Leicester City 1-0 Cadiz notebook – Player ratings as Otchere run continues

Leicester City’s 100% record in pre-season continued on Wednesday night as they beat Spanish side Cadiz 1-0.

After an even opening 45 minutes, Russell Martin’s team controlled proceedings at the Estadio Nuevo Mirador in the second half and found the winner through Kirsten Otchere.

The 19-year-old added to his goals against Bristol Rovers and Burton Albion with a simple header inside the box from Stephy Mavididi’s cross.

The Foxes had the first opportunity of the game when Riley Carr’s left-footed strike inside the box blazed over. Conor Chaplin’s effort was then deflected after he picked up a loose ball outside the box.

FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK! All the latest Leicester City news on LeicestershireLive’s Leicester City Facebook page! Get LeicestershireLIVE Premium now for just £1 HERE. You can also join our WhatsApp Community by clicking HERE

City looked comfortable on the ball and controlled possession, but Cadiz had the two best chances of the opening 25 minutes. Ibon Sanchez nearly capitalised on a loose pass from the goalkeeper, who denied the shot with his feet, while striker Alvaro Garcio Pascual forced the new signing into a smart stop.

Pascual had another opening before half-time after beating Wout Faes for pace, only for McCarthy to read his shot to perfection and keep it out.

Martin’s men had the goalkeeper to thank on the brink of the break when he got down low to deny Liverpool winger Suso after Cadiz dispossessed Tommy Neale.

City changed their XI at the break and there was more fluidity in their offensive play. After warning Cadiz with an earlier effort, Otchere continued his fine summer form with a placed header following great movement in the box.

The Foxes will now have two days of recovery and preparation before returning to the same stadium to face La Liga side Malaga.

Four comfortable saves on his debut, one of them coming from his mistake when playing out from the back. Looked at ease with them all and brought confidence with them all.

Steady opening but grew into the game. Made a couple of offensive runs through the middle that helped Leicester get the ball forward, showing excellent strength to shield any challenges.

Man mountain, forgot how tall he actually is. Looked at ease with the ball and tried some over-the-top balls for Riley Carr. Attitude was spot on throughout .

Seemed to struggle with the physicality and combination with Lorenz Hutchinson. Improved after chatting with Andy King during hydration break but couldn’t get going.

Conceded possession too many times, which is expected in that role. Physically strong and didn’t shy away from the challenge. Kept demanding the ball, which impressed Russell Martin.

Hamza Choudhury

Was forced to chase more than orchestrate, like he did at Burton. Linked-up well with Chaplin but did get frustrated by lack of movement around him at times.

Good early signs. A leader in the group, that’s clear, with him encouraging Jake Evans and Tommy Neale. Got into some good positions that show where he can be dangerous.

Struggled to be as impactful as previously seen, but did cause issues for his left-back. His crosses lacked the power to reach the attackers.

Lorenz Hutchinson

Similar to Hutchinson, just struggled to make an impact. Booked for a challenge but held himself well when confronted. Would have benefitted from working with Chaplin.

Jakub Stolarczyk

Pulled off a brilliant reaction save to keep City ahead after being a spectator for the most part. Positioning when Leicester had the ball helped him sweep up any through balls from Cadiz.

Joseph is forming a great combination with Braybrooke and Alves. The trio link up well and seem to understand when to exchange positions. Definitely stronger than he was three weeks ago when involved in duels.

Showed unreal pace and power to stop a Cadiz counter-attack dead in its tracks. His passing was better this game and he kept attempting balls into Otchere from deep.

His pace is such a strength to his game and City are using that to their benefit. The high line means he can chase through balls to stop Cadiz. Very vocal in instructing teammates when the opponents attempted to play.

Stopped one moment leading to a Cadiz goal when he delayed his attacker so well.

Making that No.6 role his own, showing great energy and reading of danger. His presence helped Braybrooke and Page, massively. Gave some smart fouls away as the clock ticked down.

Another mature performance against some physical opponents. Carried the ball with confidence and nearly got in behind a couple of times. Leicester do look better with him.

Sammy Braybrooke

Broke forward with confidence and tracked back to join Skipp in the defensive line. Influential in most things City did early on but his impact slowed down as it went on.

Struggled for a clear cut opportunity to run with the ball or drive into space. I’m not sure if he’s better out wide or centrally.

Stephy Mavididi

Grabbed an assist with a well-placed cross. Much better defensively tonight with great work-rate to track back and cover for Luke Thomas.

Kirsten Otchere

Striker is doing more and more each game to warrant a place in City’s squad this summer. A smart header inside the box when marked and neat link-up play throughout.

The win over Cadiz will have pleased Russell Martin for a number of reasons, the main one being that they overcame their biggest challenge yet and beat a team that was more physical than previous games.

In previous games, the Foxes have been far better on all fronts than their opponents. But Cadiz were a challenge and probably should have been ahead in the first half with McCarthy making some smart saves.

The second half, City were better, built more efficiently and attacked with confidence. Cadiz stuck to their physical nature but Leicester stayed resilience.

Malaga will be the same on Saturday.

It's crunch time for Leicester City as they face a serious rebuilding process in League One. The transfer window is open and we will see players heading in and out of the King Power turnstiles.

Every day, the LeicestershireLive football desk deliver all manner of news, features and transfer-related stories as a part of our overall package of City content.

You can sign up here.

Our dedicated reporter Josh Holland - who you can follow on X by clicking here - follows City home and away and offers you comprehensive coverage from matchdays, press conferences and everything that happens in between.WhatsApp: You can also get all your favourite content from LeicestershireLive's team on WhatsApp. Click here to sign up for breaking updates about the biggest stories in and around the club.

App: If you prefer reading our City stories on your phone, consider downloading the LeicestershireLive app, in which you can personalise the content you see by selecting Leicester City as one of your designated topics. You can get it from Apple here and for Android here.

Social: You can also get all the latest updates by following us on social media here Facebook and Twitter.