Leicester City could open up a seven-point gap inside the Championship’s top two if they beat third-placed Preston at the King Power Stadium on Wednesday evening
Leicester City can open up a seven-point gap inside the automatic promotion places tonight but that is “nothing” at this stage of the season, manager Enzo Maresca has declared.
City take on third-placed Preston at the King Power Stadium and if they record their fifth straight Championship win, they will not only overtake Ipswich and return to the top of the division, but they will give themselves a seven-point cushion inside the top two. It would feel like a healthy margin 10 games into the campaign, but that it is so early means the table and the gap to the chasing pack is of no consideration to boss Maresca.
Maresca noted at his press conference this week, “It’s still early.” Seven points in October are insignificant. There are three games. Now, having seven extra points is always preferable to having seven fewer. But it is clearly not our situation to be preoccupied with obtaining seven extra points.
Due to City’s performance over the first few months of the season, other managers have already crowned them winners. Both David Wagner of Norwich and Jon Dahl Tomasson of Blackburn did this.
But Maresca is refusing to take the comments as compliments about his side. Instead, he believes they are attempts to get inside his players’ heads.
He said: “It’s a way for the opposition managers and clubs to put us more under pressure. I’ve always said the same: we belong in the Championship. After nine games, it’s difficult to say, only because we are first in the league, we are going to be promoted.
“We cannot manage different people. They can say what they think. But I don’t agree. It’s not a compliment for me. It’s just a way to give us more responsibility.
“This is a club that three months ago was relegated. We have changed more than 50 per cent of the squad. Part of the 50 per cent of the squad that stay here are players that were not involved, like Jannik (Vestergaard), like Ricardo (Pereira) and JJ (James Justin) because of their injuries.
“We have changed many things. That we are already in the Premier League, I don’t pay attention to that.”
