Vardy: Mid-season break helped us

Posted Tuesday, May 10, 2016 by Foxsports.com

Leicester striker Jamie Vardy insists the week-long break in February helped the team to recharge, on the way to a remarkable Premier League title triumph.

Following their 2-1 loss to Arsenal on February 14, Foxes boss Claudio Ranieri took the decision to give his players an extended break ahead of their next league clash with Norwich two weeks later.

Ranieri’s side went on to win eight of their next 11 matches and were crowned top-flight champions with two games to go in the campaign.

“I think a good thing that helped us straight after that game was the gaffer had seen exactly how much we’d all fought for each other and put into that game,” Vardy said at the launch of his V9 Academy project.

“And because we weren’t in the week after because we’d been knocked out of the FA Cup he gave us a week off to completely forget about everything and recharge the batteries.

“We all ventured off, quite a few of us went to Dubai together as a team, and I think that moment, for him to even think about doing that, showed what he’d thought of us as a team and how much work we’d already put in.

“So to get those batteries recharged for that week and come back fighting stronger was a massive part [in winning the league].

“It was a great idea. I went to Dubai and I remember sitting on a sun lounger and in the same hotel Sunderland were there, running up and down the beach doing fitness.

“For me to be relaxing while they’re doing the training was quite nice. It worked out perfectly, no one was going to go on a seven-day bender.

“It was a case of being there to relax with family and that’s all we did until we got back to training.”