Leicester City’s great form has been the main subject of an interview Ricardo Pereira gave to the Portuguese press this week.
The Foxes’ fullback had a long chat with newspaper Record, claiming that now they’ve managed to ‘sneak into top six’, they will try to hold this position for the rest of the season.
“It’s going better in terms of standings. Already last year I could see that we had more quality than what the results indicated. In the games against small teams we couldn’t translate our quality to results,” Ricardo Pereira told Record.
“That has changed this year. We have a game identity, we are more in line with what the coach wants. The fact that we play as a team and things are going well collectively makes the individual stand out. Things have gone very well, thankfully. We know, however, that there is still a lot of league left. It’s a long and extremely difficult league. We have to keep thinking game by game and try to get the most points.”
Ricardo Pereira was asked what it’s like to work with Brendan Rodgers, and he claims it’s been a surprise how good the manager is.
“It’s been a pleasant surprise. His speech, his way of working, his technical team. He’s been showing a lot of quality. He surprised me positively. Wants to play, have the ball, press opponents. As we move forward, things have improved. We are better as a team.”
Asked if Rodgers gives them a lot of confidence, Pereira said: “Yes. He’s always in touch with us. Gives us feedback, helps us with the things we need to improve, and gives us confidence in what we are already good at.”
He also commented on the form of Jamie Vardy, who’s currently the Premier League’s top scorer.
“It’s very important to have him with us. In those more balanced games where we don’t have so many opportunities, it’s always important to have a player like him. Just needs half an opportunity to score. He has 11 goals in 12 games. He’s made all the difference this year.”
Ricardo Pereira talked a little about Portuguese midfielder Adrien Silva, who failed to show his potential at Leicester City and is having a loan spell at Monaco until the end of the season.
“I can’t talk about the moment he got here, because I wasn’t here. I believe it was bad for him that he couldn’t play in the first six months. It’s never easy to move in the middle of the season. With me already at Leicester, he was always good at games, always gave everything in practice, always showed the quality that everyone recognises him for. Unfortunately, he wasn’t an option for the coach as often as he would like. The coach’s options must be respected. I think he did well to go out, as he’s played and been well. He’s shown his qualities.”
Finally asked what it’s like to live in Leicester, the player says he likes the city.
“Leicester isn’t a big city. I can’t compare it with Porto or Lisbon. It’s smaller. There isn’t so much movement or confusion. It’s good for me because I don’t like confusion or traffic. I like to live here… despite the cold. But even in this chapter I was expecting worse, I can’t complain much.”
