Following the Foxes’ stunning victory against promotion rivals Southampton at St. Mary’s Stadium, Leicester City star Jamie Vardy issued a warning to the rest of the Championship.
Vardy put the visitors up in the first minute, and Kasey McAteer doubled the lead not long after. Southampton attempted a half-hour comeback, but Wilfred Ndidi and Stephy Mavididi added insult to injury as the game ended 4-1.
The victory momentarily put Enzo Maresca’s side atop the Championship, with 15 points from a possible 18. Prior to the international break, the sole defeat came at home against Hull City.
Leicester City have looked drastically different since being demoted from the Premier League last season, playing vibrant, attacking football with flair and enormous quality.
Speaking after the emphatic victory over Southampton on Friday night, club legend and current centre-forward Vardy heaped huge praise on the new head coach.
The former England international said [quotes via Leicestershire Live]:
“You’ve seen in all the previous games how the manager wants to play. It’s a process. Everyone’s learning every single day.
“It didn’t surprise me at all,” he added when discussing the amount of chances created by the away side. “We know how the manager wants us to play. We’re doing it in training every single day.”
The experienced frontman also sent a warning to Leicester’s Championship competitors:
“The amount of chances we create when we’re playing against each other – because of the way we’re playing – there’s nothing you can do about it. That’s how good it is.
“It’s a process. We’re learning every day and hopefully, it’ll just keep getting better. We’ve got to keep improving.
“We’ve got that many attacking players on the pitch, there’s going to be chances coming from every single angle.”
Writer’s View
Maresca has completely changed the style of play. Brendan Rodgers had the Foxes firing on all cylinders for most of his reign at the King Power Stadium but the team lost their way last season which ended in a devastating relegation down to the second tier.
However, the Italian coach has now helped Leicester find their rhythm again and his side are playing a beautiful tune which will hopefully reap the required fruits by the end of the campaign.
