Leicester manager Micky Adams believes that new signing Nikos Dabizas will be a key performer in ensuring that the Foxes win their battle to stay in the Barclaycard Premiership.

The Greek international made an impressive debut in Wednesday's goalless draw with Southampton at St Mary's despite lacking much first team football with Newcastle this season. It was the first clean sheet that Leicester have kept in five league games and Adams knows that he has to tighten up a defence which has conceded 31 goals already this season.

Adams, whose side entertain Chelsea on Sunday, said: "We needed to add to that area of the squad and Nikos is a proven defender at top level and can bolster our defence. Obviously he struggled with the pace of the game at times at Southampton, something that will come with the more games he plays, but he did a good job."

He continued: "We have been delighted with the number of goals we have scored this season - the area people were saying before we started that we would have a problem with.

"Les Ferdinand, Marcus Bent and Paul Dickov have all been chipping in as well as goals coming from people in other areas. But we have been disappointed with some of the goals we have let in. I definitely feel some of them could have been avoided.

"We know that we have to tighten up against teams and Nikos will get better with the more games he gets under his belt.

"I realise that if he was at the young end of his career then we would not have been able to afford him and it would have been the same with someone like Les Ferdinand. But he fits into our plans and way of doing things."

Adams would probably settle for a point against Claudio Ranieri's side but he is aware of the need to start collecting victories after three successive draws against Newcastle, Bolton and the Saints.

He said: "The hardest part is turning these draws into wins but if we keep picking up points the players will pick up more confidence and more belief."

soccer365.com