Youri Tielemans has admitted that life is “tough” at Leicester right now, with the club bottom of the Premier League table.
The Foxes have only picked up one point from their opening seven top-flight matches, having lost six matches in a row. Recent 5-2 and 6-2 defeats away at Brighton and Tottenham respectively have increased the pressure on under-fire manager Brendan Rodgers.
Tielemans’ focus now turns to securing a spot in the Belgium squad ahead of this winter’s World Cup in Qatar – but the Leicester midfielder says it is difficult to get his club’s poor domestic form out of his head while on international duty.
“I’m happy to get a bit of fresh air here [with Belgium] because it’s tough at Leicester right now,” the midfielder said in a Belgium press conference. “It’s clear that things are not going well at the club. We are doing everything we can as a team.
Leicester have picked up just one point from a possible 21 this season
“At Leicester, the consecutive defeats have affected us as a group. We need to benefit from this break to recharge our batteries. It’s hard to get it off my mind as it keeps running through my head. Only my kids sometimes prevent me from thinking about it.”
Tielemans was linked to a move away from Leicester, with current Premier League leaders Arsenal keen on the 25-year-old before that interest cooled later in the summer.
The Belgian midfielder’s contract at Leicester expires at the end of this season but he opted to remain at the King Power Stadium for the current campaign.
Tielemans is focusing on securing a World Cup spot with Belgium
Tielemans insists he has no regrets about that decision to stay, despite the club’s lowly league position.
“I’m not going to speak too much about my contract situation at the moment,” he added. “I didn’t leave Leicester in the summer as I always said the project had to be the right one.
“Just because things are getting worse now at Leicester doesn’t mean I should regret [staying].”
Rodgers: I will respect owners’ decision
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Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers admits his side’s poor results are his responsibility and says he will respect any decisions the owners make over his future.
Rodgers insists he will respect whatever decision Leicester’s owners choose to make over his future after pressure on his position as manager was increased yet again with Saturday’s 6-2 thrashing at the hands of Tottenham.
The Foxes took an early lead in north London but individual errors and a continued inability to defend set pieces saw them slip to a second heavy defeat in as many games.
Leicester have conceded 25 times from set pieces since the start of last season – more than any other Premier League side – and the 22 goals they have shipped this campaign is more than any other side in the top four divisions.
Rodgers conceded the statistics “don’t make great reading” for him or Leicester and admitted he is unsure whether he will still be in charge at the King Power Stadium following the upcoming international break.
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Jamie Redknapp thinks Leicester’s owners might see the international break as a good time to part ways with manager Brendan Rodgers.
“I don’t know, to be honest,” said Rodgers. “Whatever their [the owners’] decision is, I will always respect it.
“I think we’ve seen enough. I felt the team tonight, if you watched them play in the first half, you could see the confidence and creativity. It’s just cutting out mistakes.
“There is no doubt we’ve had a tough first seven games, especially after the summer we’ve had – Tottenham away, Arsenal away, Chelsea away, Manchester United at home and a couple of other games we should win.
“It [the international break] has probably come at a good time to reset everything, break the cycle from the summer as well. The owners will do what it is they feel they need to do.
“I’m not daft, I know football, and the last six games don’t make great reading. But I have every confidence the team can push on and climb the table if they play like they did in large parts and cut out mistakes.”
