A Professional Performance, Says Albrighton

- Leicester City beat Burton Albion in the Carabao Cup First Round
- Kelechi Iheanacho and Wilfred Ndidi scored in 2-0 win at Pirelli Stadium
- The Foxes will face Tranmere Rovers in the next round of the cup
- Marc Albrighton says City are learning a lot under new manager Enzo Maresca

The Foxes got their 2023/24 campaign off to a good start when they beat local rivals Coventry City 2-0 on the opening day of the Championship, thanks to two goals from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. It's a win that was then followed up in positive fashion as City gained safe passage to the second round of the Carabao Cup.

Unfamiliar with kicking off their cup competitions so early in the season, Leicester were not fazed by the test of facing League 1 outfit Burton, as first-half goals from Kelechi Iheanacho and Wilfred Ndidi guided them to a tie with Tranmere Rovers later this month.

“It is pleasing to get the win," Albrighton stated after the cup match at Pirelli Stadium. "That is obviously the most important thing in football, so I think the performance was strong as well, it was very controlled and very professional. We can be proud of ourselves tonight.

“There’s a reason it’s on TV. Everyone expects an upset. In the past, we’ve been part of those upsets where we’ve gone out to lower league opposition. So it’s good to learn from things like that. Tonight we got the goals early on and managed the game well.”

Albrighton earned his first start of the new campaign, having spent the second half of last season on loan to fellow-Championship side West Bromwich Albion. Back in Leicester, the experienced winger is getting to grips with Enzo Maresca's brand of football, and was full of praise for the Italian.

He continued: “Not only on matchdays but day in, day out, on the training pitch as well, he gets his ideas across. He’s very thorough in what he does, he’s very detailed and what he puts across to us, he simplifies it, so we haven’t got as much information to digest.

“We’re working very hard whether that’s in meetings, learning, or whether that’s on the training pitch. It’s a breath of fresh air to have these new ideas and the lads have bought into it. It’s exciting for the future and for this season especially.

“The football side of it is very different. He’s got a real way of playing and he’s learnt that over many years and he’s studied the game and studied what he wants from his team, so he’s now got the opportunity as a manager to implement that.

“And he’s brought some staff with him that have been brilliant since he’s come in so the lads are excited and it’s very good to be coming in and learning.”

A Fox for nine years, the Filbert Way favourite registered an assist during Wednesday's cup victory, but stated how happy he was to see young players be given the chance to show their worth, as City prepare for a long season ahead of them.

Goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk was handed his competitive debut for the Foxes, while Wanya Marcal-Madivadua earned his first senior start and Kasey McAteer made another cameo following his appearance on Sunday.

“They are players that have been with us now for a few years, in and around the first team in training," the 33-year-old explained. "To see them get their chance on the first team stage, Kasey at the weekend, I thought he was very good, he gave a really good account of himself and he should be proud of that performance.

“Wanya again tonight he looked a threat, he looked exciting. So I think we’ve still got other young lads in the squad as well, so hopefully they’ll get their chance this year, but it’s a good balance we’ve got, with young players and senior pros, so it’s exciting times.”