Teamwork The Key For Okazaki At Spurs

- The Foxes face Spurs at White Hart Lane in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon 

- Okazaki warns about Tottenham’s strengths and says the Foxes will need to be focused 

- The striker scored City’s second goal in a 3-1 win over Crystal Palace last weekend 

Striker Shinji Okazaki says Leicester City must function as a team if they are to overcome the challenge of Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League at White Hart Lane on Saturday afternoon. 

The Foxes travel to London to take on the division’s last remaining unbeaten side, who will have ambitions of climbing to the top of the table – a spot they are just one point adrift of heading into the match. 

City will be looking to build momentum themselves however, after back-to-back home victories over FC Copenhagen and Crystal Palace have helped give glimpses of the Leicester of 2015/16 with some outstanding displays. 

Okazaki is well aware of Tottenham’s threat however and knows exactly what will be required of the Foxes against Mauricio Pochettino’s men at White Hart Lane. 

“Against Tottenham it will be difficult,” said Okazaki. “They are strong like Manchester United and Chelsea so we have to play together. We need to show good organisation, make sure our defence is tight and show good concentration for 90 minutes. This is the way we must play against Tottenham. 

“The other games [that we lost away from home] against Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea, we didn’t have this. Maybe we were a little tired, I don’t know, but on Saturday we must play as one – completely together. 

“Tottenham are strong. They are a young team and have great individuals too. They always have a high level of performance. We can win though because we try to do this together as a team.” 

Spurs pushed the Foxes much of the way for the league title last term, with their 2-2 draw away at Chelsea ultimately confirming the Foxes as champions. While this is recalled fondly by Okazaki, he believes this could well prove to be a motivating factor for City’s opponents at the weekend. 

He explained: “Last season we were top of the league but behind us Tottenham were very strong. They didn’t lose many games. I remember the Chelsea game against Tottenham that ended 2-2 so that we won the league. 

“That is a great memory but maybe this will also give Tottenham motivation on Saturday to beat us. I think this makes it a very tough match. 

“We have positive experiences of playing at White Hart Lane and I remember that every game we’ve played against them has been a good game. We didn’t lose [in the league] to them last season, but lost in the FA Cup. In the others games we drew and won, so we have positive experiences.”