Leicester boss Nigel Pearson must keep his cool while relegation heat is on

By John Howell.

The Foxes manager showed signs of pressure in an extraordinary rant against a reporter, but Pearson will need to compose himself for his side’s crucial run-in.

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Wednesday’s astonishing rant from Nigel Pearson has set the tone for what will be a tense and nervous atmosphere at the King Power Stadium at 12:45pm on Saturday. Playing against relegation rivals Newcastle, the Foxes are in a must-not-lose situation with four games to go.

Everything had seemed to be going well for Pearson and his men, winning four games on the bounce to haul themselves out of the relegation zone, and, in the process, becoming one of the form teams in the league.
Yet Wednesday night’s home defeat to league leaders Chelsea seems to have been the tipping point for the 51-year-old, who was unhappy at “the amount of criticism and negativity” he and his players have come under this season.

When probed further by reporter Ian Baker, Pearson went on to label the reporter as an “ostrich”, “stupid”, and “daft”, before abruptly leaving his press conference. Pearson has since apologised, but the behaviour displayed demonstrates that perhaps all is not well at Filbert Way.

Sweating on the fitness of key players David Nugent, Jamie Vardy, Andy King, and Robert Huth, Pearson faces a reshuffle of his starting XI, and the early kick-off will serve as a detriment to Leicester players who fought so valiantly against Jose Mourinho’s men on Wednesday evening.

Even worse, the surprise 1-0 win over Liverpool by 16th-placed Hull has left the Foxes four points away from them as the relegation battle goes down to the wire.

This is all music to the ears of Newcastle United, who, despite coming off the back of seven successive defeats, must feel that a result on Saturday is looking more achievable given Pearson’s perceived fragile state of mind.

With the return of Moussa Sissoko, Paul Dummett, and a bigger role expected for Siem de Jong, the Toon are suddenly feeling more confident going into the big game.

Whatever the result on Saturday, and indeed the outcome come May 24th 2015, Pearson and Leicester have accredited themselves excellently in the Premier League.

Showing battling qualities in spades, they have achieved results that they would only have dreamed of coming into the season, including a famous 5-3 victory over Manchester United in September.

The Foxes have lived well within their means, with smart purchases such as Leonardo Ulloa and free agents like Esteban Cambiasso. Should they go down, there will be no financial repercussions for the club. In the long term, this increases the odds of a successful return to the top flight should they go down.

This is not to say that Leicester won’t stay up.

With Leicester still to play the two teams immediately below them in Sunderland and QPR, the possibility of gaining the necessary points is there. However, should they fail to get a result against Newcastle on Saturday, their remaining fixtures suddenly take on much more significance.

For Pearson, it’s ‘squeaky bum time’ and he needs to be more Sir Alex than Kevin Keegan when it comes to keeping his cool.

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