JibrinGary Rowett tore into his players over their lacklustre work-rate after watching his first home game at the Leicester City helm end in a dispiriting 2-0 defeat.
That result extended the Foxes’ miserable run to four straight losses in front of their own supporters — a golden opportunity blown following those hard-fought away draws at Stoke and Middlesbrough. Second-half strikes from Anis Ben Slimane and Ali Ahmed handed Norwich a thoroughly deserved victory.
In truth, the Canaries cruised through the contest without ever breaking a sweat, while Rowett was left seething on the sidelines at what he was witnessing.
Match Insights:
Leicester mustered just two shots on target all afternoon and looked bereft of ideas going forward. Norwich, by contrast, carved through the home defence at will, registering 14 attempts and dominating possession in dangerous areas. The Foxes’ high line was exposed repeatedly, with Ben Slimane and Ahmed finding oceans of space behind the full-backs. The King Power Stadium faithful made their feelings clear at full-time, with a chorus of boos ringing out — the atmosphere now turning toxic as the promotion dream slowly unravels.
Speaking after the match, Rowett was composed but deeply frustrated by what had unfolded: “I said to them there is a way to lose a game of football and that is certainly not the way we want to lose.
“I think on the back of two really encouraging and promising away performances in the way that we went about it and then today I just felt flat from the start, if I’m being honest. It was really disappointing.
“Whether that comes off the back of a big week with two away journeys, I don’t know. Whether that comes off the back of a little bit of maybe nervousness and a little bit of trepidation at home sometimes.
“But it felt like we were waiting for the game to happen and I think that was a frustration.
“There was never a period where I felt as though we were working hard enough on and off the ball to create moments and create pressure on Norwich.
“I thought at times we dealt OK tactically with what was going on, but one long ball, they win the header, they land on a second, and they pin us back in.
“The moments where you’ve got to do the basics of the game to stay in games of football or win games of football, when you haven’t kept a clean sheet for 29 games, that shows you that’s been a challenge for us and the two goals really are symptomatic.
“I think the first one, it’s around the edge of the box, we’ve got bodies, we allow him to come inside, take a big touch inside, get a clear shot around the edge of the box when we should close down.
“The second one is a cross in the box. OK, they work a 2 v 1 with a free kick, but it’s a cross in the box and we have a really easy opportunity to clear it, and it’s a nervous clearance, it drops down and then they end up scoring.
“Those bits are hard to change quickly, the players need to also take that responsibility and deal with those moments, but that’s been an Achilles’ Heel for the team and I think that’s probably created this feeling around the place that it’s just felt a little bit nervy and edgy.”
Jibrin
