‘Really Pleasing’ – McSweeney On U21s Progress

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‘Really Pleasing’ – McSweeney On U21s Progress

Leon McSweeney felt our Under-21s showed what our youngsters are capable of during the weekend’s 3-1 victory over Southampton.

2025-10-31T08:00+00:00

by Sam Jones

Published

31 Oct, 2025

‘Really Pleasing’ – McSweeney On U21s Progress

Leon McSweeney felt our Under-21s showed what our youngsters are capable of during the weekend’s 3-1 victory over Southampton.

Sam Jones

2025-10-31T08:00+00:00

‘Really Pleasing’ – McSweeney On U21s Progress

Leon McSweeney felt our Under-21s showed what our youngsters are capable of during the weekend’s 3-1 victory over Southampton.

Sam Jones

2025-10-31T08:00+00:00

‘Really Pleasing’ – McSweeney On U21s Progress

Leon McSweeney felt our Under-21s showed what our youngsters are capable of during the weekend’s 3-1 victory over Southampton.

Sam Jones

2025-10-31T08:00+00:00

‘Really Pleasing’ – McSweeney On U21s Progress

Leon McSweeney felt our Under-21s showed what our youngsters are capable of during the weekend’s 3-1 victory over Southampton.

Sam Jones

2025-10-31T08:00+00:00

City’s Under-21s beat Southampton 3-1 in Premier League 2 at the weekend
Logan Briggs, Olabade Aluko and Chris Popov all scored at LCFC Training Ground
Coach Leon McSweeney reflected on that result and recent performances
The young Foxes face Manchester City away on Friday night (7pm kick-off)

A first Premier League 2 success since the end of August, it was a result the performance deserved according to McSweeney, who watched on with pride as Logan Briggs, Olabade Aluko and Chris Popov all found the net at LCFC Training Ground.

“It was really pleasing,” the coach commented. “I thought we gave the best version of ourselves in all aspects of the game. In possession, we were really strong. That was best summed up by the second goal. We kept the ball for two-and-a-half minutes leading to Bade [Aluko] putting it in the back of the net. There was around 25 passes involved in that.

“Every aspect, from transition and out of possession to game management, which was a big factor in previous games where we haven’t come out on the right side of the result, we gave a complete and very mature performance in all aspects. It’s certainly something to build on moving forward.

“When they got it back to 3-1, the scars of the previous results are still there, so you’re never totally comfortable on the sideline, but it gave another opportunity for the guys to put into practice what we’ve been developing towards and learning from.

“It was disappointing to concede because, to a man, a clean sheet was totally deserved. I think we limited Southampton - a team that's been doing really well in the league and putting in some strong performances - to very little over the course of the 90 minutes.

“So for us to go towards toe-to-toe with them and really outclass them in every aspect of the game, I think is testament to what we have as a group.

“That's what they're capable of and it's about replicating that game on game going forward now. It’s the finer details of the game, that game management, key moments of the game. Can we manage them better in the context of the game as a whole to match the result?

“Overall we’ve had very consistent performances, which was backed up by the goals that we’ve scored.”

Two goals up against senior opposition in the National League Cup a few days earlier, hosts Forest Green Rovers came back to draw 2-2 in normal time at the New Lawn, before the Foxes youngsters triumphed 5-3 on penalties to claim an extra bonus point in the group stage of the competition.

“I think, going into that game, we wanted the mentality to be a First Team mentality,” the 42-year-old continued. “What we're asking the players to do is to really take those duels personally.

“To take a real commitment to winning your attacking and defence duels as an individual, but also then helping your team-mate out and making sure that they're not left alone in those duels.

“And I thought it was a real team performance at Forest Green, which is what we were chasing before, that diligence to dig in when we needed to, particularly in the second half when we were put under a lot of pressure.

“Some of the football we played, particularly in the first half, we should have been further ahead going into the break - we missed some chances. I think it's just simmering nicely to almost a complete package. We probably, in terms of team selection, have been mixing and matching quite a lot, building relationships in certain areas of pitch.

“And hopefully, based on the last couple of performances, we're starting to see a bit of that relationship building and come into fruition and leading to good connections on the pitch, which results in good attacking situations. Hopefully that's a taste of things to come.”

The games are coming thick and fast across different competitions but consecutive PL2 games this week, with a trip to Manchester City awaiting on Friday night, provide an opportunity to build on the momentum from beating the Saints in Seagrave.

McSweeney added: “The Premier League 2 games have been spaced out in recent weeks either side of the cup competitions, but it gives us back-to-back focus on the league and a really good game to go into on the back of the performance that we've just put in against Southampton.

“We'll go there full of confidence, knowing that we can hurt any team in in the division. But it's about focusing on the details and approaching the game with a 90-minute mentality.

“For large parts of the season, we've outplayed teams for 70 minutes and the scoreboard would reflect that and then we have just taken, for whatever reason, our foot off the gas, whether it’s lack of focus, lack of concentration, thinking that the job is done and that's what football does.

“It kicks you when you least expect it. We have to guard against that, learn from those moments that we've been punished for in the past and then keep building towards that consistency of performance and pushing these guys to being senior ready.”

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