JibrinGary Rowett laid into his players after witnessing his first home game in charge of Leicester City end in a demoralising 2-0 defeat.
That marked the Foxes’ fourth consecutive loss in front of their own supporters, and a golden chance squandered following encouraging away draws at Stoke and Middlesbrough. Second-half strikes from Anis Ben Slimane and Ali Ahmed handed Norwich a routine victory.
In truth, the visitors never looked remotely troubled — and it was Rowett who found himself increasingly frustrated by what unfolded before his eyes.
Speaking after the match, Rowett was composed but brutally honest about what he had witnessed: “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
