‘Another Important Challenge’ – Cifuentes Assesses Southampton

Next Match | Tuesday 21 April Tue 21 Apr

HUL

(H)

02 D

11 H

14 M

06 S

Interviews & Features

Heritage

Photos

‘Another Important Challenge’ – Cifuentes Assesses Southampton

Martí Cifuentes believes we are entering a potentially defining period of the season as he prepares to take his Leicester City side to Southampton.

2025-11-25T08:15+00:00

by Sam Jones

Published

25 Nov, 2025

‘Another Important Challenge’ – Cifuentes Assesses Southampton

Martí Cifuentes believes we are entering a potentially defining period of the season as he prepares to take his Leicester City side to Southampton.

Sam Jones

2025-11-25T08:15+00:00

‘Another Important Challenge’ – Cifuentes Assesses Southampton

Martí Cifuentes believes we are entering a potentially defining period of the season as he prepares to take his Leicester City side to Southampton.

Sam Jones

2025-11-25T08:15+00:00

‘Another Important Challenge’ – Cifuentes Assesses Southampton

Martí Cifuentes believes we are entering a potentially defining period of the season as he prepares to take his Leicester City side to Southampton.

Sam Jones

2025-11-25T08:15+00:00

‘Another Important Challenge’ – Cifuentes Assesses Southampton

Martí Cifuentes believes we are entering a potentially defining period of the season as he prepares to take his Leicester City side to Southampton.

Sam Jones

2025-11-25T08:15+00:00

The Foxes, off the back of recording consecutive Sky Bet Championship wins for just the second time this term, head to St. Mary’s Stadium on Tuesday evening (8pm GMT kick-off), with live coverage available on Foxes Hub.

Ahead of facing Tonda Eckert’s Saints, Cifuentes discussed the importance of backing up victory at Norwich City by collecting another three points against Stoke City at the weekend, as well as why there must be continual improvements in all areas.

‘Important to win’

Embracing goalscorer Daka at full-time on Filbert Way.

The 2-1 triumph over high-flying Stoke on Saturday moved us within one point of the play-offs positions and Cifuentes acknowledged the manner of the success, battling hard to come away with maximum points in front of the Blue Army.

Speaking to the media, the Spaniard reflected: “I’m pleased with the win because it’s important to get back-to-back wins and important to win at home again because we played against a very good Stoke team who are doing really well at the start of the season and have good players and a good manager.

“After an important moment when we scored the second goal just before half-time, we spoke at the break about the need to try and chase the third goal. But at the start of the second half we conceded a goal and that changed the development of everything a little bit.

“The nature of the Championship is that sometimes you need to grind it out, especially the way it developed. One of the key things to succeed is togetherness.

“In that sense, I know how much the fans can make a difference to build a great atmosphere when we play at home or away. That’s why I’m so pleased that in awful weather, 29,000 [fans], I’m happy to deliver them the three points.”

‘Good momentum’

The man at the helm for Southampton following Will Still's departure.

Southampton also enter this fixture in promising form, having dispatched Charlton Athletic 5-1 away from home, under the interim management of Tonda Eckert. Sitting 16th, City’s Manager believes they are currently in a false position in the table and that Leicester will be fully aware of their qualities come Tuesday night.

“We know that we now enter into a period in the season which will perhaps define where we are until the next international break,” he continued. “It’s very important that we get a good momentum. Having said that, I know how this league works and we’ll take it game-by-game, one at a time.

“We have another important challenge on Tuesday, so we need to recover quick and be ready for it to go again. Again, it’s going to be a very difficult game away against a team who are in a good moment.

“It’s a team who got an impressive win away [at Charlton] at a difficult pitch. They will be full of confidence now and we’re going to need to match this part.

“I think that when you analyse the start of the three clubs who got relegated last season, you need to understand that the teams promoted from League 1 get the momentum and actually, in the beginning of the season, it does not surprise that much.

“While for those teams who got relegated, sometimes to change the trend and the mood a little bit, it takes some time, but that is the quality in this squad. It’s true that they have been through a difficult start and that’s the reason why a good manager is not there anymore, but credit to the new manager that they are doing so well and getting good results.”

'Push together'

Watching on in training on Monday.

Providing perspective on City’s own current position, Cifuentes says everyone is working hard on and off the pitch to create the right environment to succeed and the last three matches provide evidence of that effort.

The 43-year-old explained: “The main thing for me, which I’ve been saying for the last four months since I came here, in terms of the culture changes is that we need to really work hard for each other. I’m pleased to see the players doing that.

“The most important [thing] is the mentality to accept where we are and take small steps to push together. Even though there are some moments in games where things are not working our way, everybody works for each other and that’s the foundation of being a competitive team.

“We need to understand that sometimes we have to be humble enough in the Championship to bring it out. You cannot underestimate this league because it’s a beast of a league and it’s relentless.

“The guys have really understood well in the last three games that it’s the foundation of what is needed to get results. We need to stay very humble and think that there are a lot of things in our performances that we need to improve, as always. We’re going to take it one game at a time.

“It’s important to not get carried away just because we have got two wins in a row and seven points from the last nine, against Boro, who are second in the table and Stoke, who are third. That’s not my nature anyway as a manager.

“We’re very aware that we’re in a transition moment. My job is to go through this period in the best way I can. I’ve said from day one what we want to achieve here is building an identity for the Club, on and off the pitch, which can help us to sustain the success that we are looking for.

“I’m ambitious and I’m in a place where there are high ambitions and the fans are demanding, I love that. I’m aware of the size of the Club and that it comes with pressure. I like the pressure and we need to be at the level that it deserves.

“But it is not the ‘final’ or the end of the world in November. We need to go step by step and that’s the kind of mindset that we’re trying to install in the players. We need to look at ourselves and what went wrong lately, when we haven’t been as good as we would have liked to be.”

LATEST HEADLINES

U18s Lose Out To Norwich Norwich City claimed all three points in Saturday's U18 Premier League South clash at LCFC Training Ground.

15 Hours 45 Mins Ago

City Fall To Defeat At Fratton Park Portsmouth came away with a 1-0 success over Leicester City in Saturday’s crunch Sky Bet Championship clash at Fratton Park.

18 Hours Ago

Team News: Portsmouth vs. Leicester City Here’s how the Foxes line up for this afternoon’s clash with Portsmouth (12:30pm BST kick-off).

21 Hours 15 Mins Ago

'We Have To Be Determined' – Rowett On Portsmouth Battle A clinical edge is required from his Leicester City side during this weekend’s crucial encounter with Portsmouth, according to Gary Rowett.

23 Hours 30 Mins Ago