I’m Excited To Be Back, Says Popov
- Leicester City Under-21s face Fulham on Friday evening (7pm kick-off)
- The Premier League 2 Division 1 fixture is to be played at Motspur Park
- City’s youngsters were beaten 3-1 by Tottenham Hotspur last time out
- Chris Popov believes the team have prepared well in training
The young Foxes have had a tough season, currently holding up the rest of Premier League 2 Division 1, and were most recently beaten 3-1 by Tottenham Hotspur two weeks ago.
Now back in league action, City travel to the capital to take on the fifth-placed Cottagers as the fight for points intensifies. However, forward Popov believes the squad have put in the hard hours to make a difference on the pitch.
“We don’t like losing games,” the striker told LCFC.com. “That’s normal for everyone, not just us. From looking back at the Spurs game over the week, we’ve identified what we’ve done well and what we’ve done bad.
“There were some good parts of our game, but there’s also parts we need to improve on, especially some of the goals that we conceded. As a group we’ve made it clear it’s something we’re not happy about.
Highlights - Tottenham Hotspur U21s 3 Leicester City U21s 1
Extended highlights as Leicester City's Development Squad were beaten in Premier League 2 Division 1 action at Lamex Stadium.
“But training has been good, I have been away on international duty but from the session I’ve been involved with it’s been promising. The coaches have backed us, and one loss isn’t going to change anything. We’re excited for tomorrow’s game and we feel like we can perform."
Despite the loss to Tottenham, which saw Joe Wormleighton score a second-half consolation goal, there was one positive for the individual who made his first appearance back on the pitch after five months out with injury.
“It’s good to be back with the lads,” the Wales youth international forward continued. “It’s what I’ve been waiting for the past five months. Watching from the sidelines has been difficult as I’m always inching to get on. It was good to get those minutes and hopefully I can get more against Fulham to help the team in a positive way.
“The support that the coaching staff have shown me has helped me come back stronger as an individual too. I just want to get on the pitch and help however I can. I’m excited to be back.”
Fulham have 30 points from the first 20 games of the 2022/23 campaign, which included a 4-3 win against Spurs in early March, when goals from Devan Tanton and Charlie Robinson inspired a second-half comeback.
The London club were, however, beaten more recently against Brighton & Hove Albion, and Leicester’s Popov explains that the squad have analysed Friday's opponents to look for downfalls in their performances.
He added: “We’re preparing in the same way that we do for every game. We look at some clips of the opposition to see what’s good about them and what areas we can exploit.
“Our analysts identify those areas and we put it into practice on the pitch. We’ve been working hard on that during training, so that we can have our impact on the game. I don’t think it makes a difference whether we’re playing someone that’s first, fifth or bottom, we prepare the same for every game.
“As I said, no one likes losing but Ben [Petty] is always pushing us hard and leading training so that we can improve. If we keep developing each day, like I believe we are, then results will come."
With six games remaining this season, and the Foxes currently nine points adrift, City will be in need of three points, as a difficult season draws towards its conclusion.
“Based off the back of last season, when I was flying, it’s been a bit of a tough year,” Popov admitted. “It started well but got halted by injury. I think I’ve developed well as a player, but maybe not in the exact way I thought I would have.
“Off the pitch, I feel like I’ve matured, and I’m still finding ways to improve myself, even though I’ve been out quite a long time. I’ve learnt some tough lessons, but I feel like I’ve come out of it as a better person and a better player. With the support of the staff, I feel like I’ve developed this year, even if not in the way I imagined I would. It’s onwards and upwards from here.”
All times BST.