Positives to take despite FA Cup exit - Kingpublished at 19:11 GMT 14 February
19:11 GMT 14 February
Media caption,
Andy King: 'The games are coming, whether we like it or not, we’ve got to front it up and take it in'
Leicester City interim head coach Andy King was keen to point out positives in his side's performance despite their exit from the FA Cup.
The Foxes were able to draw themselves level at St Mary's thanks to an Oliver Skipp overhead kick just after half-time but conceded in extra time to exit the competition.
"I'm pleased with the performance on the main and there were plenty of positives from the game," King said.
"We played four teenagers who I thought went about things reall well, they were very mature in their performance and stuck to the game plan which is how I wanted them to.
"But in key moments we have to be better, we have to be stronger with the challenge on the edge of the box with one minute to go before half time and then don't need to give the penalty away.
"We got oursleves back into the game and we just can't concede from a set play in added time but across the game I was pleased with the performance."
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Pick of the stats: Southampton v Leicester Citypublished at 11:21 GMT 13 February
11:21 GMT 13 February
These two sides know quite a lot about each other - with Tuesday's spectacular Championship victory for Southampton, coming from 3-0 down to win 4-3 at Leicester City, still fresh in the memory.
The Saints are going for a second treble over the Foxes, having also won both league games and an FA Cup tie in the 2007-2008 season.
This will be the eighth FA Cup tie between Southampton and Leicester City and first since the pair met at the semi-final stage in April 2021, with the Foxes winning 1-0 at Wembley that day before going on to lift the trophy with a final win over Chelsea.
Leicester City have faced Southampton twice before in the FA Cup fourth round, winning a reply 4-2 in January 1970 before losing 1-0 to the Saints at this stage in January 2006.
After losing their last home FA Cup game against Burnley 2-1 in January last year, Southampton will be hoping to avoid losing consecutive FA Cup games on home soil for the first time since January 2016.
Leicester have progressed from seven of their past nine FA Cup fourth-round ties since 2014-15 but did lose at this stage last season 2-1 against Manchester United. The Foxes were last eliminated at this stage in successive seasons in 2001-02 and 2002-03.
Leicester's Stephy Mavididi has scored in all three of his FA Cup appearances for the club, getting a goal and an assist in their 2-0 third-round win against Cheltenham this season.
Monga set for return but Vestergaard out for weekspublished at 16:58 GMT 12 February
16:58 GMT 12 February
Image source, Getty Images
Leicester City winger Jeremy Monga will be available for the Foxes' rematch against Southampton on Saturday (15:00 GMT) in the FA Cup. However, defender Jannik Vestergaard has been ruled out for four to six weeks.
Monga, 16, has returned to training after missing out on the 4-3 defeat to the Saints on Tuesday, while Vestergaard, 33, has not been present for the side's past three games.
Foxes caretaker boss Andy King confirmed after the loss to Southampton that the Denmark international was having surgery for a hernia.
"Jannik is going to be out for a while," King said during his media conference.
"It's a shame for us, he's played a lot for this season but apart from that we are OK [with new injuries]."
But with the FA Cup offering a "shop window" for players hoping to impress an incoming head coach, the 37-year-old is aiming to dispel the club's current run of poor form before a new face sits in the managerial seat.
He added: "It'll be almost a little bit different, without the pressure of the three points and our league position, but that doesn't take anything away from the importance of the game [against Southampton].
"We've not been on a run of good form and we need a win to try and change our momentum, we need a win to get the mood in the camp lifted."
🎧 Are Leicester lacking the necessary fight?published at 10:24 GMT 12 February
10:24 GMT 12 February
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Leicester City's 4-3 defeat to Southampton after conceding a 3-0 first-half lead has got many tongues wagging - but is it a surprise?
The 72+ team was joined by Millwall midfielder Massimo Luongo to discuss the Foxes' downfall on Tuesday night and the Australian expressed his doubts over the squad's current mentality.
"I think it's the end product of so many warning signs throughout the season," Luongo said.
"As soon as they got the six-point deduction, I thought 'are they the team to band together, to really fight it out, to work hard for each other?' - probably not.
"Are a lot of the individuals thinking 'I shouldn't be here, can I get a move?'... the result just sums that up.
"When it got a little bit tough, do you float or do you sink, and unfortunately, they just sank."
Foxes collapse 'completely unacceptable' - Kingpublished at 08:30 GMT 11 February
08:30 GMT 11 February
Media caption,
Andy King: 'Completely unacceptable'
Leicester City's interim boss Andy King told branded the Foxes capitulation against Southampton as "completely unacceptable" in his post-match interview with BBC Radio Leicester.
The East Midlands club were three goals up at half-time and leading 3-1 until the 81st minute, only to lose 4-3 in a sensational late collapse at the King Power Stadium.
"I want to start by apologising for that last half an hour. It was completely unacceptable," King said.
"Obviously, the feeling I have at the moment is sheer anger towards the performance. It will take a bit of time to process, I have to watch it back, see what happened but, yeah, passive and not good enough.
"Probably a lack of character, a lack of leadership, stuff we have said about before and it has been almost a pattern throughout the season where you do some good bits in good spells and then we almost have a spell of the game where we just go under.
"Like I say, I'm angry at the moment so I don't want to speak out of turn. I need to watch it back, I need to properly analyse it, I need a bit of time to reflect on it. Like I said, I fully apologise for it but that's all I'm sat with at the moment.
"You've seen today, probably, our season in a nutshell. You've seen some brilliant football, some goals, some really good stuff and then some stuff which is unacceptable and we have seen both sides of that today.
"Come out of another loss, some good stuff, but second half, last half an hour, from my point of view, like I keep saying, apologies. Completely unacceptable."
Pick of the stats: Leicester City v Southamptonpublished at 10:25 GMT 9 February
10:25 GMT 9 February
Leicester City and Southampton will put their opposing veins of form to the test when they meet at the King Power Stadium on Tuesday (19:45 GMT).
The Foxes have lost four of their past five Championship matches (D1) and a six point deduction means they only steer clear of the relegation zone on goal difference.
While Saints have won three of their past four (D1) and are now just four points shy of the play-off places.
Leicester City have won four of their last five home league games against Southampton (L1), winning 5-0 in April 2024 when the sides last met at the King Power Stadium in the Championship.
Southampton won 3-0 in the reverse fixture with Leicester City in November this season and could now complete a league double over the Foxes for the first time since the 2022-23 Premier League campaign – they last did so outside of the top-flight in 2007-08 in the Championship.
Leicester City have lost their last two home league games, last losing three in a row in the same Championship campaign in their final three home matches of the 2006-07 campaign under Nigel Worthington.
Southampton's 2-0 win at Stoke last month ended a run of six Championship away games without victory (D2 L4), and the Saints could win back-to-back league matches of the road for only the second time since the start of last season, previously doing so in November this season.
Leicester City are winless in each of their last 11 midweek league matches (Tue/Wed/Thu – D4 L7), since a 3-1 home win over West Ham in December 2024. Their last such win in the Championship was at home to Southampton in April 2024 (5-0).
'Leicester need to cut out self-inflicted errors'published at 10:07 GMT 9 February
10:07 GMT 9 February
Owain Gwynedd BBC Final Score reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Leicester are in real trouble and in a relegation battle.
What do they need to do to survive? Stop the self-inflicted errors and control the controllables.
Bobby De Cordova-Reid's red card, a second in as many games for a Leicester player, was totally unnecessary.
There was no danger in midfield, the challenge was unnecessary and if he'd stayed on his feet, the Foxes would have had 11 men for 90 minutes.
Birmingham's first goal came from Ricardo Pereira dawdling in possession.
Cut out those two errors and Leicester could easily have been leaving with something from the match, especially when they have players of the quality of Abdul Fatawu in the side, a match-winner with the ability to score screamers - he bagged a stunner at St Andrew's.
King says Leicester are shooting themselves in the footpublished at 18:25 GMT 7 February
18:25 GMT 7 February
Image source, Shutterstock
Image caption,
Leicester caretaker boss Andy King
Leicester caretaker manager Andy King says the Foxes must stop shooting themselves in the foot after they had a man sent off in the first half for the second successive game.
Bobby De Cordova-Reid was dismissed at 1-1 in Leicester's 2-1 defeat at Birmingham to King's huge frustration.
Leicester are only outside the Championship relegation zone on goal difference and King told BBC Radio Leicester: "We need to stop giving ourselves mountains to climb early in games. That's two games now where we've made it really, really difficult for ourselves.
"We came into the game feeling good, we had the game plan, we're all set and then we give ourselves a mountain to climb. We did that twice today. I thought the response from going behind really early was really good. I thought we worked our way into the game, got the goal back and we're thinking, 'right, here we go. This is a chance to show ourselves'.
"But then again we shoot ourselves in the foot, so, yeah, I'm disappointed.
"I thought the 10 who tried to come together as a team were good. I thought the way we responded from the first goal was good, but ultimately it's about points on the board and we didn't get them today."
'Foxes now in a true relegation scrap'published at 16:37 GMT 6 February
16:37 GMT 6 February
Owynn Palmer-Atkin BBC Radio Leicester's Foxes commentator
Image source, Getty Images
As Leicester City "consider their options" following their six-point deduction, many will be wondering what that means - and what comes next for their football club.
The deduction has now thrown the club into a true relegation scrap at the bottom of the second tier.
Leicester City, the EFL and the Premier League can all appeal the verdict from the independent comission should they wish to - with the Premier League initally wanting a 20-point deduction for the Foxes' breach of PSR/P&S Rules.
There are questions, once again, about the wording of the law in question of which the Foxes have been punished, which states it isn't intended for retrospective punishment.
So, is it better for Leicester City to accept the six-point deduction and accept their fate as a side battling for survival in the Championship, while knowing exactly where they stand? Or, do they appeal with the hope of having the deduction at least reduced, but potentially increased, while continuing to put uncertainty on their true position in the Championship?
It's a delicate situation, and one where they must proceed with caution.
'Silver lining is the uncertainty is over'published at 13:16 GMT 6 February
13:16 GMT 6 February
Jack Rafferty BBC Radio Leicester reporter
Image source, Shutterstock
After years of speculation and legal battles, Leicester City have finally been given the points deduction that had been looming for so long.
Given there were rumours suggesting the punishment could hit double figures, six points does not seem too bad in the end.
For a club that has insisted it is fighting for promotion back to the Premier League, a deduction of that size should be an inconvenience, a minor disruption in terms of their goals in the Championship.
And yet the Foxes now find themselves out of the relegation zone on goal difference alone.
Recent performances and results, including home defeats to Oxford and Charlton in the past two weeks, have been those of a team in freefall anyway, even without a six-point deduction.
The fans have been saying for weeks that the club is at risk of relegation to League One, something that is now reflected by the Championship table.
The silver lining is that the uncertainty is over. The team, the board, the incoming manager (whoever that might end up being) know exactly what they need to do to stay in the second tier.
Fans have been saying for months that they want this saga to be over, no matter the consequences.
And in the end, if the rumours of a potential deduction of 20 points were true, then you could argue that the six docked is a small win for the football club. But lessons need to be learned, fast.
The aim for this season is now clear - survival. Let's hope they're up for the fight.