We Didn’t Capitalise On Good Momentum, Says Barradell
- Leicester City’s Under-18s beaten 4-1 by Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday
- Spurs scored two goals in either half to secure victory at LCFC Training Ground
- Olabade Aluko netted the only City goal in the U18 Premier League match
- Up next for the young Foxes is a Premier League Cup match against Stoke City
City have had a mixed start to the U18 Premier League, collecting 12 points from their opening nine games in the Southern Division, but most recently fell to a defeat at the hands of Tottenham, who sit at the summit with 21 points.
Goals in either half for the London side confirmed defeat for Leicester, and Barradell admits it wasn't a strong enough performance from the hosts, considering the level of opponent they were facing.
“It was a disappointing performance,” the coach told LCFC.com. “In the first half I think we needed to show a bit more flexibility, in terms of tactics, especially early on and we had to change shape at half-time to try and counteract what Tottenham were doing.
“It was probably one of the most disappointing performances of the season really, in terms of mentality, and that’s something we’ll need to rectify heading into the next game.
“But in the second half, the boys rallied, and I thought for the first 20 minutes, we really caused Spurs problems, and it was disappointing to concede those last two goals, because we could’ve done better with them as a group.”
An improved second-half display, that was kickstarted with a goal from Olabade Aluko, was pleasing to see for the coach, but he went on to say how individual errors led to their downfall, but that it is something that can happen in youth football.
“We brought on a couple of under-16s, and unfortunately, we made an error which led to Spurs’ third goal,” he continued. “We didn’t capitalise on the good momentum we had when we went to 2-1.
“Although we were defeated, there were some good performances on the pitch, including Mirsad Ali and Olabade [Aluko], who went to wing-back in the second half and posed a good challenge.
“We’ll bounce back, but it’s important we go into games with the right mindset, and we didn’t do that last time out.
“We’ve been competitive this season and we knew it would be a tough game for Tottenham, so we need to dust ourselves down to go again. Even though they are top of the league, we’ve got enough quality to compete with anyone in the league.”
City now face two matches in the Premier League Cup, first of all this Friday when they make the short trip to Stoke City, but are confident of getting a result, with a strong squad looking to travel for the group stage game.
“Confidence is still high,” Barradell stated. “We’re in a good place in the Premier League Cup going into Friday and with two cup games coming up now, it’s important we look to bounce back and progress from the group.
“With there being no Under-21s fixture, it will be a good chance to take a strong squad to Stoke and look to put on a real strong performance in that game.”