Marti Cifuentes oversees Leicester City training ahead of their clash with Portsmouth(Image: Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images)

Leicester City may only be two points off the Championship promotion places but manager Marti Cifuentes knows critics will say they’re “short” of where they should be.

City have been the best-performing of the three relegated sides so far and will be defending a seven-game unbeaten run when they host Portsmouth on Saturday evening.

But Cifuentes knows nothing less than a top-two spot will be accepted by some, given the size of the club and the quality in their squad.

The Spaniard believes they’re making progress though, especially after a difficult summer in which he only arrived midway through pre-season, and with no new signings made until deadline day.

Cifuentes said: “We’re getting to the three-month mark since I’ve been here, nearly 100 days, and you like to review. Definitely there are areas where we have been improving.

“The most important thing for me is that I see a team that is working really hard on the training pitch, that in the games they are...