Russell Martin was proud of the players' fighting spirit during the game.

Russell Martin was satisfied with the team's 4-3 away victory against Port Stoke, but he also admitted that the team still exposed some issues that need improvement. The match was a rollercoaster ride; despite taking a 4-1 lead, Port Stoke pulled back two goals in the second half to close the gap to 3-4, and at one point even saw a chance to equalize or even turn the game around.  

After the final whistle, Russell Martin spoke about the significance of this League One victory. He said, "I'm incredibly proud of the players' performance. They showed remarkable resilience, unwavering determination, and a tremendous fighting spirit. We certainly made the game more difficult, but our opponents are a very strong team. Playing here is never easy, and they've had a lot of success here in the past."  

“We played a lot of great things in the game, so I don’t want the last 15 to 20 minutes to overshadow what we did earlier. Because during that period, we showed a completely different side, which is certainly not something I want the team to do often.”  

"We ultimately won the game, which is the best response to our performance last week. We scored four goals away from home, but we also conceded some goals that shouldn't have happened. After taking a 4-1 lead, we actually played very well at the start of the second half. If we had kept a clean sheet for those 10 to 15 minutes, the game might have gone completely differently. But the opponent still scored, and that changed the situation on the field. In that situation, we had to adjust quickly and maintain flexibility in the game, and the team did that and showed a very strong defensive resilience."  

Russell Martin also spoke highly of the team's attacking performance this week, saying, "We spent a lot of time this week training to get the two forwards to connect more closely near the penalty area, and that was well reflected today. I'm very pleased with that because the players put in a lot of effort, and both forwards scored goals."  

"The entire attacking sequence before Reese's goal was excellent. Although the final pass may have deflected a bit, the overall progression and the players' attacking intentions were brilliant. Today we used quick passing to break through the opponent's defense many times and scored several very beautiful goals."  

When discussing areas where the team's performance still needs improvement, Russell Martin pointed out that the team gave opponents too many set-piece opportunities, but he also reaffirmed the positive spirit the team showed after last week's tough game.  

He continued, "Many of the chances created by the opponents came from set pieces. They opted for more direct attacks because they have a very dangerous player up front. Overall, we handled our defense in open play fairly well, but we did have some problems defending set pieces today."  

“I am not satisfied with the performance in the last 20 minutes of the game. I highly commend the team’s fighting spirit, tenacity and resilience, but we still need to do better in how we handle the game. The ball was repeatedly sent back to our penalty area, which shows that we still have a lot of problems to solve.”  

“However, we are very pleased with the resilience shown by everyone at the club this week. The team has rediscovered the qualities that were questioned last week, including personality, fighting spirit, unity, and a willingness to give their all for the team. Even the disallowed goals by the opponents were due to our willingness to stick to a high defensive line, execute our tactics firmly, and maintain sufficient aggression.”  

"The team showed excellent unity this week. Because our squad is relatively young, we must make timely adjustments based on different opponents and game situations, as well as changes in formation, and maintain sufficient flexibility like today. As we accumulate more game experience, the team will continue to grow in these aspects."

"Many players haven't had much time to train and play together yet, but I believe the team will gradually improve, and they will develop more understanding and chemistry through playing together. However, no matter what stage we are at, we must maintain this aggressiveness, continue to run together, fight together, and participate in defense together, because these qualities are crucial for the team."  

Image source: Internet/Leicester City official website