‘Congested fixture list is not to blame for defeat’
Fatigue not to blame for defeat, says Barnes
LEICESTER City cannot blame their unforgiving fixture list for their defeat to Fulham, winger Harvey Barnes insisted.
The deflating 2-1 home loss on Monday night followed an energysapping draw in Braga, and while it was a quick turnaround for City compared to the full week the Cottagers had, tired legs cannot be used to explain such a poor result, Barnes said, particularly with the busiest month of the season on the horizon.
The winger came on in the second half and scored with five minutes remaining to set up a tense finale, but City had again left themselves too much to do after conceding first.
In six of their 10 Premier League games, City have let in the first goal, with only Sheffield United and Fulham possessing worse records.
Sometimes, it is proving too big a hurdle to overcome.
“I don’t think (fatigue) is an excuse,” Barnes said post-match.
“We’ve had a lot of rotation as a squad and, of course, we’ve had the Europa League, but everyone’s going into each game as fresh as they can be. I don’t think that’s a reason, really.
“It’s a disappointing one for us. We knew the first half wasn’t good enough, and gave ourselves a big challenge for the second half. We
were a little better in the second half, but still not hitting the levels we know we can. A late goal gave us a bit of hope.
“We’re going behind in games too often and it’s never easy when you do that.”
Fortunately for City, the hectic nature of the fixture list means they have an immediate chance to bring themselves some good news.
A win over Zorya Luhansk on Thursday will seal top spot in their Europa League group and ensure they are seeded for the knockout stage draw.
“For us, it’s a great opportunity to go and win and go and try to win the group there,” Barnes said.
“That would be a real positive for us.
“We’re looking to bounce back, win that game and then take that into the league.”
City manager Brendan Rodgers said his players performed like a “young team”, with his more youthful stars not defying their tender years as they usually do.
“It’s a young team and at times they play young,” he said.
“I thought Jonny Evans was outstanding, he played like a man, Kasper always does, but we played young and that is something we’re constantly looking to improve on.
“We’re disappointed. The mistakes we made in the first half gave us an uphill climb for the second half.
“We had a lot more of the ball but lacked creativity.
“We made a go of it, but I thought Fulham deserved to win it.
“They had more energy in the first half and pounced on our mistakes.
“In the second half they dropped deep and we couldn’t break them down, so it was a disappointing evening for us.”