What an exhilarating season it has been to accompany Leicester City on their away matches. The supporters have been treated to exceptional team goals, swift counter-attacks, resilient defense, last-minute winners, and dominant performances. Most importantly, each away day has resulted in victory.
Securing three points at QPR has made City only the fifth team in the history of English football to win their first seven away games of a campaign. Harry Winks’ incredible winning goal and the post-match celebrations have undoubtedly made it the most memorable victory of the season.
During a recent interview with Enzo Maresca on BBC Radio 5 Live, Spanish journalist Guillem Balague asked whether the players were reprimanded for not celebrating passionately enough after the victory over Sunderland. Maresca chuckled and hesitated, perhaps unwilling to disclose what had occurred behind closed doors.
Maresca himself celebrated the victory with zeal. He approached the fans in the Kop and conducted their cheers, raising his arms to amplify the noise level. When asked about the meaning behind his post-match actions, he simply stated, “I was happy.”
Fast forward to the present, and City has just achieved a club record of winning nine consecutive league games. As the club celebrates its 139th birthday this week, this remarkable winning streak marks the pinnacle of their history. Maresca sought recognition for the historic and uncommon nature of this streak.
Instead of watching his players politely applaud the more than 2,500 City fans from a distance, Maresca led them over to get up close and personal with the supporters. The fans responded with resounding cheers and empowering chants, while the players jumped for joy, waving scarves above their heads. These were extraordinary scenes on a special day that will be etched in the memories of all those present.
Maresca takes not only his team’s style of play and opposition analysis seriously but also management of complacency. The days leading up to the game were dominated by the Italian coach emphasizing the importance of maintaining high standards despite facing a team that had suffered five consecutive defeats.
This management of complacency extends to celebrations as well. Finding the right balance is crucial. Maresca doesn’t want his team to go overboard as if they’ve already won the league, but he also doesn’t want them to treat victories casually. While City are favorites to win the division, they must never underestimate the significance of each triumph. Shrugging off victories would risk diminishing the squad’s intensity, determination, and passion, ultimately leading to defeat.
Every victory holds meaning for the players, regardless of how many they accumulate. Maresca understands this, and because of his awareness, no game this season will be easily forgotten by those who follow this record-setting team across the country.
Following City’s dominant defeat of Stoke, Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray acknowledged that sitting back and defending the penalty area against Maresca’s side was impossible. This explains his choice to adopt an ultra-aggressive approach, providing City with their toughest game of the season.
However, QPR chose to adopt a deep defensive strategy, which to some extent proved successful. Despite their poor form and the absence of available center-backs, QPR managed to limit City’s scoring opportunities.
Maresca is aware of this challenge. He previously stated that when his team trains against the club’s Under-21 squad, they often struggle to break them down. In the game against Stoke a few weeks ago, although City dominated possession, it wasn’t until the hour mark when Stoke pushed forward in search of a goal that clear-cut chances started to materialize.
Nevertheless, City’s performance against Stoke was superior to that against QPR. In both matches, City had around 75% possession, but their execution was sloppier at Loftus Road, resulting in a slower progression into attacking areas and an inability to tighten the pitch and increase pressure.
During the game against Stoke, City positioned themselves so high up the field that even their deepest player, Jannik Vestergaard, completed 34 passes inside or into the final third. However, at QPR, he managed just 12 passes of the same nature. Consequently, clear-cut chances were scarce.
Once the red card was shown, City pressed QPR all the way back into their own box, creating space on the edge, which Winks brilliantly capitalized on to score. Scoring from distance has become another weapon in Maresca’s arsenal.
The past week has highlighted that adopting an ultra-aggressive or ultra-defensive approach is the best tactic to attempt to halt City’s success, rather than settling for something in between. However, City continues to find a way to overcome these challenges.
The only thing missing from Winks’ City career was a goal, but it was only a matter of time. After only two shots in his first 10 Championship matches this season, he has now taken seven shots in his last four matches.
