Leicester City’s stars painted the town red – or at least they partied in manager Enzo Maresca’s house – after their promotion to the Premier League was secured.
Their immediate return to the top flight was confirmed on Friday night when QPR smashed promotion challengers Leeds United 4-0.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall filmed a video from Maresca’s house as the squad jubilated in their newfound Premier League status.
It was reminiscent of when Jamie Vardy hosted a kitchen party as the Foxes watched Chelsea hold Tottenham to a 2-2 draw in May 2016, securing Leicester’s historic title.
And while Maresca hosted on this occasion, Vardy was critical in Leicester’s final push for ascension, as revealed by Marc Albrighton.
Vardy called a meeting for Leicester City players and gave a pep talk to galvanise their promotion push, Albrighton says.
They had lost back-to-back games to Millwall and Plymouth in April, potentially jeopardising their automatic promotion spot, but have beaten West Brom 2-1 and Southampton 5-0 since Vardy’s meeting.
‘It was Vards who called the meeting. A lot more players spoke up than I thought would have. There was a lot of honesty,’ Albrighton told talkSPORT.
‘It was a big conversation about what this [promotion] meant. What it would mean to the club. Every player has got a reason why they want to be back in the Premier League.
‘We felt sometimes over the course of, especially the second half of the season, the lads seemed to not want to take certain risks [in possession].
‘We’ve got some incredible players in the squad. We’ve got some real talent, especially the wingers. Their strength is running at players, getting past them, and getting balls into the box.
‘So we told them to go and do that. Don’t turn out, make sure you express that freedom – I think maybe they lost a little bit of confidence during the season, with the defeats and stuff, but they’ve been absolutely brilliant for us, so it was just getting back to that.’
Vardy, 37, and Albrighton, 34, were key players in Leicester’s 2016 Premier League title win and have been able to transmit their experience to the current crop.
While Vardy’s pep talk can be seen as an important moment, his form throughout the season deserves highlighting.
He has managed 18 goals this season, 16 in the league. It is an astonishing record for any player of his age. His knack for goalscoring his not faded.
Leave a Reply