Just win – Dean Smith keeps Leicester message simple ahead of crunch final day
Leicester boss Dean Smith has said his message to his players ahead of their all-or-nothing game with West Ham on Sunday will simply be “just win”. The Foxes have to win and hope that Everton cannot beat Bournemouth if they are to avoid relegation to the Championship. Smith, who was parachuted in on an eight-game SOS mission following the sacking of Brendan Rodgers, says that what happens at the King Power Stadium against the Hammers is the only thing the Foxes need to focus on. He said: “We have got to win the game plainly and simply, we have got to figure out and balance the best way to not give big chances away and create big chances against West Ham, who are in a European final and after a tough first half of the season have climbed away from danger and have got a very good manager there. “We have to win the game and not look at the Everton result until after the game. We have to do our job and see where it takes us. “We can only control what we can do. We have to control our performance, help your team-mates out and go and get a good performance and a win. “If we do our part we are looking at other people to help us, but we have to make sure we concentrate on what we do. It’s quite a simple message really and the lads have trained well so far. “The players want clarity of what their positions are, what we are asking of them and our job is to give them that. It doesn’t get any clearer for me: They have to win. That’s all they need to know and that’s all they do know. “We just have to concentrate on our own game. It’s simplistic, we have to win, it doesn’t matter what is going on at other grounds. Just win. “Whatever else is going on elsewhere we are not in control of. But we have seen how quickly things can change around in the last 15 minutes of games, whether it is this season or previous seasons. We win our games and then see where it goes.” Smith did not want to discuss his future beyond Sunday’s game, insisting that there will be a post-season debrief. Asked whether the outcome of the match will impact his future, Smith added: “Not at all, my future was to come in for seven weeks and eight games and that hasn’t change. My future is exactly the same. That is a question to have after the game and not before it.” The Foxes will be without Caglar Soyuncu, but Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Jonny Evans and Ricardo Pereira will all be fit. Wilfred Ndidi is a doubt with a hamstring injury. “Caglar is not fit, he has tried to get himself back into training this week but he just felt it, obviously it was too close but the fact he wanted to push it to be in contention shows a lot about his character. He’s definitely out,” Smith said. “Dewsbury-Hall is good, he’s been training with us for a couple of days now, so he’ll be available for selection. “(Kelechi) Iheanacho is fine, Jonny Evans had cramp he’s fine. Ricky we scanned him and he is fine, Wilf is the only question mark at the moment, we are waiting to see if he is good enough to train tomorrow.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Sean Dyche is not concerned with Everton potentially looking for his replacement David Moyes: West Ham’s Gianluca Scamacca to miss Europa Conference League final Scott Carson commits to Manchester City with new 12-month deal
2023-05-26 21:42
'No One Will Save You's twisty ending, explained
Brian Duffield's No One Will Save You dropped on Hulu last weekend and, whether you
2023-09-28 19:05
Erik ten Hag confirms return of two key players from injury for trip to Galatasaray
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has confirmed the return of two players from injury ahead of Wednesday's trip to Galatasaray in the Champions League.
2023-11-28 22:00
For a diaspora soccer club in Chile, 'Palestine exists'
Thousands of miles from the Middle East, in a stadium in Santiago, Chile, the nation of Palestine exists, if only for the 90...
2023-11-24 13:52
PGA Tour makes its lone Asia stop in Japan. The LPGA has 2nd of 4 in a row in Asia
The PGA Tour used to have three tournaments as part of its Asia swing
2023-10-17 22:45
Israel Commits to More Limited Pauses in Gaza Strip Fighting
Israel said it agreed to limited pauses in fighting in the Gaza Strip so civilians can flee its
2023-11-10 06:49
Nick Taylor wins Canadian Open, first Canadian champion since 1954
Nick Taylor became the first Canadian in 69 years to win his national open, holing a 72-foot eagle putt on the fourth playoff hole to beat Tommy Fleetwood in the RBC Canadian Open
2023-06-12 08:01
Russian UN envoys shoot back at Western criticism of its Ukraine war and crackdown on dissidents
Western countries are calling on Russia to end domestic repression of dissident voices and to end its war in Ukraine, as Russia came under a regular review at the U.N.’s top human rights body
2023-11-14 03:05
Microsoft announce improvements to Xbox Series S
Microsoft has created a new Xbox software development kit.
1970-01-01 08:00
Factbox-Governments race to regulate AI tools
Rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) such as Microsoft-backed OpenAI's ChatGPT are complicating governments' efforts to agree laws
2023-05-23 16:51
Jasson Dominguez injury timeline: Yankees get worst-case scenario for young star
New York Yankees prospect Jasson Dominguez has suffered a torn UCL, per manager Aaron Boone.
2023-09-11 05:56
Tottenham duo Davinson Sanchez and Tanguy Ndombele set for moves to Galatasaray
Tottenham are on the verge of offloading both Davinson Sanchez and Tanguy Ndombele to Galatasaray, the PA news agency understands. While the English transfer window shut on Friday night, other transfer windows around Europe remain open and Turkish outfit Galatasaray have moved for two players which Spurs view as dispensable. Outcast Ndombele is set to sign for Galatasaray on loan, with the option to make the move permanent. Meanwhile, Sanchez, who has featured twice under Ange Postecoglou this season, is close to securing a permanent transfer. The departures of the duo will be a boost to Postecoglou, who has repeatedly made clear his desire to trim a bloated first-team squad that only have Premier League football to concentrate on until January. Ndombele will get his wish of Champions League football by signing for the Turkish Superliga side, with this set to be his third consecutive loan spell away from Spurs since he joined in 2019. The French international was originally given a chance to revive his Tottenham career upon Postecoglou’s arrival, but an ankle injury in pre-season was followed with poor time-keeping issues that saw the Australian coach give the green light for Ndombele’s departure. Sanchez will follow him to Galatasaray in a deal worth in the region of 15million euros, which brings his six-year association with the north London outfit to an end. Colombia centre-back Sanchez made 207 appearances for Tottenham following his arrival from Ajax but endured a mixed time, with his last outing for the club in a penalty shoot-out defeat to Fulham in the Carabao Cup where his spot-kick was saved. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live
2023-09-04 22:33
You Might Like...
One of game's characters, Guardians manager Terry Francona set to end career defined by class, touch
Asia Shares Poised to Open Lower on China Concerns: Markets Wrap
Who is Harry Tsang? Lil Tay's ex-manager urges for 'cautious consideration' over 14-year-old rapper's death announcement
Bacteria could turn the Moon into a farm for lunar colonies, scientists say
Great playing careers end at the Rugby World Cup. Not all of them on the field
Jurgen Klopp admits he is 'too old' to debate Pascal Gross red card decision
‘Class of '09’ Episode 2 Review: Tayo Miller's motives behind controversial surveillance methods revealed
Late addition of an early target may have saved Man United’s transfer window