Leicester City star sends ‘complacency’ warning to leeds boss amid Leeds United promotion pressure

The Foxes led the Championship for more than 25 weeks until falling behind Leeds United.
Former Leicester City defender Christian Fuchs has said that complacency may have crept into Enzo Maresca’s squad when they were leading the Championship.

Leicester appeared to have all but secured their return to the Premier League before the turn of the year after establishing a considerable lead over the other three promotion candidates. The Foxes were first for 176 days and had an 11-point lead over second place, but that was wiped out in less than a month.

Leeds United were 17 points behind the league leaders at one time, but 12 wins in a 13-game unbeaten streak propelled them into top place after defeating Millwall 2-0 on Sunday. Leicester’s climb was aided by the fact that they had only won one of their last five games, and Premier League title-winner Fuchs has advised them to come back to basics in order to win.

“The way I think about that is if you ever think you are safe at any stage of the season, with however many points you have as a cushion, you can run the risk of becoming complacent and doing things you didn’t do before when you were in a good moment,” Fuchs said in an interview with Sky Sports. “Maybe not going the extra mile, perhaps attempting to do fancy things rather than focusing on what is required and keeping it simple.”

“I don’t have any inside information, but I’m sure Maresca has a clear plan for refocusing his club, possibly by revisiting old things they’ve done this season and getting them ready for the playoffs. I feel that at any point during the season, regardless of the scenario, you may set fresh internal goals for the team to keep them motivated.

“Everybody understands what’s at stake. Maresca has given Leicester the tools they need to play dominantly, but it is now up to the players to use them to get the team back on track. Also keep in mind that Leicester has a game in hand. I believe everything will work out in their benefit, but they must return to basics and work hard as a team.”