Leicester City must resist Russell Martin temptation as circus rolls on | OneFootball

Leicester City are back in League One. It has been a rockier start than many would have hoped, or indeed expected. Russell Martin needs time, though.

Leicester City are back in League One. And it has been a rockier start than many would have hoped, or indeed expected.

Hiring Russell Martin was always going to be a bold move, and has been met by the expected circus and media intrigue. But, the Foxes must stand firm and resist any temptations for a quieter life.

Russell Martin deserves time to get Leicester City moving

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The 40-year-old boss has found himself in League One for the first time since his time at Milton Keynes Dons, right at the beginning of his managerial career. He has since led Swansea City, Southampton, and Rangers to a mixed degree of success.

He was the shortest-ever Rangers manager, lasting just 123 days in post at the famous Glasgow club. Now, Martin has had to return to a lower standing, sinking two divisions below the Premier League, to find a foothold in the game once again.

The Foxes have won just two of their opening six league games, 2-0 at home to Plymouth Argyle and 4-3 away at Stockport County. They had led 4-1 against the Hatters before almost squandering a three-goal lead in a second-half collapse.

That came after a thumping and chastening defeat at home to Oxford United, with defeats to Burton Albion in the league and Premier League Ipswich Town in the EFL Cup as well. Draws to promoted duo MK Dons and Notts County, have further darkened the picture from a results perspective.

However, some performances indicate that there are more positive signs than negative. Principally, against MK Dons, where the woodwork was rattled, and many chances missed in a game that Leicester deserved to win.

And, for that, Martin deserves a chance to pull Leicester to where they want to be, striving for promotion into the Championship.

Leicester City should know Russell Martin's style might take time

Perhaps it should have been expected that Leicester would start the season in rocky fashion. They have had a summer of change, with large chunks of their double-relegated squad shipped off due to high wages and poor performances, and a young raft taking their place.

Martin’s playing style is vastly different to Gary Rowett’s, who was the man in the hot seat when relegation was confirmed last season. It took four league games for Leicester to secure their first victory, but they have impressed with some of their overall statistics.

Young creative midfielder Louis Page has led the way among the young Foxes talent, with three assists already to his name. As a whole, City have the highest average possession in League One and the most accurate passes per match, according to FotMob.

They have the lowest rate of accurate long balls per match and sit 19th in terms of crosses, showing their short passing and steadily building playing style.

That style takes time to fully embed. It is not an overnight fix, and Leicester is a club that needed a heavy reform after successive relegations took them from Premier League champions and Champions League participants to being defeated by Burton Albion in the space of a decade.

Martin's style of play proved successful a level up with Southampton, when he led them to promotion through the play-offs, and it's not dissimilar to Enzo Maresca's playbook. The former Championship-winning Leicester boss was surely in mind when this appointment was made, and whilst he hit the ground running in the EFL with the Foxes, he arguably inherited a much more settled backdrop at the King Power despite Premier League relegation.

Leicester City shouldn't panic with 'marmite' Russell Martin

Russel Martin may well prove to be the man for the job. But, he needs patience and time.

There may be a temptation to remove him from his post with the intense media circus that follows him at every turn, given the marmite nature of his footballing philosophy and the very fact that he has a footballing philosophy at all.