- The Foxes defender has been pleased with the way his side have acquitted themselves at the back in recent outings
- Simpson credited City for the way they have adapted to different formations this term
- Claudio Ranieri’s men face Chelsea in the Premier League at King Power Stadium on Saturday (5.30pm kick-off)
Danny Simpson believes Leicester City’s improved ability to defend as a team has been pivotal in their upturn of form in recent weeks.
The Foxes welcome Chelsea to King Power Stadium on Saturday evening with the aim of extending their unbeaten run to four games in all competitions.
Conceding just once in their last three games, City face perhaps the toughest of tasks in keeping out Antonio Conte’s men – the Premier League’s third-highest scorers – but Simpson knows being defensively astute will go a long way in helping his side to produce a positive result.
The right back told LCFC TV: “Obviously we’ve kept a couple of clean sheets, so I think we’re defending as a team rather than individually. I think that has been one of the key areas because last season, we were really hard to beat.
“We know we’ve got the players in the team that can score goals and are match winners. For us, first a foremost, we should not want to concede goals. I feel that we’re a better team mentally as well if it’s 0-0 or we’re 1-0 up, rather than if we’re 1-0 down.
“For what we’re about, I think that is us. We defend from the front and we’re a unit, so we move together as a block across the pitch.
“I think that’s us and that’s what Leicester were last season. When we do get our chances, we’re going to score, so we want to keep that going.”
Claudio Ranieri opted for a three in midfield against Everton last time out and Simpson feels that City’s ability to adapt to a different system is evidence of the quality running through the squad.
Discussing last weekend’s formation, Simpson added: “It means as a defender, you’ve got a lot more protection. It was Wilf’s (Wilfred Ndidi) first game and he did really well. He looks good for the Club.
“It gives all of the back four protection and also it helps the other central midfields, because they can cover more ground as a three, rather than as a two.
“That means also that they have to help the lone striker out more, but it seemed to work and it’s nice to be able to play a few different systems and have different options.”