Thomas Frank underlined the importance of commitment and work ethic when he sat down with the media for his pre-Leicester City press conference.
We begin our second season in the Premier League at the King Power Stadium on Sunday.
“We can’t lift the foot,” said Thomas. “We need to keep improving every single day to compete. We need to fight for every single yard and point in this league.
“There are 14 clubs who have a risk of being relegated – some greater than others - but all of those clubs also have a good chance of performing well and finishing in the top ten. We’re in that bracket. Our aim is to finish as high as possible and win the next game - to keep improving.
“It’s very important for us to be an asset to the Premier League. We’re very aware that we’re a small club and probably have a bottom-two budget, together with Bournemouth. What I know is that we have a good team, a good squad and a good culture.
“I’m a very positive man; I’m always looking up. We will try to improve the team and do better than last year. I have a strong belief that we can do that, but this is the Premier League and the margins are so small. We will do our very best to attack the league.”
"This is the Premier League and the margins are so small. We will do our very best to attack the league”
With ‘second-season syndrome’ a recuring theme this summer, Thomas cited Bournemouth and Burnley as examples of smaller clubs who have enjoyed sustained success in the top tier.
“In general, I don’t believe too much in second-season syndrome,” said Thomas. “It’s a narrative that’s been built. Our opponents on Sunday won the Premier League in their second season, so maybe that’s the one we should go for! [Laughs]
“Huddersfield’s underlying stats [during the 2017/18 Premier League season] show that they were very lucky to stay in the league, so I wasn’t surprised that they struggled the next year.
“We were not lucky to stay in the league last year, so there is a foundation we can build on.
“That can change with injuries and lack of form, but hopefully the things we do every day ensure that we’re in a constant fine place.
“We’ll have an unbelievable focus on the next game and the next training session.”
Leicester finished eighth last term, narrowly missing out on the European places, and Thomas acknowledged that the Foxes are “a very good team”.
“Only [Kasper] Schmeichel has left the club. They still have [James] Maddison, [Youri] Tielemans, [Jamie] Vardy and [Harvey] Barnes – they are four top players in the Premier League. Top players. We need to be aware of them.
“They were unlucky with key injuries to [Jonny] Evans, [Wesley] Fofana and Vardy last season. If they have a fit and available squad, they have a team that will push at the very top of the league.
“We’ll do our very best to win. We’ll fight, we’ll be aggressive and we’ll attack on Sunday, 100 per cent.”