Football League World
·28 November 2023
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·28 November 2023
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Leicester City full-back James Justin has admitted that their excellent run of winning form made them take victories for granted, speaking to BBC Radio Leicester.
They started the season well, winning their opening four league games before being beaten by Hull City in the final game before the first international break of the campaign.
That defeat against the Tigers will have refocused them - and they certainly reacted well to this setback as they were able to secure a 4-1 win at Southampton in their next game after that.
The game at St Mary's was the start of a nine-match winning run in the Championship for Enzo Maresca's side, with this run of form lasting between mid-September and the early stages of November.
That's an exceptional achievement - and many pundits were talking up the possibility of the Midlands club beating Reading's 106-point record from the 2005/06 season.
Ahead of their game against Leeds United on 3rd November, they looked unstoppable and a lot of people would have backed the Foxes to come out on top in that game against the Whites, with Maresca's side having the home advantage.
But Georginio Rutter's goal made the difference in the end with Daniel Farke's side winning all three points - and Leicester also lost their next game against Middlesbrough.
Going into the international break following back-to-back defeats wouldn't have been a good feeling for the Foxes.
But James was keen to point out the key positive of these losses, even if they were a bit of a setback in their quest to extend the gap between themselves and the Whites.
He said: "When you are winning a lot of weeks, and we had loads in a row, it makes you take it for granted.
"With the international break after the two losses it gave us time to reflect on what we are doing well and what we are not doing so well."
Leicester responded to the two defeats by securing a 2-0 win at home against Watford on Saturday.
Leicester will have learnt from these defeats and that has to be seen as a positive.
It will also help them to keep their feet on the ground and realise that this is a tough division.
Not only have they bounced back against Hull, but they have also managed to respond to back-to-back defeats and that will give the squad the confidence that they have the character to respond to future setbacks.
It also has to be noted that they remain top of the second tier at this point.
And that just reinforces that their losses haven't had a hugely damaging effect. They are continuing to thrive when learning from their mistakes and it would be a surprise if the Foxes don't go on and secure promotion now.