Nigel Pearson refuses to throw in towel in Leicester survival battle
Friday 20 March 2015 13:48, UK
Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson insists his side should not be written off in the battle to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
The Foxes head to Tottenham on Saturday still rooted to the bottom of the table and seven points adrift of safety with 10 games remaining.
They have won just once in their last 10 league games but Pearson believes they can still stay up as long as their form improves.
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He said: "It's still a big task for us and with the points we have on the board and shift in form we have to achieve there won't be too many people who share my beliefs.
"The players remain very upbeat and 10 games left is still a sizeable chunk and we have to make sure it's a successful 10 games.
"We have to make sure we remain in touch and that our destiny stays in our own hands. That's what we have to try to do. We have 10 games left, six of them at home.
"Our home form has not been what we would have liked but if we get into the latter stages, with four or five games at home, in contact it's something we can be relatively positive about."
The Foxes have drawn a blank in their last two games with nine-goal top scorer Leonardo Ulloa failing to net in his last six outings, since Leicester beat Tottenham 2-1 in the FA Cup in January.
"We've not really created enough in some games but we could also rue missed chances and if we wanted to we could bemoan ill fortune with some decisions," added Pearson.
"That's where we are. There's always quite an honest recognition of where we are. For sure we have to get back to being more ruthless in front of goal but we have a belief in the players we have we can make progress."
Dean Hammond (calf) and Anthony Knockaert (personal reasons) are out for Leicester who are aiming to avenge a 2-1 home league defeat on Boxing Day.
They will face Harry Kane after the Spurs striker earned his first England senior call-up on Thursday.
Kane spent four months on loan at the King Power - scoring two goals - in 2013 and Pearson believes his selection is deserved.
"It's been, for a lot of people, quite unexpected but he has had a fantastic season so far," he said.
"It's a positive story for English football and he has made incredible progress. He has worked hard on his game and forced his way into the best 11 on the back of European form earlier in the season. I'm pleased for him. He is a likeable young man."
