Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca sends Leeds United message to fans amid recent setbacks

Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca has namechecked Leeds United when discussing his side's style of play. The Foxes have been superb so far this season, but they have suffered a couple of setbacks over recent games.

Leicester lost just one of their first 14 games, but they then lost two on the bounce, with Leeds taking all three points at the King Power Stadium, while Middlesbrough also went on to get the better of the newly-relegated East Midlands side - thanks to a stunning free-kick from Whites loanee Sam Greenwood. Those defeats mean the Foxes are now level on points with second placed Ipswich Town, while they are eight points ahead of Leeds in third.

Though, that gap has eroded by six points in the last two games alone, and that has led to some concerns about Leicester's refusal to adapt to a different style of play in certain games. But their manager, Maresca, is committed to sticking to his style, and he has told fans who don't like it to watch Leeds or Plymouth if they want to see transitional football. “For me, since I’ve arrived, I’ve tried to let them understand the way we want to play. I know that’s not easy in terms of sometimes they like more transition games," he has said, as quoted by LeicestershireLive.

“But if you want to see a transition game, don’t come to see Leicester. You want transitions, go to see Liverpool. They are the kings, the best in the world, fantastic. If you like this, probably in the Championship the first two teams for transition are Leeds and Plymouth.

“If you love this kind of football, no problem. But we tried to let them understand the way we’re going to play. We need them close, and what the players are creating is fantastic.”

Speaking about the Foxes fans generally, he said: "What I can say is they are fantastic because they support us, especially when we play away. We have this kind feeling, like at Southampton, Norwich, and QPR, that was amazing at the end. “This is a club that in the last 10 years has achieved the most important English targets: Premier League, FA Cup, Community Shield. It’s not 100 years ago, it’s in the last 10 years. At the same time they are relegated. This must be a sad feeling.

“Now they need a boost to come back. That’s why I’m pushing sometimes, after QPR for instance, the players to go close to the fans, because now they need to feel this love, to be close. They need that. We all know that football without fans is nothing. We realised this three years ago with Covid. So the fans, they are the main part of each club.”