Trying to remain optimistic as away woes continue for Foxes

A 2-1 loss away at Sunderland makes it seven games on the road for Leicester in the Premier League with just one point to show for it. There was just one change to the starting eleven, Islam Slimani in for Shinji Okazaki. It had the potential to be another miserable day away for the Foxes, the home side looking for a win to lift them off the foot of the table. For David Moyes’ side, it went exactly as they’d hoped.

Changes were hoped for after the Middlesbrough draw, but ultimately not delivered. It’s been evident that 4-4-2 isn’t working for us right now, not with our current personnel and no amount of switching the central midfield pairing has fixed that yet. Today felt like the last chance to keep trying the same tactics, with no result to show for it. Something has to give and I’m not inclined to say that should be Claudio Ranieri, it’s far too early for that level of panic. A different formation is key right now though, a change to ensure we’re best suiting our players.

Bringing in Slimani seemed like a good idea, we certainly needed him earlier than we got him against Middlesbrough, though not at the expense of Okazaki. Ideally, pairing them together may have been the best tactic for this game. Amazingly, our Japanese striker still has doubters and is still an easy scapegoat for some. How anybody could deny the lift and energy he brings Leicester is, is somewhat ridiculous. Perhaps he should have been introduced at half-time, because his presence automatically helped and he fully deserved the goal he got. He came on midway through the second half to replace Slimani, who’d not had the impact he usually does, though small moments between he and Riyad Mahrez were pleasant to watch again.

The change only came though when the Foxes were already 1-0 down. Yet another set piece was our downfall. Corners are particularly painful to see Leicester defend at the moment and while this one was slightly different, it was just as frustrating. Having lost his man, Robert Huth, couldn’t get out of the way of the ball headed at him. Ron Robert Zieler could do little with the sudden, quick change of direction. Yes, it wasn’t conceded in the opening moments of the match, but it felt familiar all the same.

The away side were fortunate things didn’t get instantly worse. Danny Simpson was lucky not to concede a penalty for a trailing leg on former loanee, Patrick Van Aanholt in the box. It was a lifeline, but not one that the Foxes ultimately capitalised on. Three changes were made in quick session, Ahmed Musa and Demarai Gray joining shortly after Okazaki to replace Mahrez and Marc Albrighton. Gray was the more effective of the pair, he to thank for setting up Okazaki’s goal. Again though, this came when we already had a mountain to climb, Jermaine Defoe having put Sunderland 2-0 up. In truth, with our current run of defending, you’d be forgiven for expecting him to have netted more.

The defence will come under scrutiny again, much in virtually all of our league games this season. It’s a largely unchanged back five, with the exception of Zieler deputising for Kasper Schmeichel. It’s our weakest area of the team for depth. We have little choice but to keep playing the same personnel each week. Wes Morgan was possibly the brightest of the four, never not trying to make something happen. He was slightly unlucky with the ball in the dying seconds, having not one, but two chances to try and equalise. It wasn’t going to be that kind of day again for Leicester though.

There’s been a lot of discussion of individual players not living up to the standards they set for themselves last year. It’s becoming frustrating now, because true as it may be, we didn’t win the league because of just one, or even two players. It was a collective effort, a unified force. Similarly this season, it’s been the collective eleven who aren’t delivering what they’re capable of, who aren’t playing as a tight knit unit. The record’s worn so thin about missing Kante, and it’s undeniable, but one piece of the puzzle having been removed doesn’t justify what we’re seeing right now.

Trying to stay positive as a Foxes fan right now, the team just two points off the bottom three, is slightly more challenging, admittedly. Particularly with some of the overreaction you can easily locate right now. It is still quite early on, we’ve got time and an upcoming transfer window on our side. Rewind twelve months, how many, and that’s fans too not just the media, gave us a true hope of seeing Wes Morgan lifting that trophy in May? Relegation is a concern if nothing is addressed or changed, but there’s no need to start plotting those Championship away days just yet.

I consider myself to be among the more patient, optimistic of Leicester fans. Rarely have I called for a manager’s head and I’ve never booed the side, no matter the loss, the performance or the distance travelled to witness it. Regardless of the instant post-match feelings, it’s about getting back into the stands the next game and supporting the the side again. Losing is part and parcel of football. It gives us perspective and makes victories, or things like last season, oh so much sweeter. Equally though, belief is a huge part of the game too. Believing that the tide will turn, that the manager and the players can turn things around.

In previous weeks, our focus would have already been on concentrating on the midweek Champions League game. Having qualified and topped our group though, it’s not as important. Yes, the club will want a victory, it’s extra money for a start and keeping a winning momentum is important. It feels like a great opportunity to really shake up our side and experiment with a change in tactics that we can apply to the Premier League.

Next up in the league for Leicester? Oh, just the small task of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City who, even without Sergio Aguero, are no easy side to beat.