The title race might be all but over but the fight for survival is only just beginning. At the end of March, Leicester were bottom of the table with 19 points, seven off safety. Win on Saturday and they will be out of the relegation zone. For Nigel Pearson and his men, their season starts now. When you’re facing relegation you are supposed to be dispirited and lacking in confidence. So how on earth have Leicester won three on the bounce? Only Arsenal (8) and Chelsea (4) can better that as a winning streak. Leicester players are full of confidence after three successive victories in the Premier League . It has been a superhuman effort and they have fought to get themselves in a position where they have something to play for. Leicester were bottom on Christmas Day but win at Burnley and they will give themselves a real chance of staying up — something only two sides have managed after being bottom at Christmas. It’s not just Leicester, though. The other promoted clubs — QPR and Burnley — have shown fantastic spirit. I have been in relegation battles and seen teams with less fight in them than these three. QPR earned a fantastic win at West Brom, were unlucky to draw at Aston Villa and battled manfully against Chelsea. Burnley might be on a poor run but you know Sean Dyche’s side will battle until the bitter end. So how does a manager create a positive attitude when things look so bad? What you can’t afford to do is let players sit and study the fixtures and start looking at how many points they need. If they are too busy working out the permutations, they’re not concentrating on their game. Leicester face a crunch clash with fellow relegation battlers Burnley on Saturday . If a player is not being pushed it’s easy for them to shift responsibility and hope somebody else gets them over the line. The best thing to do is keep them busy. If you’re working hard on the training ground looking at team shape, developing players and preparing for games, you are making much better use of your time. I’ve been in that situation as a player and the worst thing you can do is to wrap them in cotton wool. There is a tendency to try to protect people in case things go wrong. Training eases up because of injury fears and managers try to keep their players fresh. Leicester manager Nigel Pearson has managed to create a positive attitude in his squad . But that leaves you sitting around with your thoughts and that can be dangerous. There needs to be mental stimulation — you can’t sit around and wallow in self-pity. At this stage of the season a week can be a long time between games. Pearson and his players will be absolutely buzzing in training and it’s important to take that energy and intensity into games. It annoys me when managers say it’s all about results. The only way to win is to make sure that your performance is right and that comes from hard work during the week. Pearson has worked hard to make sure Leicester’s destiny is in their own hands. Their form has struck fear into other teams. Leicester striker Leonardo Ulloa celebrates scoring in the 2-0 victory against Swansea . The three promoted sides look brave enough to go out and play, but Sunderland and Hull look paralysed by fear. Steve Bruce thinks Hull’s home form will keep them up but a look at the fixtures shows it won’t be that easy. Leicester, QPR and Burnley have all given their home fans reason to cheer with their efforts and the thrill of the chase means everything is applauded. Contrast that with the toxic feeling at the Stadium of Light. Leicester have taken a long time to wake up but they have rekindled the atmosphere they had when they beat Manchester United. And with four of their last six games at home, they need to keep that up. If they can, and the level of their performance continues to harness the positivity of that home crowd, don’t bet against them making the great escape. Fans still believe that Leicester can still avoid the drop from the Premier League .
Leicester can move out of the drop zone by beating Burnley on Saturday .
Nigel Pearson's side were bottom of the table on Christmas Day .
The Foxes have won last three league games on the bounce .