Beaglehole: The Win Will Come

The Under-21s put in yet another battling display but a late spot kick, converted by Liam Agnew in the 87th minute, downed the Young Foxes at the Stadium of Light on Monday evening.
Speaking exclusively to Foxes Player after the loss, Beaglehole said: “It was a difficult game. They always have competitive players with the ball. They’re a hard-working group who we’ve played against a lot of times.
“They had first team experience in there with the goalkeeper Costel Pantimilion and Danny Graham so we expected a really hard game.
“They came out of the blocks and came at us and made it very difficult.
“We lined up with three centre backs but we had to change it – we were getting pulled about so we went to a back four.
“We gradually got into the game and rode our luck a little bit to be fair and we were fortunate to go in at half time at 0-0.
“Ben Chilwell paid the price for the tactical decision. He’s been away with England Under-19s and I felt he looked a little bit jaded, but that’s what happens, it’s part of his development.
“I thought the team grew into the game in the second half – I thought we rode the storm and started to create things.
“We had some good chances second half and didn’t capitalise on it.”
City tested former Manchester City shot-stopper Pantimilion on a number of occasions, with Kris Scott and Jack Barmby going closest to netting.
Beaglehole continued: “It looked like it was going to be a nil-nil – I’m sure everybody in the ground thought that.
“The lads are gutted because I would have been satisfied with that.
“It’s a defeat and we desperately need to get a win but that’s football, it’ll come.
“I said to them that if you battle like that for each other, you’re going to start winning games – as a group I thought they gave everything.”
His youngsters face Manchester City in their next Premier League outing at King Power Stadium on Monday 27 October.
Expecting another tough test, Beaglehole added: “They’ll [Manchester City] have players that are even better technically than some of the players that have played today.
“Maybe not as aggressive and hard-working, possibly, so it’s a different test – they’ll have clever players, no doubt about that.
“We’ll possibly have a stronger side out with more experienced players in there that need a game so the balance changes.
“As they’ve [Sunderland] have shown tonight, if you can get one or two senior players in the team, like we did against Chelsea, with the right attitude they can make a big difference to the development of the young players.”