‘We Need To Instil Confidence & Belief’
Smith, the former Brentford, Aston Villa and Norwich City manager, is in charge at King Power Stadium until the end of the season – involving eight games which will define the Club’s divisional status after nine consecutive years in England’s top flight.
That run is under considerable threat, with City sitting 19th in the table on 25 points, two adrift of safety. Smith will be assisted by former Leicester assistant and manager Craig Shakespeare – a key part of the Club’s rise from the third tier to Premier League champions – alongside legendary ex-Chelsea and England captain John Terry.
“If it was something that I thought was unsurmountable, I wouldn’t have come – and Shakey and JT wouldn’t have come also,” Smith explained in Seagrave on Monday. “We’re looking forward to the challenge, but we know it’s going to be tough. We’ll be putting demands on the players and on ourselves. We’ll be spending every minute of every day making sure we work hard to keep this Football Club in the Premier League.”
The Foxes urgently need to start putting points on the board if they are to survive. After analysing Leicester’s most recent fixture – a deeply disappointing 1-0 home reverse to AFC Bournemouth on Saturday – Smith believes he knows what they require from their new manager.
“There looked to be a lack of confidence,” he explained. “There was some lethargy as well, which we have to get out of the players. We need to instil confidence, instil belief and obviously give them tactical plans and be adaptable for each game we play. As I say, all three of us believe we can do that. We believe we can come in and give the players a lift, give them some fresh ideas, and make sure they run hard, work hard and have a good tactical plan to go and win football matches. As I squad, I believe they’re fully capable of doing that.”
“As a package, the three of us, it’s a good package. I’ve been in this situation before at my previous club, Aston Villa, with 10 games to go at the end of a season. Craig is an outstanding assistant manager, as everyone at this Football Club knows. He’s done it here previously, keeping a team up. JT is an outstanding defensive coach, but he also brings vast experience of the Premier League, playing at the elite levels. Each of the three of us will bring something that the players can tap into I’m sure.”
Sticking together and fighting this battle as one will be absolutely key, Smith says, as Leicester look to climb away from the serious threat of relegation. From past visits to Filbert Way, the 52-year-old is well aware of what the Club’s supporters are capable of when they’re in full flight.
“Togetherness is going to be the biggest thing that can help us get out of this,” he added. “That’s inclusive of the supporters. Every time I’ve been to the King Power, they’ve been the 12th man. That’s what we have to use. We can’t get away from the fact that we’re in a tough position at the moment. It’s going to take a lot of hard work to get out of that. The one thing I’ve learned from experience is that there’ll be ups and downs throughout these eight games as well. One thing I’ll be is consistent in my approach with the players. I know, from experience, with Shakey and JT, they will be as well. The supporters can be sure that the demands we put on the players will be put on ourselves as well. We’ll spend every minute until the last game of the season to make sure we achieve our ambitions.
“The fans can play a massive role. We’ve all seen how tough it can be to come to King Power Stadium and we need to make it tough for every team that comes there. It’s never easy when your team is in a precarious position like it is at the moment, but we have to stick together and I believe we will.”
Smith also offered an insight into the tactical tweaks which he intends to introduce – alongside some of the non-negotiables he will expect from the players.
“It’s a great opportunity for myself, for Shakey and for JT,” Smith said. “We’ve got eight games in six weeks to save the season. We’ll be spending every minute working with the players and working on the plans with the staff to make sure we can do that. We’ve got to make sure we’re competitive in every game we play. That’s the only way you can drive success and that mentality. We need to try and change that mentality now.
“We have to be tough to beat and work very hard without the ball and make sure it’s hard for the opponents to get into our defensive areas. We’ve got to be a little bit brighter with the ball as well and look to break lines quickly. I feel that we have got players who can go and hurt teams when we break lines quickly. Any team is tough to break down when there’s 11 men behind the ball, so we have to break lines quickly and play with pace.”