Promotion to the Premier League is one of the most lucrative prizes in sport but nobody in the Championship seems to want to claim it.
One after another, Leicester, Leeds United and Ipswich have stumbled in recent weeks, allowing Southampton back into the race for automatic promotion when it seemed only three weeks ago that the play-offs were the best they could hope for.
Saints are the side with momentum and their clash with Leicester at King Power Stadium on Tuesday looks pivotal. Before that, Leicester have an equally tricky fixture at home to West Brom on Saturday.
One thing is clear: if Enzo Maresca cannot get this Leicester squad promoted, it is a stark failure. On Valentine’s Day, his side were 14 points clear of third place. Now, the gap is down to one. No wonder supporters are falling out of love with him.
Forget, for now, the worrying financial situation that means the Foxes may start next season with a points deduction, whichever league they are in. It should not be enough to destabilise players with the experience and ability of Jamie Vardy, Harry Winks, Ricardo Pereira, Kelechi Iheanacho and Wilfred Ndidi – who have all shone at the highest level.
Enzo Maresca’s Leicester face a pivotal clash with promotion rivals Southampton
This squad is stronger than those of the bottom three in the Premier League. They have the depth and wage bill that most Championship clubs can only dream of.
Maresca worked with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and in his first job as a manager in English football, the Italian’s plan has been clear: copy his idol as closely as he can.
But now he is learning that it takes a little more than asking your right-back to step into midfield, or replying to questions with the phrase ‘It is what it is’, to emulate the great Catalan. Maresca is a talented coach and his methods were initially hugely popular with his players. They produced 19 wins from the opening 23 matches and put Leicester on course to break the Championship points record. Yet after a fabulous first half of the season, Maresca is now showing signs of inexperience under pressure.
When his team were beaten 3-1 at Coventry in January, Maresca was furious at refereeing decisions and appeared to hint at a conspiracy against his team, before rowing back when asked to clarify his remarks. Think what you like, but perhaps it is not wise to plant such ideas in the minds of your players.
Then came the two defeats at Millwall and Plymouth within the space of four days last week. Before the trip to Home Park, Maresca complained that his side had been asked to make two long away trips in such a short space of time, mentioning more than once that they had not arrived at Leicester’s training base until 3am on Wednesday after losing in London. Leicester then promptly lost at Plymouth, too, sending their supporters into meltdown.
Though Maresca made valid points about player welfare, this was not the time to voice them, especially not when he shows such reluctance to rotate his expensive squad. Deal with Millwall and Plymouth and then say your piece from a position of strength.
There was little sympathy across the league for Maresca, either: Leicester’s training ground is one of the best in the world, let alone the Championship, with hotel-style rooms and sophisticated recovery equipment. If anyone can cope with the demands of the second tier, it really should be Leicester.
If Maresca is a novice, Daniel Farke has the course and distance experience but the pressure is getting even to the Leeds manager. Farke’s men have been unable to keeping their footing when Leicester have stumbled and after a brilliant start to 2024, they collected a single point from matches against Coventry, Sunderland and Blackburn.
Despite taking only two points from their meetings with Leeds and Leicester, Ipswich are a point clear at the top and whatever happens from here, boss Kieran McKenna is one of the stars of the second tier this term.
Russell Martin will come under further scrutiny if Southampton fail to go up this season
After leading Ipswich out of League One last term, McKenna is close to making an immediate jump to the top flight. The former Manchester United coach is tactically flexible with an unflustered temperament. Although they too have wobbled with the finishing line in sight, it has been an outstanding season, whatever happens from here. With Coventry taking on Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-finals, their clash with Ipswich had to be rearranged and McKenna’s men do not play until they meet Hull on April 27. If Leeds and Leicester are back on track by then, it will be a severe test of their mettle.
Yet while Ipswich have overachieved, promotion is the minimum requirement for Southampton. How Russell Martin must regret their dreadful start to the campaign, which left him risking the sack despite taking the role only last summer.
Saints’ season has been the opposite of Leicester’s – awful start followed by rapid improvement – and they have Premier League-quality players. If they don’t make it up either automatically or via the play-offs, Martin will come under further scrutiny. Like Maresca, he will have squandered one of the strongest hands in Championship history.
Martin’s most eye-catching contribution to the season was remarking that he had ‘no interest’ in meeting Rishi Sunak – a Southampton fan – after the Prime Minister attended their home game against Plymouth in December. By the end of May, Martin would like to be remembered for a little more than that.
