Enzo Maresca insists his Leicester side are still improving and learning after easing to a 3-0 win against bottom-placed Rotherham to move six points clear at the top of the Championship.
The Foxes opened the scoring on the hour mark when Patson Daka finished from close range before the striker doubled the lead from the penalty spot five minutes later after he was fouled by Viktor Johansson.
On-loan midfielder Cesare Casadei sealed the points after 72 minutes with a diving header from Ricardo Pereira’s cross from the left to earn the Foxes a fifth successive league victory.
Maresca said: “I’m very happy, at the start of the season I didn’t expect to have this many points at the halfway stage, nobody expected that.
“Winning 19 out of 23 games is not easy but we have many things that we need to improve.
“We are learning how to play teams who sit and who play with a high press, it’s not easy. I was happy with the first half because we were doing the right things.
“We created three or four clear chances in the first half which is difficult against this type of team, when they sit back it’s complicated to find a solution.
“In the end we did the most difficult thing and scored a goal and it was easier after the goal.
“The target is to get promoted, we need to continue, we are almost in January, the players know if some of them drop (their levels) they won’t play.”
Rotherham are nine points from safety at the foot of the table and have failed to win any of their last 11 league matches having lost all three games under new boss Leam Richardson.
Richardson said: “It’s a challenging league and a challenging position that we’re in but one of the things we can guarantee is that we’ll make a right good fist of it.
“It’s my job to build a habit and instil a mentality within the training ground that filters out onto the pitch, if we do that, we’ll make a fist of it.
“You can go into any football club and have an ideal way of playing and what you want to do and force things on the players.
“The best thing to do is find the good attributes you’ve got within the group and try and bring them to the front as quick as you can and build from that platform.
“Every game we’ve got to try and deliver a performance, there’s a lot of work to do and a lot of things that need to happen to move forward.
“Everything is a habit, winning is a habit, losing is a habit, if you’ve got bad habits you’ll serve for them but if you’ve got strong habits they’ll come to the front and that’s what we need to change.”
Leicester's Fatawu ruled out for rest of season with ACL injury
Leicester City manager Steve Cooper confirmed Abdul Fatawu will miss the rest of the season.
The 20-year-old sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury (ACL) while playing for Ghana against Angola during the international break.
Fatawu has featured in all 11 of Leicester's Premier League matches so far this season and has registered two assists.
No Leicester player has attempted (61) or completed (29) more dribbles than him, while his 30 crosses is also a team-high in the top-flight this season.
"It's not good, it's a serious injury," said Cooper ahead of their match against Chelsea on Saturday.
"It's a real blow, first and foremost for him, being a young player and having an injury as serious as what an ACL is.
"Albeit, it can be quite common in sport, and in particular football, but it's still a serious injury.
"For it to happen at a young age is a blow for him and a blow for us as well.
"He's obviously a big talent and a young player, as exciting as he can be at his age, with lots to learn.
"It's only a pause, and we will make sure, as difficult as it is at the moment for him, that he comes back being a stronger player and person, which, with the mentality and character that he has, I think will be the case."
Maresca confirms James will miss Leicester clash with hamstring injury
Enzo Maresca confirmed that Reece James has suffered another hamstring injury and will miss Chelsea's Premier League fixture against Leicester City on Saturday.
James made 11 appearances in all competitions last season before undergoing hamstring surgery, which was designed to help him overcome his series of injuries.
He returned to action in Chelsea's 2-1 defeat to Liverpool last month, completing his first 90 minutes in 569 days a week later against Newcastle United.
Though his latest injury setback is his eighth hamstring problem in four years, while also picking up thigh, ankle and muscle issues along the way.
Maresca played down concerns about a long-term lay-off but confirmed James will miss Saturday's match at the King Power Stadium.
"We have just one injured player and that's Reece, who unfortunately felt something small in training two days ago, and we don't want to take a risk for the weekend," he said.
"It's a hamstring, muscular problem. We will see, we don't know for how long, for sure [we want him fit for longer]. At the moment it is not happening, but we hope it will happen soon.
"He is out this weekend, but hopefully he can be back soon. It's probably difficult that he can be available for the Conference League [next Thursday], but hopefully soon."
Since his debut season in 2019-20, James' most appearances came in the 2020-21 campaign, featuring 47 times in Chelsea's Champions League winning season.
His best run of matches during that time is six in May 2021, but he managed just 482 minutes under Mauricio Pochettino in all competitions last season.
James has, however, managed more minutes (6138) in the Premier League since the 2020-21 season than any other player in the current Chelsea squad, though Enzo Fernandez (4375) is second, despite only joining the club in January 2023.
Maresca feels regret at Joao Felix's lack of Premier League game time
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has admitted that he is struggling to keep all of his talent happy ahead of their game against Leicester on Saturday.
The Blues' first-team squad page listed 43 players at the start of the season, with 10 players having joined over the summer.
As a result, this has meant limited game time for some of the club's more senior players, such as Joao Felix who is yet to start a Premier League game since joining permanently in summer.
Despite this issue, Chelsea have started the season well and currently sit third after 11 matches, but Maresca feels a tinge of regret at not being able to involve everyone.
"I feel a shame for Joao and I would like to give him more minutes in the Premier League but we need defensive balance and we cannot play with Joao, Cole [Palmer], Christo [Nkunku]," he said.
"I’d like to put all of them on the pitch but then you need to defend, and you need the right balance.
"I don’t have any doubts that if Joao keeps working well, he will find his moment in the Premier League."
Leicester manager Steve Cooper, meanwhile, will have to pick his team up following a 3-0 defeat at Manchester United prior to the international break. He will have to do so without key player Ricardo Pereira, who is out for four months with a hamstring injury.
"It's a real blow for everybody, and especially him. We'll all be with him now in his recovery," he told BBC Sport.
Having kept just one clean sheet in 11 league games, Cooper is also aware of where his side need to improve.
"We're not going to hide away from the chances and goals we're conceding, and we'll keep showing intent to improve that," he said.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Leicester – Jamie Vardy
Vardy is 37 years old, but tops the scoring charts at Leicester having netted four goals in the Premier League.
He has opened the scoring on one occasion this season and has a conversion rate of 33.33% having scored his goals from 12 shots on goal.
Chelsea – Cole Palmer
Palmer ranks fifth in the Premier League top scorers so far this season, having scored seven goals. He also ranks equal-second for goal involvements, having added five assists alongside his goals.
The Chelsea forward has had at least three shots in five of his last six league games and ranks fourth for total shots in the Premier League with 36.
MATCH PREDICTION: CHELSEA WIN
Chelsea earned a 1-1 draw at home to Arsenal in their last match before the international break, which left them third in the table and four points behind second-placed Manchester City
That draw means that Chelsea have lost just one of their last 10 league games (W5 D4), which came against league leaders Liverpool in October.
Chelsea have lost just one of their last seven away games against Leicester (W4 D2), winning four of their last five meetings overall.
Leicester are winless in their last 13 Premier League games against sides starting the day in the top four of the table (D3 L10). They come into this with three defeats in their last four matches in all competitions (D1).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Leicester – 19%
Draw – 21.6%
Chelsea – 59.5%
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