Leicester City icon sends 'complacency' warning amid Leeds United promotion pressure

Former Leicester City defender Christian Fuchs has hinted that complacency may have drifted into Enzo Maresca's squad when their lead at the top of the Championship was at its peak.

Leicester looked to have all but guaranteed their return to the Premier League by the turn of the year after opening up a significant gap between themselves and the other three promotion candidates. The Foxes were top for 176 days and enjoyed an 11-point gap to second-place but saw that wiped out in less than a month.

Leeds United were 17 points behind the league leaders at one point but 12 wins in a 13-game unbeaten run saw them climb into first after beating Millwall 2-0 on Sunday. That rise was helped by Leicester winning just one of their last five and Premier League title-winner Fuchs has urged them to return to the basics in order to get over the line.

“The way I think about that is if you ever think you are safe at any stage of the season, with however many points you have as a cushion, you can run the risk of becoming complacent and doing things you didn't do before when you were in a good moment,” Fuchs told Sky Sports. “Maybe not going the extra mile, maybe trying to do fancy things rather than focusing on what is needed and keeping it simple. 

“I have no inside knowledge but I'm sure Maresca has a clear thought on how to get his team refocused, maybe looking back to old things they've done so far this season and getting them going for the final stages. I believe at any stage of the season, whatever situation you're in, you can set new internal targets for the team just to keep them going. 

“Everybody knows what is at stake. Maresca has given Leicester the tools to play in a dominant way but now it's on the players to use it to get the club back onto the right track. Also bear in mind, Leicester has a game in hand. I think it will turn out in their favour but they have to go back to basics and work hard as a unit.”