'If it's an open game, so be it'
TranscriptOle believes there could be plenty of chances at the King Power with the attacking talents on show...
Q: Ole, what are your memories of playing football on Boxing Day? A: “It’s strange, for me, coming from Norway. But then again, it’s a fantastic period. You have to recover quickly and be ready for this game. I think, actually was it it Boxing Day or 28 when I came back from my injury? I played against Birmingham and I just remember thinking: maybe I shouldn’t have had that Christmas dinner. Maybe I should have calmed down on that one. But it’s a fantastic period, the festive period - games for the fans. Unfortunately, we can’t have fans in the stadiums now, but for the players it’s a period where you have to sacrifice what is a normal Christmas for everyone.” Q: It is, particularly when you play against a team like Leicester. Two terrific teams playing on Boxing Day, it should be, on paper, a fantastic match… A: “Let’s hope so. A 12:30 kick-off as well, which means an even earlier night on Christmas Day. Yeah, we’re ready for the game. We’ve picked up points, we’re picking up form in the league. So have they. We have good memories from last year when we played them in the last league game, when we needed a point. We’ll go into the game confident, but always humble and knowing that they have some quality players and a quality structure and tactics. The things they can bother you with, we just really have to be aware of that.” Q: And the time to work on that between the game against Everton and Leicester, there’s very little, isn’t there? How do you manage that? A: “You just need to be as vigilant as possible on the recovery. That’s the most important thing: recovery. Some videos and walking through maybe the day before, but you can’t do a lot more because it’s physically impossible to be out there training hard as well.” Q: Both teams have got loads of qualities, but both are really effective on the counter-attack. Will both sides be looking to counter each other? A: “Well, there are different qualities in different players and you know with the pace of [Jamie] Vardy, maybe [Harvey] Barnes and the quality of the front players [they can cause you problems]. Then again, we have some quick players who will be ready for the game. If it’s an open game, so be it, but you have to defend really well against their strengths.”