![\"Marti](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0_GettyImages-2253698976.jpg\")
Marti Cifuentes after Leicester City’s 3-1 defeat to Sheffield United on New Year’s Day(Image: Plumb Images\/Leicester City FC via Getty Images)<\/p>\nThe Leicester City manager gives his thoughts on the 3-1 loss to Sheffield United, the club’s first New Year’s Day defeat since 2008<\/p>\n
20:50, 01 Jan 2026Updated 20:54, 01 Jan 2026<\/p>\n
Marti Cifuentes after Leicester City’s 3-1 defeat to Sheffield United on New Year’s Day(Image: Plumb Images\/Leicester City FC via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Marti Cifuentes made an appeal for Leicester City reinforcements after a dismal start to the new year at Sheffield United.<\/p>\n
City<\/a> were well beaten by the Blades, Cifuentes admitting the hosts were better in nearly every aspect of the game<\/a> and that his side failed to match their energy and made too many mistakes defensively and in possession.<\/p>\n When asked how those mistakes can be eradicated, Cifuentes brought up the transfer window, which is now open.<\/p>\n \u201cWe keep training, we keep pushing,\u201d Cifuentes said. \u201cWe are in a difficult situation in terms of injuries. The window is opening so hopefully we can get the help that we need at the same time.<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody knows we need to improve and we need to reinforce. We have some injuries and at the same time, as a team, we always want to improve.\u201d<\/p>\n City also need to get more from the players they already have, with Cifuentes calling for a \u201chigher level of accountability\u201d.<\/p>\n He feels there were individual mistakes in the build-up to all of the Blades\u2019 three goals.<\/p>\n Cifuentes said: \u201cIt was not a good performance. Congrats to Sheffield United because they were better in many areas of the game. Most of them. It\u2019s a poor performance. We were not at the level.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a reality in the Championship. You need to run, you need to win your duels, we didn\u2019t. Three individual mistakes in the three goals cost us.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was very poor. There were a lot of turnovers. We need to show more personality when we\u2019re on the ball.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need the players to understand that we need to show a higher level of accountability. We go from a game where the energy was very good and today it was a totally different kind of performance.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve said we need to improve a lot our consistency. That comes with understanding that this league is relentless. All the time you need to compete at your best.<\/p>\n \u201cThe main thing to compete in this league is to be able to run, to win your duels and then to put the ball on the ground and play the way you want to play. If you don\u2019t do the basics, it\u2019s very difficult. Today, Sheffield United were much better than us in this part.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou need to match the energy and the level of physicality. We knew that Sheffield United would play exactly the way they did. We prepared well. But we lost all kinds of duels, all around the pitch.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we had the ball, we had lots of technical mistakes. Then it\u2019s difficult to build any kind of momentum in the game.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why the first 60 minutes were bad. I said to the guys that even if they were bad, you need to grind it out and compete.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the first half there was a mistake at the set-play, both in the marking and in the six-yard box. The first half was very poor from our side because we should have created much more, we should have had much better sequences on the ball.<\/p>\n \u201cThe second and third were individual mistakes. We need to correct them better as a team.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a disappointing performance. You need to be ready to deliver again and again at 110 per cent without making individual mistakes.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is no hiding. It has been constant. For me as a coach as well I need to do better in terms of correcting those mistakes.\u201d<\/p>\n The latest Leicester City headlines sent straight to your phone<\/p>\n Get the latest Leicester City news sent straight to your phone by joining our Foxes WhatsApp community. Just click here<\/a> and select \u2018Join Community\u2019 to get started.<\/strong><\/p>\n No one will be able to see your personal information in the community and you will only receive messages from the LeicestershireLive sports team. We will not spam your WhatsApp feed with constant messages, but you will receive updates from us daily with the latest City stories. All you need to participate in this free service is to have WhatsApp on your phone.<\/strong><\/p>\n If for some reason you decide you no longer want to be in our community, you can leave at any time by clicking on the name at the top of your screen and then ‘Exit Group’. It’s as simple as that. You can read our Privacy Notice HERE.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n