Zieler says champions Leicester City are targeting a top 10 finish

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The German goalkeeper is currently filling in for the Foxes’ injured number one Kasper Schmeichel

Leicester City goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler has told Kicker (as quoted by ESPN) that the floundering Foxes must place greater focus on their Premier League campaign, after last weekend’s 2-1 defeat to West Bromwich Albion saw Claudio Ranieri’s reigning champions slump to 14th place.

Although the Foxes have accrued a magnificent total of 10 points from their opening four Champions League group games, their European heroics appear to have come at the cost of of their domestic fortunes, with Leicester picking up just three wins from their opening 11 league games to leave them sitting just two points above 18th placed Hull City.

Last Sunday’s shock home defeat to West Brom was the Foxes first league loss at the King Power Stadium since September 2015, and the result has sparked fears that Ranieri’s side, who ran away with last season’s Premier League title by a 10 point margin, could be dragged into a relegation dogfight if their worrisome early-season form does not pick up sharpish.

Deputy goalkeeper Zieler, who is tending the Leicester nets whilst no.1 Kasper Shmeichel recovers from a broken hand, has warned the Foxes that they cannot afford to place all their eggs in one basket with the Champions League; urging his teammates to place a greater emphasis on remedying their derisory league form before they find themselves in deep danger:

“We need to make sure we don’t forget about our day-to-day business in the Premier League.” The 27-year-old is quoted as saying by ESPN.

“The top half remains our goal. Anything from 10th place upwards would be good, and the top third would be fantastic.

“But those six teams up there are class, and they have bigger financial means.”

Many of Leicester’s early-season struggles can be attributed to the fact that Premier League sides appear to have grown wise to the deep-lying, counter-attacking style which yielded such unprecedented success for Claudio Ranieri last season, with opposition teams now sitting deep and forcing the Foxes to reevaluate their flawed approach.

The Foxes come up against Watford, Middlesbrough and Sunderland following the conclusion of this weekend’s international break and, if Ranieri’s side are to achieve their targets and mount a serious challenge for a top 10 finish, then they will be looking to pick up a minimum of six points from three conceivably winnable fixtures.