Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca has fired a warning to his players despite securing a 2-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday.
Enzo Maresca’s winning machine at Leicester City shows no signs of slowing up.
Leicester strengthened their grip even further on top spot after beating Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 while watching Southampton lose 3-1 against Bristol City.
In what turned out to be a comfortable victory for the hosts in the end, Wednesday did pose a threat on a counterattack and managed to register 13 shots on goal, four of which were on target.
Unlike in some previous matches this season, Leicester came out of the blocks fast and capitalised on a defensive mistake to take the lead through Abdul Fatawu inside four minutes.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall then grabbed his second assist of the night by slotting the ball into Jamie Vardy, whose finish slipped underneath the Owls’ goalkeeper.
Despite putting in a professional showing, Maresca has still fired a warning to his players about what will happen if their performance levels drop.
Enzo Maresca fires warning to Leicester City players
Speaking after the match, he said: “When you are quite clear, I said many times, if they drop, they don’t play. This morning, during the meeting, I said: ‘Guys, if one of you drops after two minutes, I’ll make changes.’ There are fans, the club and the opposition, so you need to show respect.
“The only way to show to respect is to commit to every game and not to drop. We are not allowed to drop anything. We haven’t reached anything and we need to continue winning games.”
Maresca made it clear that taking liberties against the opposition, regardless of their league position, would force the Italian into making changes to his side.
That warning shot certainly worked as Leicester took the lead inside four minutes and their performance levels didn’t drop, with Stephy Mavididi receiving praise on his return to the starting XI.
Maresca has the correct mentality
Leicester are 14 points clear of third place Southampton and while it would be easy for them to take their foot off the gas, Maresca has ensured that the players who drop their performance will be punished.
It’s the right way to approach their current position as allowing complacency to creep into their game could soon see the Foxes drop points, irrespective of the quality on the pitch.
They have to approach every match the same with a mentality that they are going to do everything in their power to beat the opposition, as opposed to being comfortable with their lead at the top.
Even once promotion is confirmed, which looks a certainty now, Maresca will still demand the same high levels from his players as he wants to win as many points as possible.