Leicester City not taking anything for granted, says Jonny Evans
Leicester City are not taking anything for granted heading into the business end of the season, says Jonny Evans.
The Foxes are currently placed third in the Premier League table with 50 points from 26 games, just one behind Manchester City – who they face next – and nine above fourth-placed Chelsea.
With 12 games and 36 points to play for and Leicester’s closest rivals, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, not looking like they can be any more threatening than they are, many would argue that a UEFA Champions League spot should be earned with relative ease from hereon.
However, that is not how Evans thinks as the Irishman believes it can all change very quickly.
"“The league can change so quickly in my experience over the years,” added Evans, with Leicester 10 points clear of fifth, and 11 ahead of sixth.“We’re not taking anything for granted ourselves. There’s a lot of teams coming close now. It’s up to us to see that out.”"
Leicester face City next, who have been hit with an astonishing two-year ban from European football for breaching UEFA’s financial fair play rules.
If the ban is upheld even after the Citizens have lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, it would mean that the fifth-placed team in the league takes the final UCL spot.
It obviously gives Leicester some sort of cushion of comfort but Evans does not want matters to come to that. Therefore, he has asked his side to simply look ahead and try to finish above the reigning champions. Good idea, that.
"“For us, we’re trying to look forward, we’re trying to look above us.“We’re looking at Man City themselves, the fact that we play them in our next game. It’s a big game for us in terms of the last game, away from home, we didn’t feel like we acquitted ourselves well. Now we’re at our place.“We want to try to get above them in the league and as close to Liverpool as we can. We’re not looking behind us.“Champions League football for us this year is a big incentive. And coming up against Man City, we want to beat them, it’s important we try to get ahead of them in the league.”"
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The last time the two met, Leicester were beaten all ends up at the Etihad Stadium. Riyad Mahrez was the destroyer-in-chief that night. It would be interesting to see whether he can give Ben Chilwell the fantods again, this time at the King Power Stadium.