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Matty Hewitt

James Maddison details where Leicester have gone wrong this year ahead of Newcastle United visit

Leicester City playmaker James Maddison says the Foxes can't get things right defensively which has underlined their Premier League struggles this season. The former Premier League title winners have struggled at the wrong end of the division this season and are teetering on the brink of relegation to the Championship.

City are two points adrift of Everton in 17th place and have just 270 minutes of Premier League football to save their season - with one of those games against Newcastle United in a week's time. The Toon have already put five goals past the Foxes in their two games so far this season.

The Magpies know a win against Leicester at St. James' Park would be a huge step towards Champions League football and could even be the decisive result, depending how results go over the next week. The Foxes could be relegated with defeat against Newcastle, if results go against them this weekend over the coming days.

READ MORE: Gary Neville sends transfer warning to Newcastle in hope Howe doesn't suffer Lampard fate

They're set to take on Liverpool at the King Power on Monda eveningy, fresh off the back of conceding five goals to Fulham. When asked if defensive disorganisation played a problem again at Craven Cottage, Maddison told the BBC: "We conceded five goals, what do you think?

"The problem has never really been about scoring goals with us, we've got players that will score goals. We just can't get the defensive things right and that's why we are where we are.

"And that's not just the defence, it's the defence as a team."

The Foxes were 3-0 down at half-time and Fulham added a fourth soon after the restart to pile further misery on the struggling Midlands side. Harvey Barnes pulled one back for the visitors only for Tom Cairney to put the Cottagers 5-1 up on 51 minutes.

Barnes and Maddison scored late consolation goals for the Foxes as they were condemned to their 21st defeat of the season. "In at half-time, I think it was 3-0 and you just give yourself too much to do - a mountain to climb from not being aggressive, not being at it, not being hungry enough to want to win the game," Maddison said.

"To get yourselves out of trouble you need to do the basics well and be aggressive and fight. That's why we're down there, because we haven't been good enough."

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