Leicester City went down 1-0 to Augsburg as second successive pre-season match lost with Steve Cooper

Leicester City lost a second successive pre-season match with Steve Cooper’s side showing a worrying lack of creativity just two weeks out from the new campaign.

City went down 1-0 to Augsburg on Saturday afternoon, just as they did against Palermo eight days earlier, with the Bundesliga outfit’s centre-back Keven Schlotterbeck scoring a header from a corner for the game’s only goal. While conceding from a set-piece will be a concern, the lack of creativity is arguably a bigger problem.

Failing to score again, City didn’t muster much in the final third, particularly in the second half once changes were made. It perhaps emphasises Cooper’s call for new attacking recruits.

Cooper handed four players their first starts of pre-season, including new signing Bobby De Cordova-Reid in the number 10 role. But the headline in the team news was the continued absence of Jamie Vardy, whose knock against Villarreal is still keeping him out.

After defeat to Palermo and with the Premier League season getting ever closer, a victory would have been a confidence booster for City. However, they found themselves a goal down inside 10 minutes when Schlotterbeck met a near-post corner and flicked it over Mads Hermansen, the ball kissing the woodwork on its way in.

Again lacking creativity, and not helped by a slow pitch, the response from City was limited. They did improve as the first half went on, with Abdul Fatawu stinging the fingertips of Nediljko Labrovic with a 20-yard shot and Stephy Mavididi denied by a brave Schlotterbeck block after a lovely one-two with De Cordova-Reid, albeit they did also need Hermansen to make an excellent low to his right, tipping Samuel Essende’s shot around the post.

In the second period, City had just one moment of note, substitute Kasey McAteer heading straight at Labrovic when Augsburg failed to clear a corner. But otherwise, the best chances went to the German side, with free headers not taken and Conor Coady forced to clear one effort off the line. Here’s how we rated the players’ performances.

Mads Hermansen: He produced a superb first-half save to stop Augsburg doubling their lead, while he was very quick with his distribution. There was one wobbly moment in the second period where he tried to play out from the back. 7

James Justin: Perhaps City’s best player. Even as the full-back who had to tuck in, he still carried the ball forward when the space was there, while defensively, he showed great speed, and put in some strong, full-blooded recovery tackles. 7

Jannik Vestergaard: He won headers at set-pieces to quell some of the danger there, and put in one brave second-half block. But there wasn’t quite the fizz in his passes that we usually see, while his touch was heavy at times. 5

Wout Faes: He was bumped off the ball too easily in one early Augsburg attack, and there were moments of miscommunication with Vestergaard. On the ball, he was fine, carrying the ball forward when he could and switching play occasionally too. 5

Victor Kristiansen: Tasked with bombing forward, he took on the role enthusiastically and was always looking to get crosses in, albeit very few caused danger. He wasn’t quite on the same wavelength as Mavididi at times, but defensively, he covered well. 6

Wilfred Ndidi: He kept City on the front foot by intercepting Augsburg counters, but on the ball, Winks dominated in the middle, and so Ndidi didn’t see much of it. When he did get it, he was thinking forward, but his touch was also pretty loose. 5

Harry Winks: He controlled play in the middle, spreading it well. But Augsburg quickly realised he was the key man and shut him down, forcing City wide. 6

Abdul Fatawu: After a slow start in which he struggled to beat his man, he started to stretch his legs. He tried his trademark move a few times, cutting in and shooting, with one stinging shot coming close. 5

Bobby De Cordova-Reid: A bright spark. He supported Fatawu and made lots of good runs inside the box to make himself an option. Gradually, City started to find him regularly too. His delightful one-two with Mavididi was maybe the promising moment of the match. 7

Stephy Mavididi: He struggled to connect with Kristiansen and was frustrated early doors. He did get better and started to link with De Cordova-Reid, but then went missing in the second half. 5

Patson Daka: He was definitely more of a threat in the box, thanks to some improved movement, but he still didn’t really look like scoring. He also linked play well in tight spaces and pressed enthusiastically. 5

Conor Coady: Augsburg’s subs allowed more space in which to build and he passed through the lines once or twice. Made a clearance off the line too. 6

Caleb Okoli: Carried the ball forward with endeavour to try to make something happen in the final third. But City were struggling to fashion chances by then. 6

Kasey McAteer: He had City’s best chance of the second half, reading the loose ball well but heading straight at the keeper. Otherwise, he struggled to get into the game. 5

Ricardo Pereira: Played as a wing-back late on when Cooper changed formations, but the system didn’t help City. It meant he wasn’t able to show off any of his attacking qualities. N/A

Hamza Choudhury: There was one very Choudhury-esque tackle that left his opponent writhing in pain. He got back well to cut a dangerous cross late on. N/A

Ben Nelson: He put in a couple of tough tackles and moved the ball quickly. However, he could still do with looking for a forward option more often. N/A

Boubakary Soumare: He was sloppy just after coming on, losing possession. Nearly slipped in Cannon in the final minutes. N/A

Tom Cannon: He’s just not getting enough game-time to really show what he’s about. Other than the Soumare pass that nearly found him, he was barely involved. N/A

Will Alves: He got on the ball quite a lot despite only being on the pitch a few minutes. But he wasn’t quite as forward-thinking as he usually is, and got muscled out of possession a few times too. N/A