Petty: Foxes Youngsters Are Getting Stronger

- Ben Petty has previewed the Development Squad’s fixture with Liverpool
- The Foxes’ Under-23s tackle the Reds in a 2pm kick-off on Sunday
- City’s coach says the team have moved on from defeat to Tottenham quickly
- He has seen signs of progression leading into their next Premier League 2 clash

City travel to Liverpool Academy for Sunday’s 2pm kick-off occupying 10th position in the PL2 standings following a home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, but Petty has backed the young Foxes to recover quickly from that disappointment.

Confident that the players are making progress as they continue to develop and learn, he has welcomed the opportunity to move straight into preparing for the trip to Merseyside, analysing the key areas that could prove crucial come Sunday.

“I think as a group we all felt that the Spurs result was a little bit harsh,” Leicester Under-23s coach revealed. “We didn’t take our chances and one or two of the goals were unfortunate, but maybe when we concede the first goal, we then just need to manage the game a little bit better and maybe go a little bit longer for five or 10 minutes and kill the game.

“But the performances are getting better, they are getting stronger and we’re looking forward to the next game. We haven’t got too much time now before Sunday, so it’s fantastic because it’s a quick turnaround.

“Liverpool are a very high pressing team. Again, like quite a few teams in this league, they have kept the group together for a number of years and they are a little bit older than us, so again we have to face that physical challenge.

“We’ve worked on things on the training ground to combat that and I think it’s a game that we’re relishing and one that we want to win.”

Petty hopes to gather positive results from the final three fixtures in 2021 as the Foxes meet Leeds United in December before hosting Blackburn Rovers.

There was also some positive news on the injury front, with centre-back Sam Hughes in contention to play a part against Liverpool after returning from injury.

“It’s three really tough games before Christmas,” City’s Under-23s coach outlined. “It’ll give us a good indication of where we are after that. I feel as though we’re making good strides and we’re a couple of wins away from having a really successful first half of the season.

“With so many young players playing and with the style of play, there’s been a big transitional period with the Under-23s. I’ve been very positive with the players because I think that they are buying into everything that we are trying to do.

“There’s some players here that will hopefully kick on and play in the first team at some point. The group is looking strong.

“Sam Hughes might play some minutes after a long-term injury, so we’ll see how he comes through training in the next couple of days, but we’re in a good place.”

All times GMT.