‘No Step Back’ – Maresca Ahead Of Ipswich Challenge
Five straight Sky Bet Championship victories have seen the Foxes go six points clear at the top of the division, a gap which would increase to nine if they overcome second-place Ipswich at Portman Road in Tuesday’s 7:45pm GMT kick-off.
Prior to that eagerly anticipated encounter against Kieran McKenna’s side, Maresca spoke to the media about City’s latest success, Patson Daka’s form, the season so far and what he expects from the Tractor Boys…
Reflecting on Rotherham
City put three past Rotherham United without reply in the second half at King Power Stadium on Saturday to seal another home triumph and sign off before Christmas in the perfect way. It took until the hour mark to break through, but the Manager was always confident in the plan.
“Patience has been very important,” Maresca revealed. “In general, I was happy with the first half because we were doing the right things. We created three or four clear chances and against this kind of team it is difficult to create chances.
“When we finished the first half, we adjusted some things. Not tactical but in general. We needed to continue in the same way because we were doing well. The only thing we needed to do was to stay patient and not concede any transitions.
“Every weekend, we can see many games in the competitions that when they sit back, it’s complicated to find solutions and space. You look like you are close but it’s complicated. In the end, we did the most difficult thing – that is to find the goal. Then it was easier after that.”
Praise for Ipswich
The Suffolk-based outfit have surprised many with their consistent form since promotion from the third tier. Maresca expects an even more determined performance from the hosts following their 4-0 defeat to Leeds United last time out.
“They are unbelievable,” the Italian analysed. “They are doing fantastically well, a fantastic job. To be honest, it’s one of the teams that I really enjoy to watch. They are fantastic. It’s probably the one team in the Championship who are doing better, because they are there with us. We are doing well, but when you see the table, they are just there.
“You can see that there is some magic inside that sometimes happen when teams get promoted from League 1 and then they get promoted again from the Championship to the Premier League because they maintain the same manager, the same magic inside.
“They are going to be more upset (after Leeds). In any case, it’s a chance for us to go nine points [clear] but it’s also a chance for them to [close the gap to] three points. But I really think that for us, between today (Saturday) and Tuesday, it was much more important [to win] tonight than Tuesday.
“We are expecting a tough game because they are very good and have some good players. What they do, they do fantastically. They have an advantage, that they work with the same manager already for more than one year. They know each other very well and they are altogether.
“In terms of feeling, it is much easier for a team that are promoted to continue than a team that were relegated to build something new, no doubt. In terms of psychology, it is easier for the team that is in behind knowing that you seem close. Mentally, it’s normal. But we are happy with the position that we are in.”
Daka’s goalscoring form
Having not started a league game until earlier this month, Zambian forward Daka has since been named in Leicester’s XI for the last four matches, bringing a return of four goals and an assist and boosting the attacking options at Maresca’s disposal.
The 43-year-old explained: “In the summer, Pat (Patson Daka) was one of the players who was close to leaving. While he was close to leaving, Jamie [Vardy] and Kel (Kelechi Iheanacho) started to play one game each and we started to win games and they were scoring.
“It’s then difficult for a manager for them to stay out and Pat to play. The only thing you can say is to continue to work and Pat did fantastic. He never gave up. He worked hard, waited for the opportunity and now Kel is okay but he has to wait. It is what it is. We try the best solution for the team, not because I don’t want a player.”
Assessing the first half of 2023/24
At the half-way point of the campaign, things could not have gone much better for City, though Maresca was keen to outline that this does not mean they can rest on their laurels in such a busy period of fixtures.
“I’m very happy,” he added. “I didn’t expect when we started the season to be on this number of points after the first half, but I don’t think anyone expected that, because winning 19 of 23 games is not easy. It’s going to be more important the moment that we reach our target.
“We have many things that we need to improve. We are learning how to face teams when they sit back or high press. We need to continue in this way because we are almost in January.
“With the players, it’s very easy. They know I’m quite straight and quite clear. If I see that some of them drop, they don’t play. It’s like this, first of all, because the Club, the fans and the opponent all need respect, so you cannot drop.
“Now we take some days because we have no time to sit and think. We have a game in two days and then a game in two days and another in two days. Probably in January we will have more time to sit and to think about the amount of points we have and what we need.
“In this moment, we have an amount of points which means we can continue to go with the same intensity to continue to win games. If we can reach our target as soon as possible, then that’s better. There’s no step back, absolutely not, because the season is still long.”