‘Be Strong & Create Chances’ – Ricardo’s Hull Reflections
- Leicester City are beaten 1-0 by Hull City at King Power Stadium
- The Foxes were frustrated by Liam Rosenior’s well-drilled outfit
- Ricardo Pereira says City will work on taking their opportunities
Liam Delap’s first-half goal sealed a 1-0 success for Hull City at King Power Stadium, despite a number of chances for the Foxes, who went close through Cesare Casadei and most notably Abdul Fatawu.
Although City are now third in the division, their positive start is something Ricardo – captain against the Tigers – believes his team-mates can reflect on as domestic football pauses for the international break.
“It was difficult like the previous games,” the full-back said. “Even with every win we had, it wasn’t perfect, or we had things to improve. We knew that this day might come. Of course, we tried to delay that as much as possible. We had some chances to score, but it’s football and it can happen sometimes.
“We struggled a little bit in the beginning to find the right way to press, and then we managed at the end of the first half to be in a good shape, and we had good control of the game. Towards the end of the first half and second half, we were unlucky and we had our chances, but we need to be strong and look to the next game.”
Several substitutes made an impact on Saturday, not least Fatawu, whose performance on the right flank gave Enzo Maresca’s men real attacking intent. The Ghana international winger struck the post in the second period and also provided creativity from a wide position.
“I know him from Portugal and he’s a fast player, he’s young,” Ricardo continued. “I think he will help us but it’s just the beginning – he will get used to the team and our way of playing.
“It takes time (for all of the players). We have two months with the coach, everything is new and it’s still a learning process. With more time, we will improve even more, but we have to go day by day and keep working to do the things he wants and be more fluid and more natural.”
With Southampton up next on Friday 15 September (8pm BST kick-off), Ricardo is hoping Leicester can translate ball possession into goals as the Sky Bet Championship campaign gathers momentum in two weeks’ time.
“In the previous games, that’s what we need to improve – to create more chances,” the defender added. “We have the ball and we can control the game, but we can do even better creating chances.
“We have to keep our heads high because to win four games and lose one, if we can do that until the end of the season, we will be happy.”