AdminFormer Championship defender Erik Pieters believes Leicester City possess too much individual quality to suffer relegation, though he has pointed to a lack of cohesion as the underlying issue behind their alarming slide.
The Foxes head into the final seven matches of the season in real peril, occupying the drop zone on 39 points, just one adrift of 21st-placed Portsmouth.
It has been a turbulent campaign at the King Power Stadium, with Marti Cifuentes dismissed in January before Andy King’s brief spell in interim charge.
A run of four straight defeats forced the hierarchy into further action, turning to Gary Rowett in mid-February.
Since his arrival, Rowett has steadied the ship to an extent, losing only twice in seven matches. However, four draws and a solitary win underline Leicester’s ongoing inability to turn performances into results.
There is no shortage of pedigree within the squad. Jamaal Lascelles has been described as a top-class defender, while Harry Winks and Abdul Fatawu have also drawn praise for their influence. Yet, as Pieters noted, the issue lies beyond individual talent.
“I mean everyone is saying Leicester is too good to go down.
“Yes, if you look at the personnel that they have, they are too good to go down, but they are there for a reason.
“The reason might be that they are not as a team.
“I think individually, they have quality players and they should not be there, but they are there.
“That is the reality of the whole story and now they need to fight to get out of there.
“With seven games to go, it is going to be a hard job.”
A six-point deduction for financial breaches has compounded their difficulties, though a favourable run-in offers a glimmer of hope.
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