Enzo Maresca insists Leicester are not the league’s only title candidates despite James Justin’s goal sending them eight points clear at the top of the Sky Bet Championship following a 1-0 win against Sunderland.
Justin was the unlikely hero for the Foxes, heading home Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s corner from the left after 12 minutes to seal the points and an eighth successive league win.
The home side spurned numerous chances to extend their lead as both Stephy Mavididi and Kelechi Iheanacho saw shots come back off a post while Black Cats substitute Abdoullah Ba spurned a glorious chance to equalise late on.
Maresca said: “We are happy but we are not thinking we are the only club in the Championship trying to get promoted.
“In football, the normal thing is to lose more than you win. In this moment we’ve won 12 out of 13, it’s not something normal, the players and the fans deserve to enjoy it after the relegation.
“We know that these records are important if we reach our target, these records show what the players have done and that it is not something normal, but we’re still in October.
“We would like to have the same situation in March and April, it’s fantastic, we are not the only team building to reach the title and in our case we changed 14 or 15 players from last season.
“It was a very difficult game, it’s probably the game I’m most happy with in terms of handling a different kind of game, we were very aggressive and were quite good on the ball.”
Sunderland slipped to a third straight league defeat, although Black Cats boss Tony Mowbray was impressed by his side’s performance and believes opponents Leicester are likely to win the title after their record-breaking start to the campaign.
Mowbray said: “We believed we could come here and win the game, we missed some really good chances. I asked the players to challenge themselves and see if they want to play in the Premier League one day.
“We competed really well, we just lacked the composure required at the top end of the pitch. If that’s the level we play at every week, we’re going to win enough games.
“We just need to improve the end product. We can score goals, we missed some golden chances to put the ball in the net.
“We’re not finishing above Leicester City, I think Leicester will win the league. Burnley had the same amount of points as we do at this stage last season, the results will take care of themselves.
“We put a lot of work into defending set-plays because we’re not a huge team, a free header has cost us two games on the bounce.”
[(FC Nantes) Strength]: 1. FC Nantes finished 13th last season, with a serious situation of avoiding relegation. They aim to keep their survival in the new season. Facing Paris Saint-Germain FC, earning points or even a victory would solidify their foundation for avoiding relegation. With decent home form, FC Nantes hope to capitalize on home advantage to boost morale and confidence, making them h...
[(Espanyol) Strength]: 1. Espanyol finished 14th with 11 wins, 9 draws, and 18 losses in last season's La Liga. They scored 40 goals and conceded 51 in 38 league games. In the offseason, the team signed new players to boost their lineup. They are strongly motivated in the first home game of the new season.2. Espanyol's young forward Roberto Fernandez has completed his permanent transfer to Espanyo...
[(Athletic Bilbao) Strength]: 1. To secure their first win this season, Athletic Bilbao are undoubtedly motivated in this game.2. On July 4, Athletic Bilbao officially announced Nico Williams' contract extension until 2035, with his release clause increasing by at least 50% to over 87 million euros.3. Athletic Bilbao won 13 of the last 20 home games across all competitions, showcasing outstanding ...
[(Manchester United F.C.) Strength]: 1. As it's the opening match of the new season, Manchester United F.C. are highly motivated to secure their first victory at Old Trafford.2. Manchester United F.C. have focused their summer rebuild on the attack, spending heavily on a new trio of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Benjamin Sesko, which should improve their offensive output.3. Manchester United F....
[(Nottingham Forest) Strength]: 1. This game is the first home match of Nottingham Forest in the new season, so the team will surely hope to start with a win.2. Nottingham Forest finished 7th with 19 wins, 8 draws, and 11 losses in the Premier League last season, once entering the top four.3. Nottingham Forest had a home record of 9 wins, 5 draws, and 5 losses in last season's Premier League, rank...
[(Chelsea F.C.) Strength]: 1. This summer, Chelsea F.C.'s most significant reinforcements came in the attacking line. Liam Delap and Joao Pedro joined early, participated in the Club World Cup, and quickly integrated into the team, both scoring goals. Meanwhile, young talent Estevao Willian, before his transfer, scored a stunning goal for Palmeiras against Chelsea F.C. in the same tournament. The ...
[(Gwangju FC) Strength]: 1. Gwangju FC's newly signed foreign forward Holmbert Fridjonsson made his K League 1 debut as a substitute in the last match and could be in line for a starting spot in this game.[(Gwangju FC) Weakness]: 1. Gwangju FC's foreign striker Jasir Asani is set to join Iranian club Esteghlal F.C. He missed the last league match due to an ankle injury and remains doubtful for thi...
[(Gimcheon Sangmu FC) Strength]: 1. Gimcheon Sangmu FC forward Park Sang Hyeok scored 8 goals in the league this season, becoming the most stable scoring point of the team.2. Gimcheon Sangmu FC drew 0-0 with Gangwon FC in the last league game on the road. They were unbeaten with 2 wins and 2 draws in the last 4 league games, revealing stable form.3. Gimcheon Sangmu FC scored 8 goals in the last 5 ...
[(Fagiano Okayama) Strength]: 1. Fagiano Okayama midfielder Hiroto Iwabuchi scored a brace in the last league game, helping the team take all 3 points.2. Fagiano Okayama's top scorer Takaya Kimurab scored a goal in the last league game, ending a nearly three-month goal drought as he found the net for the first time in seven games.3. Fagiano Okayama won 3-0 over Gamba Osaka in the last league game ...
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Sunderland top of the table Richarlison(R9) vs Burnley lol This Twins A fan asked Haaland what he thought of the city of Wolverhampton and Haaland's response was brilliant Ah shit, here we go again.Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Justtoonit, FootballLaughss)...



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