I don’t care what fans think, says Maresca
ENZO MARESCA took aim at Leicester’s doubting fans after a convincing win at Stoke sent his side 11 points clear at the top of the table and 12 clear of third-placed Leeds.
‘If some of the fans aren’t sure or convinced, it doesn’t matter to me. The performance was very good today and that experience will make us better,’ he said.
There have been rumblings that the Maresca style, albeit a winning one, has not been universally welcomed by fans and the Foxes boss said, after the midweek win over Swansea, that he would be gone ‘the next day’ if his brand of football was not appreciated.
But yesterday the fans sang his name and unfurled a banner proclaiming ‘In Enzo we trust’ at the end, after frustrated Stoke fans had left in droves after the Potters’ worst home defeat in 26 years.
Maresca said: ‘I’ve always said our fans are unbelievable but at home, some are probably not convinced. It doesn’t matter, it’s closed now. Perhaps this result will help.
‘I don’t like it when people hurt the players because I know the effort that they’re making to bring this club back to the Premier League. Since the start, I see the way that they’re working, and I know that they’re doing everything they can.
‘I’m very happy with the result and the clean sheet, especially with the first half-an-hour; that was very good and we played the way that we like to play.
‘The reason we won like that was the opposition played exactly how we expected.’
Leicester might as well arrange the open-top bus now, because promotion looks certain for a Foxes side bristling with Premier Leaguestandard players. They were in control throughout against a Stoke side who have not won a Championship game at home since October, despite appointingnew manager Steven Schumacher in December.
This was Schumacher’s second heavy defeat at the hands of Leicester this season: he suffered a 4-0 reverse when he was Plymouth manager.
Maresca’s side dominated the early stages and went ahead after 27 minutes when Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall forced his way past two challenges and crossed for Abdul Fatawu, back from a threematch ban. The Ghanaian headed the ball across the face of goal for Patson Daka, who scored with a simple tap-in.
Leicester added a second when Kasey McAteer’s 20-yard shot took a vicious deflection off Ben Wilmot to leave Jack Bonham stranded. McAteer was lucky not to be sent off when he shoved Stoke captain Wouter Burger but Leicester added a third when Daka scored with a 64th-minute penalty after Wout Faes was bundled over by Jordan Thompson.
Jamie Vardy had the last word, coming on as a 70th-minute substitute and scoring the fourth before scoring with a penalty in the eighth minute of stoppage time.
Schumacher said: ‘We made it too easy for them. We weren’t aggressive enough and didn’t have belief. But Leicester were too good.
‘Blackburn’s going to be a big game at the weekend.
‘We need to get the players ready for it. We have to react, and we won’t go away and sulk.’