Morgan: A Captain's Pride

- The captain says he sees the squad’s qualities every day in training 

- After being bottom of the table this time last season, the Foxes are now two points clear at the top 

- Morgan says the Leicester City squad maintain a strong belief in themselves 

Wes Morgan says it’s no surprise to him to see Leicester City’s players fulfilling their potential in the team’s unlikely run to the top of the Barclays Premier League. 

The skipper himself has been in inspired form to help the Foxes sit two points clear of Tottenham Hotspur at the summit, but he admits that he’s delighted to see his team-mates showing the world what they can do on the football pitch. 

Having seen their potential in training, it comes as no surprise to Morgan that they’re putting everything together on the field, and with performances hitting new heights, confidence is flowing. 

“I see these players day in and day out in training,” said Morgan. “They might not have shown it on the pitch previously but it’s coming out now, definitely. 

“It’s a false statement to say they’re doing better than I ever imagined. I see the capabilities of these guys on the training field and they’re really at their peak at the moment – proving to everyone how good they really are. 

“Not everyone gets to fulfil their potential in their careers. There have been many players tipped to get to the top and not made it, which can be a surprise. 

“But there are players that you wouldn’t really say are destined to be at the top but come through and surprise everyone. I think there are players in our team that are there. 

“I think people are really playing at their peak at the moment and the fact we’re winning and have belief is really helping.” 

Having been bottom for the majority of last season before a well documented ‘Great Escape’ with a stunning run in their final nine games, many were tipping the Foxes for another relegation scrap this time around. 

With a new manager also thrown into the mix, there was much scepticism and uncertainty in some quarters as the Foxes went into the current campaign, but it didn’t take long for the team to prove the doubters wrong with a season so far that nobody saw coming. 

And while Morgan wouldn’t have dreamed about leading the way in February, he admits that there was a feeling within the squad that they were better than their league position reflected previously. 

He added: “We were probably one of the favourites to get relegated this season and it’s been far from that. We’re at the top of the league. Just saying that is a bit of a fairy tale. It’s a big surprise to everyone so far this season but we’ve got a real belief in ourselves. 

“Last season I think we felt that we should have been in a better position than we were. We were playing a lot of games and we were coming off the pitch with nothing when we felt we deserved something. 

“It was very frustrating. For whatever reason it all changed towards the last part of the season and we came good. We knew we were capable of competing at this level but so far this season everyone’s really stepped it up another level and it’s put us in the position we are now. 

“The boys are proving on the pitch just how good we are compared to other teams out there and we’ve more than matched the teams that we’ve played this season, if not been better. From my point of view I think we deserve to be here and we’re in the position we deserve to be.

“We’ve had a great season so far. At the start of the season everyone’s focus was on avoiding relegation and I think we’ve surpassed that expectation and we’re at the point now where we know how good we are. 

“We’ve played all the teams in this league and we’ve proven that we can be as good if not better than them. That belief is firmly within us and we’re just relishing the opportunity really and want to make the most of it.”