‘Always Special For Our Fans’ - Cifuentes On Coventry Clash

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‘Always Special For Our Fans’ - Cifuentes On Coventry Clash

Martí Cifuentes wants his players to ‘go the extra mile’ in the pursuit of three points during this weekend’s M69 derby.

2025-09-20T08:20+01:00

by Sam Jones

Published

20 Sep, 2025

‘Always Special For Our Fans’ - Cifuentes On Coventry Clash

Martí Cifuentes wants his players to ‘go the extra mile’ in the pursuit of three points during this weekend’s M69 derby.

Sam Jones

2025-09-20T08:20+01:00

‘Always Special For Our Fans’ - Cifuentes On Coventry Clash

Martí Cifuentes wants his players to ‘go the extra mile’ in the pursuit of three points during this weekend’s M69 derby.

Sam Jones

2025-09-20T08:20+01:00

‘Always Special For Our Fans’ - Cifuentes On Coventry Clash

Martí Cifuentes wants his players to ‘go the extra mile’ in the pursuit of three points during this weekend’s M69 derby.

Sam Jones

2025-09-20T08:20+01:00

‘Always Special For Our Fans’ - Cifuentes On Coventry Clash

Martí Cifuentes wants his players to ‘go the extra mile’ in the pursuit of three points during this weekend’s M69 derby.

Sam Jones

2025-09-20T08:20+01:00

Coventry City head to King Power Stadium on Saturday for the first meeting between the sides on Filbert Way since Leicester triumphed in the 23/24 season opener. The Sky Blues got their revenge in the reverse fixture, however, with the Foxes keen to regain bragging rights on home soil this time around.

Ahead of the 12:30pm BST kick-off, Cifuentes fielded questions from the media during Friday’s pre-match press conference, including what he expects from one of the most anticipated games in the calendar.

‘The passion, the feelings, the emotion’

Preparation work in Seagrave.

Our Manager’s first taste of the M69 derby awaits this Saturday lunchtime and the Spaniard says he’ll ensure everyone is up for the battle against Frank Lampard’s side, having previously experienced some fierce rivalries in his home city of Barcelona and across Europe during his managerial career.

Keen to lean into the energy from the supporters, the intense atmosphere is likely to affect the tempo of the game, he believes.

“I’m especially aware about the last years and how it has been,” Cifuentes said on facing Coventry. “For us, the most important thing is that we play at home. I enjoy when the atmosphere is really strong and I expect that our fans will be great in that sense tomorrow to help us to get the three points.

“There is no doubt that winning derbies is always special for our fans, for ourselves, and that means that everybody is ready to go the extra mile tomorrow. I enjoy the competition and I’m looking forward to experiencing this first one, but especially to get the three points.

“I know it’s always special to play these derbies. In every country it is special. Growing up in Barcelona, Espanyol is the local derby and then El Clasico is a big game as well.

“I also had the opportunity in Sweden to manage games for Hammarby against Djurgårdens and against AIK, the three big teams in Stockholm. It was a special atmosphere, sometimes in front of 45,000 spectators, so big games.

“Football, in the end, is always about that. The passion, the feelings, the emotions of the fans create these kind of special games and hopefully tomorrow it is going to be one of those.

“We are all in, in all the games. The fact that it’s a derby creates an extra good feeling afterwards, if you manage to get the three points, for our fans and for ourselves, there is no doubt about it. I believe that emotions are part of the game. It’s not an exception when it’s a derby.

“I learnt that, in English football, emotions are very important and have a big influence in the development of the games. One of the main things for me is that, in England, at 90 minutes you can be leading 2-0 and the game is still not over. You really need to be aware that every small detail can change the mood in the stands a little bit.”

‘Important to dominate’

Coventry drew 2-2 at Oxford United in their last away fixture.

Assessing both teams’ starts to the season, Cifuentes knows he will be facing a well-coached side who are yet to taste defeat in the league, sitting just one point behind the Foxes at this early stage of the Sky Bet Championship campaign, with plenty of room for development evident within his own squad.

“We feel that it is a great opportunity for us to keep growing and to keep improving, because there are many things that we want to improve every week,” the former QPR Manager commented.

“Definitely we are going to play against a team who are doing well, a good team. They are good at what they have been doing over the last year. Since [Frank] Lampard took over, they have been really stable and it’s a good squad.

“They have their own strengths but what is important is that we are dominant through our own way, through our philosophy. The fact that I see the team training with the belief that is there, despite it being far from perfect, the start encourages me to believe that there is still more to get from this group of players.

“Tomorrow is a good test to see where we are against good opposition, but especially to play with the idea that I ask my players to do. It doesn’t matter what the result is, we will have the same approach to the game.

“Sometimes it’s as basic as putting the ball on the ground and trying to play quickly and attack. And if we lose the ball, try and regain it as quickly as possible. That’s the main summary.

“There is always a mix. Players are human beings and will feel the atmosphere at the same time as everybody else. I think the most important thing is that we start the game and play with personality.”

‘Good news for the Club’

Thomas in training, fresh from signing his new contract.

Academy graduate Luke Thomas signed a new four-year contract this week which would extend the defender’s association with the Foxes past two decades, and Cifuentes, pleased with his contributions to date, expects the full-back to play a significant role this season.

“I’m happy for him,” the 43-year-old expressed. “I think it’s good news for the Club. First of all, he’s a guy who is a Leicester Academy player. He knows what it means and he really cares for the Club.

“Secondly, and most important, is that since I’ve been here, he’s been doing really well. I would say, in the few months we have been together, he is already progressing to what I want from him.

“He has been very good and one of our best players in terms of performances every weekend and I’m sure that there is more [to come] from him so I’m ready to hopefully help him to be even better. He is going to be important.”

Further forward, meanwhile, Cifuentes will look at all the options available to fill the void behind the striker, with Aaron Ramsey suspended for the next three fixtures due to his red card against Oxford United, and Louis Page having missed the trip to Kassam Stadium due to a hamstring issue.

Bobby De Cordova-Reid, on the other hand, who made his first appearance of 25/26 at Oxford, is now back in contention.

“It always depends a little bit on how we see the week, how we think we can hurt the opposition the most,” he said, discussing the profile of player he wants for the no.10 role. “In this position there are usually players that are comfortable in possession, can get into the box and help us to get continuity in our possession phase, but can also attack and assist.

“There are different players in the squad who can definitely do this. One option is to play Bobby [De Cordova-Reid]. All the midfielders have done it before, JJ (Jordan James), Louis [Page].

“Another option is to play with more of a no.9 a little bit lower in the pitch, Jordan [Ayew] can do this job and has done it in the second half of some games. The important thing is that we have different possibilities.”

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