Lee Grant ‘proud as punch' as Huddersfield's young guns help to sink Leicester
'We're asking the players to trust what's put in front of them and to trust and believe in themselves.
'What they have as principles will give them an opportunity to beat a really good team, even against a really good team.'
Leicester boss Marti Cifuentes said: 'The feeling is disappointment because we came here to try to go through and didn't manage it.
'I'm not happy with the performance. Huddersfield did a really good job and congratulations to them, they really showed a lot of energy and desire.
'When you play a team in the division below you, they have a mental edge because they have nothing to lose.
'We started the game poorly and needed to be more aggressive in attack. To go ahead twice and then concede, we should have done better with that. After taking the lead you need to be more dominant than ever.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
9 minutes ago
- Metro
Man Utd's bid to hijack Liverpool signing revealed with medical taking place
Liverpool are on the brink of signing defender Giovanni Leoni from Parma despite a late move from Manchester United. The 18-year-old centre-half is set to compete a £26million move to Anfield and will now travel to Merseyside to agree personal terms and undergo a medical. Having made major additions elsewhere in the team, Liverpool are desperate to strengthen their backline before the summer transfer window closes with Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi also targeted. Liverpool were among a host of clubs interested in signing Leoni, who has emerged as one of the brightest young defenders in Italy. Both Inter Milan and AC Milan were keen to keep him in Serie A with The Times reporting United also showed late interest in signing him. Metro's new weekly football newsletter: In The Mixer. Exclusive analysis, FPL tips and transfer talk sent straight to your inbox every Friday – sign up, it's an open goal. Newcastle United were also keen but Leoni swiftly made the decision to join Liverpool where he will line up alongside a player he has described as his inspiration in Virgil van Dijk. Leoni will join van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez as Arne Slot's options at the back, effectively replacing Jarell Quansah in the squad after his £35m move to Bayer Leverkusen. The Premier League champions have also opened talks with Crystal Palace over a move for Guehi. Palace value the England international at £35million given he has just one year left on his contract at Selhurst Park. While Guehi wants to join Liverpool, he is also prepared to see out the remaining 12 months of his contract in south east London before making the switch next summer. More Trending Liverpool remain in talks with Palace, hoping to close the gap in valuation. The addition of Leoni will take Liverpool's spending to above £300m this summer, comfortably the biggest outlay in the Premier League. Florian Wirtz (£116m), Hugo Ekitike (£79m), Milos Kerkez (£40m) and Jeremie Frimpong (£29m) have all arrived on Merseyside this summer. Liverpool are also still hopeful of signing Alexander Isak from Newcastle United with the Swede adamant he will not play for the Magpies again. MORE: Man Utd star branded the 'worst signing in the club's history' ahead of Arsenal clash MORE: Wayne Rooney sends message to Liverpool over Alexander Isak transfer MORE: Chelsea hit stumbling block in bid to sign Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United
The Independent
9 minutes ago
- The Independent
Why Liverpool have chosen Parma sensation Giovanni Leoni as Virgil van Dijk's successor
The concept of 'winning' a transfer window more often than not boils down to how many players a team has signed. That being said, Liverpool could make a genuine claim to the crown with their summer business. Losing Trent Alexander-Arnold hurt, though to do so for £10m in order for the right-back to participate in the Club World Cup softened the blow of a potential free exit. Nevertheless, Jeremie Frimpong is a fine successor at Anfield, the Dutchman willing to barrel upfield without a second's hesitation to help stretch defences. Milos Kerkez, even at 21 years of age, is a Premier League experienced left-back that should, in the long term, prove an upgrade on Andy Robertson. Florian Wirtz is the marquee capture from Bayer Leverkusen, while Hugo Ekitike is a fine pick up from Eintracht Frankfurt. While not yet the finished product, the Frenchman bolsters Liverpool's frontline. And even then, the Merseyside giants are looking to strengthen further in attack as they continue to push for Newcastle's Alexander Isak. Clearly, Liverpool are not content with just the Premier League title. That being said, they remain a little top heavy. Another central midfielder would probably be welcomed but the elephant in the room is at the heart of the defence. Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate make one of the best centre-back partnerships in the division, yet the former turned 34 a little over a month ago and the latter is out of contract next summer. Real Madrid, like they were with Trent, are sniffing around the Frenchman and would face competition from PSG in the race for his services. The sale of Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen limits Slot's centre-back options further. And yet with less than three weeks to go until deadline day, Liverpool are finally making their moves in the market in a bid to future-proof their backline. Marc Guehi has been on Liverpool's radar with the champions long linked with a move for the Crystal Palace captain. A Premier League experienced centre-back who has drawn widespread adulation for his showings for both club and country, it's no wonder that Guehi has emerged as a serious target for Arne Slot's side. But it's the news of a move for Parma teenager Giovanni Leoni that has raised eyebrows among supporters, with the Italian set for a move to Anfield. Leoni may not be a household name on these shores, but Liverpool's push for the 18-year-old Parma defender shouldn't come as a surprise. As former Parma manager Cristian Chivu prioritised a 'defence first' gameplan for the Serie A side last season, an approach that had the desired effect as they successfully beat the drop by five points, Leoni still showcased all the qualities of a modern-day centre-back. Standing at 6ft 5in, Leoni returned a solid 63 per cent aerial success rate. In addition, he managed a modest 4.6 clearances per 90 in his debut Serie A season, pointing to a proactive approach to defending for a Parma side that returned the fourth lowest possession average (44.2 per cent) in the division. Chivu's side, who at times operated in a three-man backline, were happy to sit back and soak up pressure before hitting opponents on the break, and this saw them score the sixth most counter-attacking goals in the division. What will have caught the eye will have been Leoni's qualities on the ball. Even in a Parma side that largely operated on the backfoot, the Italian, who is comfortable with both feet, averaged 46.3 passes per 90, the third most of those to have made more than 10 appearances for Parma in Serie A last season, while an 88.7 per cent pass success rate was also third using the same parameters. In a team designed to line up in a low block, this was a commendable return and one that'll only improve in a side that dominates in the same vein as Liverpool. That's not to say Leoni is the finished product – he came close to committing as many fouls (11) as he made tackles (14) in the 2024/25 Serie A campaign – and his limited minutes at senior level means there is only a small sample size to work with. What's more, Slot asks plenty of his centre-backs with Van Dijk (79) and Konate (66.5) ranking first and second, respectively, for passes per 90 for Liverpool last season. The towering Dutchman, meanwhile, finished the campaign second for accurate long balls per 90 (4.2), a significant rise in Leoni's one per 90 in Italy's top tier last term. Leoni, though, showed plenty of promise in his maiden Serie A campaign not only in his on-ball ability but his off-the-ball work too. He wasn't overawed by the occasion having comfortably dealt with powerhouse strikers Romelu Lukaku and Dusan Vlahovic, showcasing his impressive upper body strength that will only develop as he grows. The future of Liverpool's defence is in very capable hands.
Daily Mirror
9 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Sergio Aguero picks Premier League top four and names five Player of Year candidates
Sergio Aguero has backed Manchester City to become Premier League champions ahead of Liverpool and is eyeing one of their leading lights to pick up individual accolades Sergio Aguero believes former club Manchester City will return to the summit of English football and claim the Premier League title as he backed Phil Foden to get back to his best and compete to be the Player of the Year. Pep Guardiola's side endured an off year last time out and, for the first time since the Catalan's debut season, finished outside the top two. They've invested in the likes of Rayan Cherki as they look to refresh their squad with Kevin De Bruyne moving on. Aguero believes they can now return to the top having previously won six titles in seven seasons before Liverpool dethroned them last term. The Argentine believes the Reds will be part of the top four, but stopped short of picking a specific order. He has though backed Arsenal and Chelsea to also finish in the Champions League spots. The City icon believes Foden could prove key to City's efforts. The playmaker struggled for form last season, as did several of their key players, but the academy graduate has previously shown himself to be among the elite performers. Two years ago it was Foden who spearheaded City's ascent to another title and Aguero insists he can get back to that level, but will face competition for individual accolades from the likes of Cole Palmer. When quizzed on who could be up for the PFA Player of the Year award he told Stake: "I'd like Foden to win Player of the Year again. I've mentioned Phil but there's also (Alexis) Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez, Cole Palmer or Declan Rice. They are sure to stand out and have a shot at the accolade." City have seen several of their players claim the award during Guardiola's tenure - De Bruyne and Erling Haaland also among them. Aguero is hopeful that the Norwegian can reclaim the Golden Boot he missed out on for the first time last year. After scoring 90 times in his first two seasons and topping the goal charts both times the City frontman was outgunned by Mohamed Salah. However Aguero hopes that a strong season for Haaland in front of goals means the title will head back to Manchester. He said: "I'd like Haaland to win awards because that means he's sure to have a scored a lot for City. Salah's name should be brought up when we talk about the Golden Boot, same with (Alexander) Isak. And players arriving to the Premier League with a massive tally like (Viktor) Gyokeres at Arsenal have a chance to shake things up." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
