Balague hasn’t been afraid of critics despite disappointment

Sports journalist Guillem Balague has called on Leicester City’s supporters to back the team amid a difficult spell, taking to X to share his views.

The Foxes suffered another poor defeat last night, with their 1-0 loss against Plymouth Argyle placing them in a vulnerable position.

If they win their remaining four games of the 2023/24 campaign, they will guarantee themselves automatic promotion at the end of the campaign.

But following back-to-back defeats against Millwall and Plymouth, the chances of them winning all four matches seem to be slim.

They showed plenty of promise in their build-up play at Home Park last night, but the final ball was often lacking and when it wasn’t, chances failed to be converted.

Patson Daka had a couple of big opportunities last night that he failed to take – and the pressure on him has been ramped up – with manager Enzo Maresca also receiving plenty of criticism.

Having been in poor form recently, Leicester are no longer the clear favourites to secure promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, with Ipswich Town and Leeds United in the mix.

However, the one positive that can be taken, from a Leicester point of view, is the fact that they are still in the mix despite their major wobble in recent months.

Guillem Balague’s verdict amid Leicester City struggles

There was a lot of criticism of Leicester and Maresca after yesterday and that’s understandable, with fans fearing that their club will miss out on an automatic promotion place.

But Balague has been more sympathetic to the Foxes, posting on X: “What I see from #LCFC [Leicester City]: a team tired, chances missed, possession that needs more penetration, a new manager looking for solutions, most fans knowing they are needed more than in any part of the season.

“It is easy to be a fan when the team wins, what do you do when they are not in a good place and your energy is required?

“#LCFC are top of the table.”

Leicester City’s supporters have every right to be upset

There are plenty of reasons why Leicester’s fans are entitled to feel upset.

They may be at the top end of the division, but they had such a huge lead at the top of the table and have somehow blown it, having previously been full of confidence.

Maresca’s alleged stubbornness is another thing that has upset fans.

The Italian seems determined to give Daka more and more chances, but the forward has failed to deliver in recent times and should probably be left on the bench at the moment.

With the calibre of players they have, they should be in a much better position and Maresca’s failure to adapt and start the right players is a source of frustration for many fans.

Anything other than automatic promotion is unacceptable and if they don’t achieve this aim, Maresca should probably be relieved of his duties at the end of the campaign.