Dewsbury-Hall: Progress Still To Come
- Leicester City welcome Leeds United on Friday evening
- The fixture at King Power Stadium has a kick-off of 8pm GMT
- City remain top of the Sky Bet Championship with 39 points
- The Foxes beat QPR 2-1 last time out
City have broken several records already this season, as their fantastic start to the 2023/24 Sky Bet Championship campaign continued with a 2-1 away win at QPR – which saw City claim their seventh straight victory on the road.
Dewsbury-Hall has played a big part in the Club’s resurgence this season, with 11 goal involvements already, and says that his position under Italian Manager Maresca is allowing him to take pride in his work.
“I’m really enjoying my football,” the midfielder stated. “It’s difficult not to when you’ve won 13 out of 14, and that’s credit to everybody; the players, the Manager, everyone. It’s about continuing to work hard, not letting anything disrupt the flow, and if I can keep adding goals and assists to my game then, come the end of the season, we could be in a good place.
“He [Maresca] has had a massive influence. From the minute he came in, he said exactly what he wants. He’s got his own philosophy and style of football, and if you’re going to rebrand how you play, then that’s what you need.
QPR 1 Leicester City 2
Extended highlights from a dramatic but profitable trip to west London for Leicester City, who sealed a 2-1 win over Queens Park Rangers.
“I love to play football under him, dominating the ball, getting into pockets to create chances, and that’s what he’s all about. So, it’s just about picking his brains and learning from his passion – he never stops talking about football."
With only one loss from their opening 14 games, Leicester are enjoying one of their best runs in history, but the Englishman confirms that Leicester will not rest on their laurels and are working hard each day in training to ensure this winning form continues.
He added: “It would be naive of us to be getting ahead of ourselves this early on when there’s still such a long way to go. That could be your downfall, and a lot of players are experienced enough to know what can happen in this league. We have a game every week, sometimes twice, and the next one is all we focus on.
“They’re tough games (against QPR), because like you said, they’re fighting for every point. They’re going to sit in deep blocks and fight for every ball, so it’s satisfying that we did manage to break them down.
“I’m really happy for Winksy [Harry Winks], because it’s his first goal for a while and it’s an important one. Seeing that away end was mad – it’s memories like that that you remember but, at the end of the day, it’s another three points and we move onto the next one."
The Leicestershire-born midfielder has already scored more goals this season than in his previous two Premier League campaigns, and went on to explain how he is looking to develop his skillset.
Under the influence of a manager who plays a desirable brand of football to the No.22, he is accepting further responsibilities in the team and is keen to learn as much as he can from the former Manchester City coach.
“I came into this season, asking what I wanted from myself, and I wanted more responsibilities,” Dewsbury-Hall explained. “I wanted to have a bigger role in the team and the respect of my team-mates.
“The celebration at the weekend was one example, where I try and keep the players calm and make sure we don’t pick up any yellow cards and remain focused on the game.
“They [Leeds] were a Premier League team last season, and still have a lot of players with them who have individual qualities, so it’s going to be a tough test. They’re on a good run now, but so are we.
“We’ve been on the training pitch, we’ve got a gameplan and we’re confident that we can implement that. We’re looking for three points and to keep the train moving.”
Maresca’s possession-based football has taken the Championship by storm, and the new style of play is becoming recognisable with the Foxes’ faithful, but Dewsbury-Hall announced that there is more to come from Leicester.
“We haven’t even scratched the surface yet with Enzo,” he remarked. “He’s got so many ideas. You might be seeing new things – we know that Leeds are an aggressive team, but we’ve got tricks up our sleeve and things that we can do to catch them out, and I’m sure you’ll see some of these things on Friday night.
“I feel like if we continue to do what we do then something special can be achieved here. But I like the humility of everyone here, and nobody is getting ahead of themselves. Everyone is always so focused, and that’s the most impressive thing.
“If we continue doing what we’re doing, then something special could happen. It’s about keeping your head on the floor, staying grounded and taking it step by step and keeping your foot on the gas.”