Set The Tempo, Says Maguire

First Team
28 Dec 2018
2 Minutes
Harry Maguire wants Leicester City to stamp their authority on Saturday’s Premier League encounter with Cardiff City at King Power Stadium.

- Harry Maguire says Leicester City must dictate play against Cardiff City on Saturday
- The Foxes have beaten Chelsea and Manchester City in the space of just five days
- Live commentary of the game can be found on LCFC Radio from 1pm GMT

Following two brilliant wins against Chelsea and Manchester City, the Foxes have moved up to seventh in the table at the Premier League’s midway point.

During those fixtures, City expected to concede the majority of possession, but Maguire believes his side must try and dominate the game against Neil Warnock’s men.

“When you play against the top six teams, they generally have more of the ball and dictate the tempo of the game,” Maguire said. “I think it’ll be the other way round on Saturday where we feel that we should be on the front foot.

“We’re at home and we should be setting the tempo. It’s the Premier League and they’re a top team, so they’re going to make it very difficult for us. We know that if we don’t do things right, then it’ll be a difficult afternoon.

“We’re going to have our hands full. We know as a defence playing against Callum Paterson, we played against him at their place earlier on in the year and the boys did really well against him.

“We know it’s going to be a tough game, they’re going to throw people forward at us and they’re going to be strong in a defensive block. They’ve picked up a lot of good results this year, so we’re going to have to be at our best to beat them.”

They’re going to be a strong, physical team and they’ll have a solid defensive base. We know it’s going to be a tough game and they’ve got some good players as well.

Harry Maguire

The England international defender expects Cardiff to be a difficult side to break down following their goalless draw at Crystal Palace on Boxing Day.

Maguire continued: “Their message this season will be to compete in every game they play in and I think that’s exactly what they’re doing. You very rarely see them out of many games.

“A couple of days ago, they got a good result at Crystal Palace and that will bring a lot of confidence into the team. They’ve been really strong at home as well and you know what you’re going to get from a team like Cardiff.

“They’re going to be a strong, physical team and they’ll have a solid defensive base. We know it’s going to be a tough game and they’ve got some good players as well.”