Leicester City's Muted Reaction to Last-Minute Goal Amidst Transfer Emergency

Talking points from the 1-1 draw with Wrexham, looking at Jannik Vestergaard's last-minute equaliser, emotions, Ben Nelson at left-back, midfield injuries, and more The joy has been sucked out of Leicester City, so much so that even a last-minute equaliser could not spark a celebration. The reaction to Jannik Vestergaard’s 90th-minute goal at Wrexham was so muted that there were question marks over whether it had even counted. Had the referee’s whistle gone unheard by the crowd? Was there a foul? Was it offside? No, it was simply that City didn’t seem pleased to score. Vestergaard himself looked drained of any happiness. Watch any City player as the ball hits the net and it’s difficult to spot even a hint of a smile. JOIN US ON FACEBOOK!Latest Leicester City news, analysis and more via our LCFC Facebook page So what were they feeling? Maybe it was anger. This is a squad mostly made up of players who joined the club in the Premier League and expect to be playing there, or at least competing to get back there. Instead, they’re a mid-table Championship side scrambling for a point against another mid-table Championship side. Perhaps it was apathy. There’s a disillusionment among the supporters with the way the club is being run, and it’s an emotion that could be taken on by the players. The line from the manager is that the potential points deduction doesn’t impact the players. But maybe it does. It might be difficult to be positive about earning points when they could be stripped away because of the disorganisation of those in charge. Perhaps it was embarrassment. City had 30 minutes to reply after Lewis O’Brien opened the scoring and yet they did not manage a single shot until Vestergaard found the net. They barely even got close to Wrexham’s box until that last-minute set-piece. So maybe there were twinges of shame and guilt that they’d scored such an undeserved equaliser. Marti Cifuentes did say that the goal did not change that they were “disappointed” by the performance, but he did feel City played well in the first half. That seems generous. City had the single good chance in the opening 45 minutes, and they didn’t concede many openings to Wrexham, but really it was a turgid half of football from both sides. City fans certainly weren’t satisfied with it, chanting “attack, attack, attack” during one moment of halfway-line keep-ball. In the second half, it wasn’t necessarily that Wrexham created a hatful of chances, but all of the play up to Vestergaard’s equaliser was in their favour, bar one City counter. Perhaps it was a cocktail of all of the emotions mentioned above that prompted such a restrained reaction to the goal. But whatever the feeling, it should not be the case that a club is in such a dire mood that a last-minute equaliser can’t spark joy. Player emotions point to Cifuentes or recruitment Emotions were also at the centre of Cifuentes’ post-match press conference. He said that City let their frustration get the better of them after they conceded, and it stopped them from producing the right response. There’s a balance to strike. A team of robots is no good, but neither is a team that drops their heads and loses their way when they concede, especially when they’ve conceded in their last 22 straight Championship matches. This is not the first time that Cifuentes has brought up the emotions or mentality of the squad. He’s acknowledged it’s something that’s affected City all season. But in that case, it only reflects worse on him as manager. It’s his task to swing the mood, to get the players mentally and emotionally ready. It’s as big a part of management as organising the tactics of a game. Is this a recognition from Cifuentes that he’s unable to get the players in the right frame of mind? Or is that the other issues around the club are so overwhelming that his attempts to prepare the squad are pointless? Maybe it is the make-up of the squad and that City have recruited too many players who struggle to manage their emotions. Cifuentes was adamant last week that any players arriving this month would need to “have the right personality for what we need at the moment”. The ultimate solution, of course, is that City stop conceding. They can’t have a negative reaction to the ball hitting their net if they cut it out completely. But since September, they’ve found that impossible. Nelson at left-back is best, but temporary solution The revolving door at left-back saw Ben Nelson take up the position on Tuesday night. Luke Thomas was dropped after a difficult evening at Sheffield United and replaced by Hamza Choudhury, who then didn’t cover himself in glory against West Brom. Thomas returned against Coventry, but was partly at fault for the winning goal. So it was Nelson’s turn in what is an unusual role for the centre-back. His selection felt specifically like a response to Thomas’s error at Coventry, with Cifuentes wanting greater strength in dealing with back-post crosses. “He’s capable to do it,” Cifuentes said, explaining Nelson’s position. “We felt Wrexham, playing with this system with two wing-backs, especially when they play with Kieffer Moore, it’s a team that will cross a lot and will put a lot of bodies from wing-back to wing-back in the box, so it was important for us to have the capacity to defend the back post. “Plus, when we’re building up, we do three plus two, where the right-back inverts and the left-back comes inside. Ben is very capable at this, in fact it’s probably one of his best positions in the build-up. I think he did really well.” But the question remains over whether City need a new left-back. If Cifuentes is losing confidence in Thomas, if Bade Aluko is seen as a right-back and if Victor Kristiansen is injured, then Nelson will have to play there, but that means all of City’s fit centre-backs are then in the starting line-up. When asked if he wanted a new left-back, Cifuentes said: “My job is to try to develop all of the players who are here but at the same time as a club we need to always look at how we can improve, if the right opportunity comes or if the right player is there. “Victor has been injured for a while. Unfortunately, it’s been many months since he competed frequently, so it’s something we’re aware of.” For now, Nelson at left-back with Caleb Okoli and Vestergaard inside seems the best solution. But it also feels like a temporary one. James injury would prompt transfer emergency The problem with looking for a left-back signing is that City desperately need a striker, while the necessity for a forward-thinking midfielder may have reached new heights too. If Jordan James is out for any amount of time, that may become their new transfer priority. They’re already missing Aaron Ramsey and now James may too have a hamstring problem. With the Welshman out, City would not only be missing their best performer and best midfielder, but their biggest goal threat too. It’s close to becoming an emergency. If no midfielder arrives or even in the meantime, Cifuentes may now have to show a little more faith in Louis Page. The manager is giving the 17-year-old plenty of opportunities in big moments off the bench, but given he’s passing all of those tests, now may be the time to start him. Since the turn of the year, he’s shown a composure on the ball to restore control to City’s play and carry it out of tight spaces. He’s shown an eye for a pass to set up chances. And on Tuesday, he read play well to make interceptions when the game became stretched. He is inexperienced and mistakes will be made, but it’s hard to say he doesn’t deserve an opportunity to start. Lowest points after 28 games since relegation It’s not just that City will be six points off the play-offs, the biggest the gap has been all season, if either Stoke or Watford win on Wednesday night. That figure in itself is not insurmountable. But with a potential points deduction heading their way, and with the way they’re performing – City rank 22nd for expected goal difference this season – it feels like this season, if it ever becomes something more than a mid-table battle, is more likely to be a relegation battle than a promotion push. In fact, a tally of 38 points from the first 28 games is the lowest City have managed in a Championship season since 2007-08, when they did go down to League One. They had 31 points after 28 matches that term. A points deduction could take City below that amount.