Leicester City manager Marti Cifuentes has stressed that he and his team recognize how significant three points against Coventry City would be for the fans on Saturday afternoon.
City host their M69 rivals at the King Power Stadium this weekend aiming to secure 13 points from a potential 18. The clash with Coventry is the Foxes’ toughest encounter on paper so far this term after a relatively gentle start.
Previously, Leicester came from behind to defeat the Sky Blues in Enzo Maresca’s first match in charge. Two late strikes from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall gave the Foxes faithful the bragging rights – before Coventry ran out 3-1 winners at the CBS Arena.
In his pre-match press conference, Cifuentes was questioned about his enjoyment of local derbies and how his squad will handle such an event. “Players are human beings – and they will feel the atmosphere at the same time as everyone else,” he said.
“The most important thing for us is that we play with personality. We have some things that we want to improve every week and we must definitely improve in the coming weeks.”
He added: “The fact it’s a derby creates an extra good feeling if you manage to get those three points afterwards, there is no doubt about it. I do believe that the emotions around the game are not an exception when it’s a derby.
“I have learned that in English football, emotions are very important and have a big influence on the development of the game. One of the main things for me compared to other leagues is in England, you can be in the 90th minute, 2-0, and the game is still not over. So you really need to be aware that every small detail can change the mood in the stands and that can influence the game.
“I want my team to play with personality. It doesn’t matter what the result is, we will have the same approach to the game and sometimes it’s as basic as putting the ball on the ground and trying to play quick, if we lose the ball, regain it as quick as possible. I want my team to have the personality to do it no matter what happens, but we’re aware that Saturday, if we manage to get the three points, it’ll be a very good feeling for our fans and ourselves.”
Cifuentes also applauded the supporters for their encouragement and assistance in the first five fixtures of the season. The Spaniard has previously highlighted the connection between the fan base and players as crucial to any achievement this campaign.
“I’m extremely happy with the way the fans have been helping us,” Cifuentes explained. “I’ve been saying that in games away, last week against Oxford, they were really helping and supporting us in a difficult scenario.
“I think they could see that, despite being one man down in the second-half, we really tried our best to try to win the game and we weren’t just trying to park the bus and expect something to happen but the opposite.
“We were trying to be proactive and they were enjoying that. Then we probably shared the same feeling that we weren’t happy with not getting the three points. So far they have been really good.
“The last game here against Birmingham, the atmosphere was very strong and good. I’m sure there’s more to come. I think they see a team that is honest, a team that’s willing to perform and play better, I’m aware of that.
“Hopefully we can keep growing. What I see is they value the fact that we’re a team that cares and we’re trying our best with our strengths and weaknesses at the moment. But in this process, they will be very important.”