After a point away to Wrexham, we had hopes for all three points today. Moving Hamza Choudhury into midfield and Louis Page replaced injured Oliver Skipp and Jordan James. That is a downgrade, but still hopes to get the best of both.
Ricardo Pereira was also back in the line-up. The rest of the team was the same from Wrexham. Hamza Choudhury never really came to terms with the job he was set to do, Louis Page did the most of his chance and was Leicester’s best player on the pitch.
The start became a nightmare against a side laying in the relegation zone. They fight for their lives to get out of that position and they had a fight on their hand. They were rewarded after 4 minutes, scoring from a set piece as Leicester players were out muscled in one to one battles.
Leicester were one goal behind, but with most of the game left, we believed it would be a chance to turn this around. A very defensive and clever Oxford unit, kept Leicester away from their penalty area, making it very difficult with a nine man block in front of their goalkeeper.
Defeat on Filbert Way.#LEIOXU | @BCGame pic.twitter.com/uvuQo5FAFZ
— Leicester City (@LCFC) January 24, 2026
Leicester were 1-0 down at half time and it looked a major climb. Marti Cifuentes made one change for the second half, taking off Ben Nelson and replace him with Luke Thomas. The agony of this is the vision of the manager, playing Ben Nelson as a left back, and then call for your first choice again, when you feel this is failing.
The rotation of this football team is something of the strangest I have seen since starting supporting this football club back in 1972. There seems to be no plan A. not a plan B or any type of structure or system at all. The two wide players Fatawu and Mavididi are closed down by the opponent with two players on them constantly. Then you have other choices to use and not play one to one short passes towards your flanks.
Leicester were chasing to get a goal, but when that looked difficult early on second half. Marti Cifuentes decided to make a bold move and played a strange system, bringing on Jeremy Monga and Patson Daka, taking off Hamza Choudhury and Jordan Ayew.
It made a positive, but also risky, as a break from Oxford in the 71st minute did see Mark Harris getting alone up front and could pass Jacub Stolarczyk and put the ball in the net. A great counter attack from Oxford and a well planned movement.
Leicester then managed to come back with a nice goal scored by Abdul Fatawu from inside the penalty area. This made it possible to try to at least get a point. Jannik Vestergaard went up front, but the distribution towards him was awful. This looks frustrating and difficult. Leicester looks out of it at the moment, missing of course Jordan James a lot.
Still need to look forward, but to believe in Marti Cifuentes at the moment, after this horror performance, can be very difficult. Next up is Charlton.
- Positives
- Abdul Fatawu with a nice strike
- Playing all subs
- Louis Page man of the match
- Negatives
- Not having strength enough to win the one to one battles
- Taking Louis Page off the field
- Letting in two sloppy goals
- No answers in how to break down a block of Oxford players
- Too many important players absent
Line Up:
Stolarczyk 4, Pereira 4, Vestergaard 5, Okoli 4, Nelson 4, De Cordova Reid 3, Choudhury 2, Page 6, Ayew 2, Mavididi 3, Fatawu 5, Subs: Thomas L 5, Thomas S, Monga, Daka, Soumare
- Leicester City, Man of the Match
- Louis Page
Match Stats (H/A)
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