Leicester City caretaker manager Craig Shakespeare says that the club are only focused on avoiding relegation this season.
After the club recently parted company with legendary manager Claudio Ranieri, Shakespeare has been appointed as the manager in charge of the team until the end of the campaign. He was given this job after managing to impress in his first two games as the interim boss. After struggling for any kind of form, Leicester City have been able to hit a sweet spot in the last couple of weeks. They have managed back-to-back wins against Liverpool and Hull City in order to move up to 15th in the table.
However, the Champions League once again comes in as a distraction for the club just as it did in the first half of the campaign. The club are trailing Spanish outfit Sevilla 2-1 from the first leg. The only goal scored by Jamie Vardy gives Leicester a great opportunity to think about a place in the quarter-finals of the competition.
Yet, Shakespeare has claimed that survival in the Premier league is now a bigger priority for the club rather than reaching the quarter-finals. This statement is seen as a direct hint that the manager would not be giving out his strongest lineup against the Spanish club, who have been going through a period of indifferent form over the last couple of games.
“We have massive games coming up, we have to focus on that. It’s one game at a time. We’ll have plenty of time in the summer to reflect, look back and take stock from there.Man management in football is vital, it’s a real big component.Of course decisions are made where players aren’t happy but I think if you explain it along the way, I’m sure they will be fine,” said Shakespeare.