‘It’s About Sharpness’ – King On Merits Of Week Two

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‘It’s About Sharpness’ – King On Merits Of Week Two

The demands currently being put on the players will hold them in good stead for the rest of the summer schedule and start of the new campaign, according to Coach Andy King.

2025-07-12T09:00+01:00

by Sam Jones

Published

12 Jul, 2025

‘It’s About Sharpness’ – King On Merits Of Week Two

The demands currently being put on the players will hold them in good stead for the rest of the summer schedule and start of the new campaign, according to Coach Andy King.

Sam Jones

2025-07-12T09:00+01:00

‘It’s About Sharpness’ – King On Merits Of Week Two

The demands currently being put on the players will hold them in good stead for the rest of the summer schedule and start of the new campaign, according to Coach Andy King.

Sam Jones

2025-07-12T09:00+01:00

‘It’s About Sharpness’ – King On Merits Of Week Two

The demands currently being put on the players will hold them in good stead for the rest of the summer schedule and start of the new campaign, according to Coach Andy King.

Sam Jones

2025-07-12T09:00+01:00

‘It’s About Sharpness’ – King On Merits Of Week Two

The demands currently being put on the players will hold them in good stead for the rest of the summer schedule and start of the new campaign, according to Coach Andy King.

Sam Jones

2025-07-12T09:00+01:00

After several days of intense fitness-based work at LCFC Training Ground, followed by our opening pre-season friendly – a successful run-out against Peterborough United – week two has shifted the focus more towards finding the rhythm of having a ball at their feet.

“It’s been really good again,” King revealed, speaking between sessions on Thursday. “We’ve had all the internationals back which is brilliant, so we’re pretty much a full group. Bobby [De Cordova-Reid] has been away with Jamaica, so he’s had a little bit more time.

“The lads had a great first week with their fitness to start with. They got through the week and played 45 on Saturday. It was more physical, some testing and more general sessions about getting after the ball and high pressing. They did the bulk of the running without the ball.

“This week has been more football and unit-specific drills with slightly bigger areas, and tighter stuff, such as a back four against a front five. They are still double sessions and working really hard, with some physical stuff tagged on the back of it, but among more 11-v-11 games.”

The likes of Kasey McAteer and Hamza Choudhury have now rejoined the squad too, adding further experience and depth ahead of facing OH Leuven in Seagrave on Saturday, a friendly which will be played in four 45-minute quarters to maximise game-time for the players, as King explained.

“We’ll have two 90 minutes so three teams will play an hour,” he outlined. “All 30 players will get an hour of football where we can build on the 45 which we had last Saturday, which was really good. We got everything we wanted out of that and we’ve got everything we wanted out of this week so far.

“If we can now tick off another week by getting through an hour after double sessions and with fatigue, carrying tiredness, I think that puts us in a really good place. Now it’s about sharpness and ball control. With the ball they are a lot cleaner with their first touch and the quality of their pass.

“Forty-five minutes can be difficult sometimes. You feel like you are just getting into the game and then it stops, so it’s a good chance for the players to showcase themselves over a longer period. Hopefully everyone can do that.”

There’s been a great camaraderie in the group since returning, coupled with ever-improving fitness levels, which King has been keen to track, ensuring everyone is where they need to be physically at this stage of the programme, before concentrating on more football-based aspects of the game, which have had a competitive edge.

He continued: “The lads wear the GPS and the heart rate [monitors] so we can see from the data we’re actually a lot further ahead than maybe we were this time last year and the year before, which is great.

“I also like to go with the eye and I can see how hard the lads are working. I can see they are putting it in and are on each other, which I think is a really good thing. They are pulling each other through when it’s hard.

“They are driving the tempo and the standards themselves. There is talking and communication and a real will to win, even in small-sided games and possession games. They are really going after it and want to win. That shows they are enjoying themselves.

“They’ve had great physical work and now technical work.”

Watch Saturday afternoon's pre-season exercise live and free on YouTube and Foxes Hub, with the broadcast beginning at 2:45pm BST.

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