Gary Rowett puzzled by Leicester energy as running stat remains a concern | OneFootball

Gary Rowett says Leicester City’s fitness has moved closer to his demands, yet a lack of energy continues to perplex him. At the turn of the year City ranked bottom of the Championship for distance covered.

Asked if his squad is fit enough, Rowett said: "We've improved. The demands have gone up. I'm quite big on the data side of things, and one of the previous stats was that Leicester had the lowest physical output in the division. I've analysed data from nearly 600 games I've been a manager for. Sometimes when you're losing and chasing a game, those numbers can be high. Sometimes if your shape is not very good, the number can be high. But I'd certainly want to improve some aspects of what we're capable of in certain games." He told LeicestershireLive.

Saturday’s defeat to QPR underlined the concern. Both of City’s defeats under Rowett have arrived at the end of a three-game week. He felt energy was lacking before half-time, it persisted after the break, City conceded twice and could not respond.

Rowett said he was disappointed with the levels and added: "We just don't seem to be able to go with the same energy, I'm not sure why."

He believes further gains may be needed, though he felt last week that the group were building towards his demands and he acknowledged the running data. Improvement now feels essential, with two blocks of three games to come.

Source: LeicesterMercury.co.uk