Claude Puel and Leicester City players vow to make the Srivaddhanaprabha family proud at Cardiff City -
“Our condition and focus is there. We will be ready."
“We will play now for him and for his family.”
Leicestershire Live
Thursday 1st November 2018
Claude Puel Says his players are ready & will make Vichai proud on Saturday at Cardiff.
Claude Puel has vowed his Leicester City players will be playing to honour the memory of chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha at Cardiff City on Saturday.
The City manager said his players were ready to return to action a week after the death of the popular City owner and four others in a horrific helicopter crash outside the King Power Stadium following the home game against West Ham United last Saturday.
Puel said his players felt they had a responsibility now to play for Vichai’s grieving family, to do the Srivaddhanaprabhas and the club proud, regardless of the result in South Wales.
“We play to honour a man who has done so much for our club,” said Puel as he reflected on the darkest week in the club’s history today.
“The result is not important but our desire, our actions, to give our best on the pitch, and to honour our chairman is the most important thing. The result is second.
“Our condition and focus is there. We will be ready."
“I hope we can find the good balance between conviction and emotion in this game. If we remain just on the emotion it will be difficult.
“I have confidence in them from when I saw them in training that they will give their best.”
Puel echoed the words of goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who the City boss revealed had spoken strongly during a team meeting, that it was the responsibility of the players to carry on in the memory of Khun Vichai.
“I think we have a responsibility in his memory to continue the work he put in place at this club, with the fans also,” said Puel.
“It was the first words from Kasper. We have this responsibility to continue the way and perform. All the players are ready to compete.”
Following the tragedy, Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup game against Southampton was postponed and the players didn’t return to training until Tuesday, after they had a team meeting on Monday to discuss the loss.
Puel said he wanted to assess their mental state and allow them to express their grief and shock before deciding whether to play at Cardiff, but he said he was pleased with the response he saw.
“On Tuesday when we came back to training I gave the opportunity to the players to show whether they want to train or play in the gym or play without working, to take their opinion about their feelings,” he said.
“And I was surprised – it was a fantastic feeling – to see all my players on the pitch."
“I have 27 players in the squad and all of them together trained and gave their best for 100 percent just to remember and honour the chairman. It was a fantastic feeling together.
“It was the same thing on Wednesday."
“Of course it's important to share all together this moment. Just to try to give our best."
“The players, the staff, the club, also Top – the decision to play this game against Cardiff. It was important to have the same feeling."
“Step by step we have to move on. We have a lot of responsibility now to give our best and to continue his work and his dream. We cannot continue training sessions, of course, without moving together and fighting together to honour him.
“We will play now for him and for his family.”
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