Maresca: They Give Everything
- Enzo Maresca praises Leicester City's application after a 2-0 win at Cardiff City
- The Foxes won six of their seven Sky Bet Championship matches in December
- They're eight points clear at the top of the table
- Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and James Justin netted in the Welsh capital
A sixth win in seven December matches leaves the Foxes top of the Sky Bet Championship, eight points clear of second-placed Ipswich Town, as goals from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and James Justin wrapped up the points in Wales.
It's been an incredible month for City, who are also 11 points ahead of third, and Maresca was eager to praise the application of his squad as well as their quality. Friday's success was their 20th victory in 25 league matches in 2023/24.
"It was nice, I’m very happy," Maresca said at full-time in Cardiff. "Especially for the players, they did an unbelievable effort in two away games in a row. In this moment, with this amount of games, to be honest, we need to appreciate their efforts – also the fans' [effort] – because they gave everything.
"It’s easy to drop, not because you want to drop, but because they are human beings. They can be tired but they are fighting, they are giving everything. This is the most important thing for us as a Club, for me as a Manager, and also for the fans.
"They have to be happy to see players fighting and wanting to win every game."
After seeing the Foxes denied all three points at Ipswich on Boxing Day, Maresca was pleased that Leicester were able to find a second goal at Cardiff City Stadium. The quality of Justin's finish also attracted praise from the Manager.
"It was a great goal from JJ," the Italian added. "I’m happy for him because he deserves it. All of them deserve a win. In this kind of game, if you score the second goal, probably the game is going in the right direction.
"You need the second one. Overall, in this moment, I think we controlled the game."
Kelechi Iheanacho, meanwhile, was not included in the squad on Friday, with Maresca offering an update on the Nigerian: "He had a muscular problem some days ago. We’ll see now how he is and if he can be okay for the next one."