Context
Leicester City are currently 23rd in the Championship, with 46 points from 46 games, and are 49 points behind leaders Coventry. They have scored 58 goals and conceded 68 this season, with a goal difference of -10.
Martin's Message to Fans
Martin is hopeful that the fans will understand his team's style of play in time. He said: "We'll give everybody the energy that we've got and ultimately the team wants to perform in a way that makes them feel connected and feel proud. Then we have to win, but we'll do that in a certain way that's like us and will look like that. Hopefully they'll understand that in time. So far, they've been great."
Russell Martin's Track Record
Martin arrived at the club after two of the worst-performing seasons in the club's recent history, and his appointment was greeted with a mixed reception by supporters. Asked if he was surprised by how well the fanbase had taken to him, he said: "I don't know. Contrary to popular belief I've actually been okay with fans wherever I've been, apart from one club. I can't speak about last year. I went into Southampton, no-one wanted me to have that job and then we had a brilliant season, the connection was amazing with fans. When I went to Swansea from MK Dons, I'm pretty sure no-one wanted me to have that job and the fans, by the end, were amazing. We had some amazing days and I felt so connected to that club, same as Southampton. At MK, the way they embraced me as a manager, fantastic. It's been the same here. Hopefully, the people that I work with will tell you I'm very different from what you guys or some people make out in the press. I'll be myself, the fans have been amazing and the staff have been amazing. If we can keep creating some energy around what we're doing, which I feel from the players in the training ground in particular, if we can build that it'll be powerful.
