“I am serious” – Enzo Maresca’s message to Leicester City players after Millwall defeat

The Foxes are at risk of slipping down the league

Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca has warned his players that they shouldn’t look at the league table following their loss to Millwall.

The previous night, the Den welcomed the Foxes, but one of the Lions’ bits of pure quality devoured them.

The ball was received by Ryan Longman during the counterattack in the 59th minute. He made a cut inside and curved a gem of a strike that went into the upper corner and past Mads Hermansen. This, along with some excellent teamwork from his teammates, was sufficient to secure a crucial three points for Neil Harris’ team.

Conversely, Leicester missed a great opportunity to take back the lead in the second division. Leeds failed to pass the Foxes last night due to their draw with Sunderland; if Ipswich defeats Watford tonight, they will lead the race for automatic promotion.

Even though they didn’t lose any places like that, City’s boss doesn’t want his players to obsess over their league position.

Enzo Maresca’s league position plea to players

Because it will motivate them, the Italian has advised his team not to glance at the Championship standings.”crazy.”

Following the Millwall defeat, he stated, as reported by Leicestershire Live: “At this point, it’s important to not place too much emphasis on it. Following Birmingham and Norwich, I made the same statement: there is never too much time to consider. It’s over for tonight.

“You go insane if you watch the table yesterday, today, and again in two days. I’m not kidding. You are aware that winning games requires strategy. That is all.

“I think that over the last eight or ten games, every club has struggled a little bit more because the opposition is playing for the same goals—to win, to advance, or to make the playoffs. Thus, each club is competing for a significant goal.

“We’ve already played about 50 games, and the intensity is increased. Not just for us, but for all the clubs, is it an issue. Everyone is having a little bit more difficulty in the end.”

Maresca also discussed his team’s wasted chances throughout the contest, which included two headers from Patson Daka and Kelechi Iheanacho.”That night was difficult,” the 44-year-old remarked.

We probably had some ball control issues in the first half. We lacked hygiene. We were aware of their small crew size. They did a great job defending.

We anticipated finding more room and solutions in the second half because we play every three days. But they came up with a brilliant plan. At the appropriate moment, we will assess the game. However, the goal right now is to regain energy and attempt to go again on Friday.”

Leicester’s chance-creating troubles could be their downfall

Since that is the Maresca style, the Foxes control the ball in almost every game they play. According to FBRef, their average possession percentage each game (61.8%) is the second-highest in the league.

However, according to FBRef, they are just fifth in the Championship for shot-creating actions per 90 (25.6), trailing the other three teams in the current top four plus Sunderland.

This is partly due to the insistence on playing in a controlled manner rather than one that is more concerned with trying to score goals, but Leicester players have also shown impatience with finishes; Daka’s performance last night is only one example.

He had a nice chance to test the goalie with his header. Rather, his effort was uneven.

Leicester has to return to their more free-flowing attacking ways in order to avoid a play-off run, whether it’s because of inconsistency from the attacking players or because they’re out of rhythm because of a lack of chances, which goes back to the manager’s style of play.

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