JibrinGary Rowett did not hold back in his assessment of his players’ effort, making his displeasure clear after witnessing his first home game in charge of Leicester City end in a 2-0 defeat.
The result marked the Foxes’ fourth consecutive loss on their own turf, and a golden chance slipped away following positive away draws at Stoke and Middlesbrough, as second-half goals from Anis Ben Slimane and Ali Ahmed handed Norwich a routine victory.
In truth, the visitors never appeared troubled, and it was Rowett who was left frustrated by what he saw unfolding in front of him.
Speaking after the game, Rowett was composed but openly critical of the display: “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
