AdminGary Rowett admitted Leicester City will need both belief and a slice of fortune if they are to preserve their Championship status after a 1-0 defeat to Portsmouth left them on the brink of relegation at Fratton Park.
The result leaves City in a perilous position heading into the final three matches of the season, with relegation to League One potentially confirmed as early as Tuesday night when they face Hull City.
Rowett stressed that the responsibility now lies firmly with his players to respond with professionalism and pride, insisting there is still a duty to compete properly despite their situation.
Asked whether he still believed survival was possible, he said: “I can say we’ve got belief, but we need to show that in our performances and our results.
“I said to the players we’ve got to start hoping we get a little fortune from somewhere else. But I don’t like saying that as a manager. I’m not interested in what other teams do, I’m interested in what we do.
“We have to be professional. As a player, if I had three games to go and I was already relegated, I’d still want to win all three of those games. I don’t care. It’s about pride and your own personal standards.
“For me, we turn up Tuesday and we have to do everything we can to win the game.”
City were second best for long spells on the south coast, conceded from a set-piece once again, and failed to take their chances late on.
Rowett rejected claims of a lack of fight, but conceded other shortcomings.
“That’s been something labelled on the team over the course of the season,” he said. “It’s an easy way to blanket the team.
“I think we showed a lack of quality, a lack of composure… maybe a lack of urgency at key moments.
“We’ve had chances in recent games but we haven’t taken them. That’s why we’re where we are.”
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