Prior to Saturday’s game, the Middlesbrough manager discusses Leicester City’s start to the season and their performances under new manager Enzo Maresca.
Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick believes Leicester City’s start to the Championship season and charge towards an immediate Premier League return is not as simple as they have made it appear.
City have set records in their superb run of results in the first few months of the season, and they have an 11-point cushion inside the automatic promotion places heading to the Riverside Stadium. The defeat to Leeds last time out culminated a nine-game winning streak.
City’s form has been overstated in some quarters because they have just returned from the Premier League and still have a plethora of quality players on their roster. Carrick believes it shouldn’t be because 13 wins in 15 games is not easy.
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“I’ve been hugely impressed with what they’ve done and how they’ve done it,” Boro manager Alex Neil said at a press conference ahead of Saturday’s game. “It isn’t easy.
“I think you can look at individuals and see that they’re largely a Premier League team and a Premier League club, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to drop down and put together the results they’ve done and play so well.” They deserve credit for that.
“They’re a good team, and we understand the challenge.” It’ll be a great football game, but it’ll be a big test for us. They’re in a good position in the league, they’re top, and rightly so given their recent run, but we approach it with the goal of being the best version of ourselves and winning.”
Carrick also praised Enzo Maresca for his contribution to City’s success thus far, saying the Italian’s influence can be seen in the way they play. He believes they will remain in the top two.
“It appears that teams coming down should bounce right back up if they keep a good portion of the squad together,” he added, “but it’s not always as simple as that.” I believe (Maresca) has done exceptionally well.
“You can clearly see how they want to play, and they’re very well coached, so a lot of work has gone into it.” He deserves credit for that.
“I’m confident they’ll be right there by the end of the season.” If they do not win the league, they will finish in the top two. I think they’ll be there or close by the end, but there’s still a long way to go.”
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