Leicester City’s hopes for direct promotion to the Premier League suffered another blow as they fell to a defeat against 18th-placed Plymouth Argyle in their recent Championship fixture on Saturday.
Despite dominating possession with 70%, the Foxes failed to convert it into a victory, succumbing to a narrow 1-0 defeat, marking their second consecutive defeat. Last Tuesday, they were defeated by Millwall with the same scoreline.
Although the weekend offered a silver lining for Leicester as other title contenders faltered: Leeds United suffered a 1-0 loss as well, and Ipswich Town could only manage a draw.
The Foxes currently hold the 2nd position with 88 points, trailing Ipswich at the top and leading Leeds by a single point in the standings. However, a victory in their recent match could have solidified their position.
Leicester players slammed for lack of commitment
Former Leicester winger Matt Piper rightfully criticised the players for their lack of commitment to winning the league.
Speaking on BBC Radio Leicester, the pundit criticised certain Foxes’ players for showing a “casual arrogance” in their performance against Plymouth.
He highlighted the lack of determination compared to Plymouth’s evident passion and desire to avoid relegation.
He said:
“I thought there was a casual arrogance to certain players’ performances.
“They just seemed that they are going to turn up at 20th in the table Plymouth Argyle and roll them over.
“But that wasn’t the case as they showed a lot more fight, passion and desire to stay in the league than we did to go and win the league.”
Enzo Maresca’s side really needs to step up in the final stretch of the season, otherwise, they could risk being involved in the play-offs, as only the top two finishing sides secure direct promotion to the English top flight.