Leicester must adapt to motivated opponents – Simpson

Leicester City must adapt to counter the added motivation opponents will have when facing the Premier League champions, says Danny Simpson.

After romping to an unlikely title in sensational fashion last term, Leicester’s title defence got off to a disappointing start with a 2-1 defeat at Hull City.

The newly-promoted side are depleted by injuries and without a permanent manager, but Simpson feels they deserve credit for upping their game on Saturday.

The right-back does not think attempting to retain the title will get any easier for Claudio Ranieri’s team, with all opponents eager to get one over on the champions, and wants them to bounce back against Arsenal this weekend.

“Teams will always give their best against us, but maybe they will give that extra five per cent because people want to beat the champions. That’s something we have to get used to,” said Simpson.

“We’ll move on. We’ll do what we always do. Last year, we reacted well to defeats and we’ll do the same this week.

“You can read too much into things. Everyone’s disappointed. It hurts.

“We’ll analyse the game, but the fact is we could have been 2-0 up. Hull gave it everything. It’s not just about us. You have to give them credit.

“Everyone was absolutely gutted and angry. We’ve a week now to look at this, analyse it and learn from it, and move on quickly.

“There’s no better match to come next than a home game against Arsenal [on Saturday].”