Gary Rowett had to do a late change to his team, replacing Asmir Begovic with Jacub Stolarczyk. Begovic getting injured in the warm up just minutes before kick-off. He had also done one other change, starting Abdul Fatawu instead of Stephy Mavididi.
Bobby De Cordova-Reid kept his place out wide, but was moved to the opposite side. Things looked balanced and well organized from the start. As expected, Leicester had any major possession or advantage against an aggressive Norwich side. The Canaries were on the front foot and had no fear in their play whatsoever.
Both teams came out in a 4-3-3 system. Both also playing with two lower laying midfielders. Double pivot is the modern useless word for it. Playing Bobby De Cordova-Reid provides a more defensive setup than using an attacking wide player. This was evident in the match.
Harry Winks had a good shot being blocked by the goalkeeper early on. This was Leicester’s best chance in the game.
Oliver Skipp and Harry Winks never got the control they needed in midfield. They were not able to set the pace and dynamics in the Leicester team. Norwich stressed Leicester and made it look fragile at times. However, the first half ended without major chances for Leicester, and without many chances for the opponent.
Norwich looked more aggressive from start second half. Gary Rowett decided to replace Bobby De Cordova-Reid with Stephy Mavididi in the 57th minute. Norwich making substitutions in the 62nd. Then just 6 minutes later, in the 68th minute, sub Anis Ben Slimane scored. It was a great roll up in front of the Leicester penalty area.
We’re beaten at home.#LEINOR | @BCGame pic.twitter.com/vRbByIphMq
— Leicester City (@LCFC) February 28, 2026
Just minutes earlier Jacub Stolarczyk had made a great save. He had a good game. This shot from the edge of the penalty area was impossible to save. It was well placed down on the floor at the left goal post.
Sadly, Stephy Mavididi had no influence on the result. Leicester looked even more fragile without Bobby De Cordova-Reid to help defensively. Norwich actually had more power in their play, running more and covering more ground. They also got more from their subs. With their run of form they looked more confident in all areas.
Ali Ahmed scored Norwich’s second in the 78th minute. It was an easy goal. The Leicester defense was opened up with several moves inside the penalty box. Leicester players were falling on the floor and were in wrong areas. Caleb Okoli had to leave the field just minutes before. This showed how vital he is for this team at the moment.
Lamaal Lascelles was a good player in the past and still is. However, his match fitness is not at the level it should be. He struggles with his placement and movement against quicker teams. This showed today and also in that fatal match vs. Southampton when being 3-0 up and losing 4-3. Lascelles entered the field when Leicester were 3-1 up. He had a nightmare end to that game. He was in the heart of the defence but could not control or organize the situation properly.
Leicester gave minutes to Jordan James and Jordan Ayew late in the game, without any contribution at all from those two. Jordan Ayew is not a player to bring on when you are chasing goals in the end of the game. He will never be able to do much on his own. Jordan James was back in action, but today looking misplaced and not in contact with much.
We had a feeling this would be very difficult. However, what we did see was a performance that must have shocked Leicester fans. Jeremy Monga was not present today. He has some freshness. Sadly, Gary Rowett does not see his talent in situations like this.
The reason for the loss today was simple. Norwich manager Philippe Clement looks to have managed to get his team going. They looked very well organized. The team has players on the bench who can be game changers. They also have confidence in what they are doing.
Leicester are playing Ipswich next. This time away. Hopefully, we will see some sort of momentum. However, at the moment, we can’t see any form of improvement. The major positive is that more players are back from injury. Gary Rowett and his coaching staff will hopefully have time to figure out how to start winning football games.
- Positives
- Jacub Stolarczyk made a number of crucial saves and shows he can be trusted
- First half looked controlled and especially defensively it was better
- Caleb Okoli was our best player yesterday, hopefully he can progress further
- Jordan James back in action
- Negatives
- Harry Winks and Oliver Skipp not being able to control the midfield
- Divine Mukasa had no influence at all, looked tired
- Ben Nelson looks to have a difficult time, doing simple errors and often misplaced
- Gary Rowett looks far from answers at this point, having more players back can help
- Playing Jordan Ayew instead of Joe Aribo or Jeremy Monga, not possible
- The team looks tired and without the power needed to win games
- Fatawu needs to step up, his performances needs to improve
Line Up:
Stolarczyk 6, Pereira 4, Okoli 7, Nelson 3, Thomas 4, Mukasa 4, Winks 5, Skipp 3, Daka 3, De Cordova-Reid 5, Fatawu 4, Subs: Lascelles, James, Mavididi, Ayew
- Leicester City, Man of the Match
- Caleb Okoli
Match Stats (H/A)
- Possession: 54 / 46
- Shots on Target: 3 / 8
- Corners: 5 / 7
- Fouls: 8 / 8
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