Unite a downbeat squad, sort out a shaky defence and get a tune out of James Maddison and Jamie Vardy… what new boss Dean Smith MUST do in his late rescue act to save Leicester from relegation
- Dean Smith was appointed as the new Leicester City manager on Monday
- The former Aston Villa and Norwich coach will have a long list of tasks at hand
- Here, Sportsmail takes a look at four different things he’ll need to implement
When new Leicester boss Dean Smith led Aston Villa to safety from a near-hopeless position three years ago, he repeated the same expression: We’re playing tournament football. The phrase hit home.
The Premier League campaign had resumed after the three-month pause due to coronavirus and teams had cram their remaining games into a 37-day period between June and July. Rather than a league season, it felt like a knockout competition.
Villa were seven points adrift of safety with four to play but gathered eight points from those remaining games to stay above the line by a point. It remains one of Smith’s finest achievements.
After Saturday’s trip to Manchester City, Leicester face fellow strugglers Wolves, Leeds and Everton, before taking on a Fulham side in decline. Time for more tournament football.
Here, Sportsmail looks at the key issues facing Smith as he tries to keep Leicester in the league.
Leicester City confirmed the appointment of Dean Smith as manager until the end of May
Smith will be tasked with saving the Foxes’ season, amid their Premier League relegation battle
UNITE THE SQUAD
Smith’s toughest and most important task. Eight Leicester players are out of contract at the end of the season and cannot be as invested in this quest as others.
Then there are players like James Maddison and Harvey Barnes, who know they will likely be sold if Leicester are relegated.
How does Smith revive those who had a strained relationship with former boss Brendan Rodgers, notably Caglar Soyuncu – one of those out of contract – and Jannik Vestergaard?
Leicester are a disparate bunch lacking collective spirit. To have any chance of succeeding in his mission, Smith must bring them together again.
SORT OUT THE DEFENCE
Leicester have not kept a clean sheet in the Premier League since their 2-0 win at West…