'It's A Long Race' – Maresca's Level-Headed Approach
The Tractor Boys are due on Filbert Way on Monday for a showdown with a City side who currently lead them by seven points at the Sky Bet Championship's apex.
Naturally, that gap could be extended to 10 points, dip to four, or remain exactly the same by the end of 90 minutes in the East Midlands. Maresca, though, says consistently high performances over all games is what will see City earn promotion.
Speaking on Thursday, the Italian offered his thoughts on the clash with Kieran McKenna's high-flying Town outfit...
'We move on'
Maresca says last weekend's loss at Coventry City has been swiftly shelved in the minds of his players, who remain totally focused on the challenge of taking on Ipswich at King Power Stadium.
Asked if there was anything concerning about the late reversal of fortunes in a game which saw Abdul Fatawu sent off in the first half, the former Parma manager said: "Absolutely not. We were with 10 players, so it’s normal. It’s a shame because, until the goal they scored, we didn’t concede any chances. Probably the one was the header. It’s Coventry, a good team, and we were with 10 players. In the last 10 minutes, unfortunately, we lost the game, but we’ll move on.
"Complacency is not something we’re allowed to do. There are still 19 games and many points to play for. In this moment, we are 10 points from third. It’s not about complacency. We’ll play game by game and, in the end, we’ll see where we are. If we think we are not going to lose a game where we are with 10 players from the first half, it’s always complicated. We just go game by game.
"Immediately after the game was not the best, simply because we lost the game. We move on. I don’t think there is any problem to lose a game like we did last week. Nobody was happy, but then after two days, we started to think about the Ipswich game."
'Many games to go'
Maresca acknowledges that securing three points on Monday would be a big achievement for his Foxes side, but also pointed to the other 54 which will still be available from the remaining Championship matches.
On the gameplan he expects from Ipswich, he said: "The same game they played at home. They are used to playing the same game at home and away. More or less it’ll be a similar game to the one we played on Boxing Day. They are an unbelievable team. You can see, from last year, what they have done – last year and this year. The good thing about them is that they are working with the same manager and the same idea for a long time. That helps a lot. What they do, they do fantastically. You can see that they know exactly what they have to do in every game. This is an important thing."
Asked about the prospect of going 10 points clear, Maresca smiled and said: "We can also go to four points. From now to the end, it’s always a game or a chance where you can go more, the same, or less points [clear]. It means nothing. If we go to 10 points, we still have 18 games left to play. If we maintain the same distance, it’s the same – 18 games to go. If we [lose], it’ll be exactly the same. It’s a long race but we are happy in the position we are in now. We know all the games are going to be important. For sure, I prefer to win, but there’s still many games to go."