Leicester City were outfought and outperformed by Notts County in a 1-1 draw on the opening day of the League One season, a result that exposed the harsh reality of life in the third tier and the club's uncertain state both on and off the pitch.
Slapstick defending and an undeserved lead
Russell Martin's desire to play out from the back provided a fragile foundation for a dispiriting performance. Within six minutes, Ollie Cooper charged down the ponderous Alex McCarthy, with the ball bouncing back off the crossbar. McCarthy and the confused centre-back pairing of Caleb Okoli and Harry Souttar repeatedly gave the ball away in and around the penalty area, creating their own problems. Things went so badly that a compilation of their slapstick defending quickly gained traction on social media.
Jayden Joseph gave Leicester an undeserved lead, but it did not ignite an improvement. They inevitably conceded an equaliser through further ineptitude at the back, as no one reacted quickly enough to a dangerous situation, allowing the unmarked Conor Grant to pounce in the six-yard box.
Learning curve and anxiety
With most of the sell-out crowd of 17,172 celebrating their own uplift, Leicester struggled to cope with the intensity. "We've got loads of learning to do and we'll be better for that, much better," Martin said. "A bit of anxiety crept in, the atmosphere changed in the stadium, and that's the biggest learning for us," he added. "If we don't look after each other with the ball, like we didn't towards the end, then it doesn't suit us."
This was the first league meeting between the clubs since 1994, with County back at this level for the first time since 2014-15. Leicester fans made the short trip, showing displeasure at the ownership that has overseen the slide.
Off-pitch uncertainty and young silver lining
The uncertainty among the Leicester defence was in tune with the club's overall situation. A sale brochure has been created to market the club for a takeover, but Martin has not received word that Leicester are officially for sale, despite reports of the owner, King Power, wanting more than £200m. For comparison, County train at the local university and their most expensive summer signing was £200,000.
Among the misery, the silver lining is that dropping down the pyramid opens up opportunities for young players. Will Alves, Joseph and Sammy Braybrooke started and looked the most adept in difficult circumstances. "I said to people it's not going to be easy," Martin said. "The first day of the season, we get some crazy results. This was not an easy fixture on Sky; early kick-off; a team that got promoted last year, just down the road. We take it and we move on. And we have to improve next week."
Leicester cannot assume previous success will mean either promotion or a quick sale. It is a club in a state of flux, lacking certainty on and off the pitch. If they hoped the trip to Meadow Lane would be the start of the uplift, they were sorely misguided.
