Robbie Savage stuns Leicester on Peterborough debut as doubters fall quiet
Savage’s first EFL assignment begins with a statement win
Robbie Savage’s first League One match in charge of Peterborough United could hardly have been better scripted: his debut came at Leicester, the club where he made his name as a player. Peterborough left the King Power Stadium with a memorable victory, giving their new manager an emphatic opening to his first EFL job.
Savage was a constant presence on the touchline, urging his players forward and celebrating with the travelling supporters even before kick-off. His jacket was off within 10 minutes. “I’m exhausted,” he said afterwards. “I think I’ve done 10k in the technical area, kicking every ball for my team.”
Direct approach pays off
Peterborough’s attacking intent reflected the high-tempo, direct style Savage has brought to his teams. A ball played over the top sent Bolu Shofowoke around the Leicester goalkeeper, with Harry Leonard finishing the move. Lucca Mendonça’s crunching challenge on Bobby De Cordova-Reid also drew an animated reaction from the visiting manager.
The approach can leave Peterborough exposed defensively, a trade-off Savage accepts. “My philosophy is: the best players are at the top of the pitch,” he said. “If I can get it there as quick as we can, by limiting the passes, but on the floor, through the lines, you can push the full-backs out. At times we were 2-1-1-6. That’s how we play. We are open. But let’s be brave.”
Emil Riis’s back-post finish took some of the shine off the result, but could not erase the scale of Peterborough’s achievement. The source report described the win as a striking turnaround for a side that had managed just one league victory all season, scored four league goals and gone seven weeks without a win.
A manager with something to prove
Savage’s public reputation as a colourful former player and broadcaster has often invited doubts about his credentials as a coach. His managerial record, however, has begun to make its own case: he led Macclesfield to promotion to the National League North with 35 wins from 42 games and 109 points, then took Forest Green Rovers to the National League play-offs last season.
At full-time, Savage made his way around the pitch greeting players and staff from both sides, while Peterborough’s supporters continued chanting his name. He praised his team and acknowledged the scale of his own journey: “Two and a half years ago I was up at Hebburn and Stockton, playing in front of 200-300 people. My team have come to the King Power and put in a performance like that. I’m so proud of them.”