Waving flag with Leicester City FC football club logo. Editorial 3D
After Bristol City’s loss to Leicester City, Nigel Pearson shares the emotion that dominates him.
At the King Power Stadium, Jamie Vardy’s penalty gave Leicester City a 1-0 victory.
Nigel Pearson was full of pride for the “exceptional commitment” his Bristol City side showed in their 1-0 defeat at Leicester City as Jamie Vardy’s second-half penalty decided the contest at the King Power Stadium.
City were on the back foot for the majority of the game, with the Foxes enjoying 68 per cent possession and sending in 17 shots on Max O’Leary’s goal, but, for the most part, the Robins defended resolutely and restricted the hosts to mostly low percentage attempts.
The decisive moment arrived in the 67th minute as Wilfred Ndidi took on Kal Naismith 1vs1 and drew a foul as he caught the Scot’s trailing leg, with Vardy executing from the spot and then sprinting the length of the field to celebrate in front of the travelling fans due to the nature of some of the chants aimed at the former England striker.
Rob Dickie performed manfully, returning to the side in place of the injured Zak Vyner, while penalty aside, Naismith was excellent. Full-backs George Tanner and Cam Pring also acquitted themselves against the constant threat of wingers Stephy Mavididi and Abdul Fatawu.
“I think we were exceptionally committed,” Pearson said. “And, look, we’re all disappointed to lose via a penalty, or via anything, really but what we saw today from this team was a collective spirit which shines through, even in adversity. I can’t ask for more.
“We’re talking about creating a side with an identity and the players are doing that in a really fantastic way. We want to win games, course we do, we’re all disappointed about the result but I can’t and don’t question the commitment of our players today, I thought they were absolutely superb.
“We couldn’t (attack consistently), that was the point. When you play against a side that is as accomplished as they are in possession. We worked so hard and we did press them, sometimes they passed through us but we were still prepared to track back.
“Players in 1vs1 situations; the full-backs today, that’s the best game I’ve seen George play and Pringey is really developing into a class performer so when you measure performance of those two, when they are having to deal with exceptionally talented players in 1vs1 situations, they were really, really special performances from them.
“Both centre-backs and the goalkeeper… we showed a lot of desire. And, look, there were moments in both halves where the ball could just fly into the net but what happened instead was, we stopped it by blocks, tackles, whatever.
“Yes, we want to be an exciting side that creates chances and plays good football but days like today, what you learn from your players is how committed they are to the team, and that’s really important.”
Dickie made his first start for four matches, having dropped out of the side following his dismissal against Birmingham City on CC and slotted seamlessly back into the defence alongside Naismith.
The 27-year-old was reinstated in his favoured right-sided berth and helped keep Vardy quiet for the majority of the game, before the striker converted the decisive penalty.
“Very much so,” Pearson said, when asked how pleased he was by Dickie’s return. “I’m also very pleased how disappointed and grumpy he’s been with me the last week. I want players to be desperate to play, I don’t want them to be happy on the sideline.
“You’ve heard me say many, many times that players don’t always know when they’re going to get their chance. What they have to do is be ready for it because it’s their responsibility to take the chance, not mine. My job is to pick the team and make sure the team is prepared.
“What players have to do is be ready and he showed today what a really fantastic performer he is.”
