Youri Tielemans has admitted Leicester “have to be better” if they are to achieve their ambitions of Champions League qualification and FA Cup glory.
The Foxes go into five “huge” games on the back of a disappointing 1-1 Premier League draw at 10-man Southampton.
Brendan Rodgers’ side had to settle for a point at St Mary’s, despite Saints defender Jannik Vestergaard being sent off just 10 minutes in for denying Jamie Vardy a goalscoring opportunity.
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Jonny Evans’ 68th-minute equaliser edged Leicester eight points clear of fifth-placed West Ham in the race for the top four.
Leicester have a further four Premier League fixtures to seal their return to European football’s premier club competition, either side of an FA Cup final against Chelsea.
The Foxes dropped out of the top four on the final day of last season following a poor run of form. And, ahead of Friday’s visit of Newcastle, midfielder Tielemans called for greater intensity from his team-mates in order to avoid a repeat.
“We have a few games in hand where we can finish the job, but we have to be better than this,” the Belgium international told LCFCTV.
“We know that every game is a huge game for us. (Friday) was a huge game as well. We didn’t play well enough to win the game.
“It’s frustrating because they were down to 10 men very early in the game, so I thought that we could have had a better chance to win the game.
“But they showed resilience and we didn’t play to our best. It was a very tough night.
“We didn’t play quick enough and we weren’t precise enough on the ball in our passing. Our decision making made it very difficult.”
A James Ward-Prowse penalty had put the depleted hosts ahead and Tielemans admitted it was down to poor game-management from his side.
“We have to manage the counter-attacks and we have to manage their set-pieces, which we didn’t do well enough, especially on the set-piece that they got the penalty from.
“We have to react quicker and be more switched on. So, unfortunately, they scored from that and we have to react to the game, where I think we’re in a better position to act. It’s down to us now.”
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