Leicester City are going through their first major blip in the Championship this season, having dropped points in four of their last five games.
Enzo Maresca has seen many of his players drop in form of late, namely Stephy Mavididi, who has been some way off the pace.
Since arriving from Montpellier in the summer, Mavididi has been in electrifying form off the left for The Foxes, but for whatever reason, his performances have curtailed in recent weeks.
The 25-year-old hasn’t scored or assisted since the end of Janaury when he converted from the penalty spot in a 3-1 win against Swansea City.
Against Hull City on the weekend, Mavididi gave away a penalty, though, admittedly many thought it was a little soft.
Anyhow, he needs to rediscover his form heading into the business end of the season with Leicester in desperate need of a winning streak.
Enzo Maresca says Stephy Mavididi has to improve his body language
Speaking after the 2-2 draw against Hull on Saturday, Maresca did defend Mavididi but noted what he can work on to improve.
“Stephy has to improve, a little bit, his body language,” the City boss said.
The Italian head coach has started the former Arsenal academy player in almost every game this season and is clearly a big admirer of his ability.
But, notwithstanding that, he did admit that he needs to improve on his body language, which he would’ve likely already told him directly.
So as we approach the final nine games of the gruelling 46-game campaign, it’ll be interesting to see how Mavididi reacts to Maresca’s public criticism.
Leicester City need players to return to form
It’s not only Mavididi who has struggled of late, talisman Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has also seen a dip in his performances.
Dewsbury-Hall, who is City’s leading assister this term, hasn’t registered a goal contribution in five successive games.
During that five-game period, Leicester have won one, drawn one and lost three games, so it’s clear to see where they’ve come up unstuck.
The aforementioned duo aren’t delivering and perhaps that could be due to tiredness. The upcoming international break will serve as a good period to rest and recoup.
But before then, Leicester make the trip to West London on Sunday to face Chelsea in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
They resume Championship action at the end of the month when they visit Bristol City at Ashton Gate.