Leicester players and fans should be rallying behind Claudio Ranieri – but the next two games could decide his fate
They may still end up losing their next four games, but whether they do or not, Leicester’s public backing for manager Claudio Ranieri today was the right thing to do and I take my hat off to them.
These are difficult times for the Foxes, whose Premier League-winning dream season has been followed by the rude awakening of the current campaign, which is in real danger of ending in relegation.
Leicester have suffered from the burden of extra fixtures and a loss of confidence, but the biggest single factor in their decline has been the sale of N’Golo Kante to Chelsea.
Read more: Players still back me, insists Ranieri after United defeat
The back four currently leaking goals is exactly the same as the watertight unit of last term, only now they have been exposed by the absence of the dynamic Kante.
No-one has picked up his mantle, and it is not just the defence suffering; the loss of the Frenchman’s ball-winning has also hindered the team’s ability to soak up pressure and launch attacks.
Ranieri should not be shouldering the blame, however.
From the start of the season his message was to enjoy the Champions League but remember that top-flight survival was the aim. He cannot be accused of getting carried away with their success.
Players should certainly not be pointing the finger at him, as has been rumoured, over the team’s form and tactics.
They have not worked hard enough over a period of time and it is coming back to haunt them. Getting to the top is one thing; staying there is completely different.
What started as a crack in their confidence has now become a crevasse, and it is not helped by fans leaving early, as some did in Sunday’s home defeat to Manchester United.
When supporters get on top of a team, the problem becomes self-perpetuating.
Momentum
Today’s statement is a reminder whose club it is, and that players and fans need to get behind each other – and the manager – and focus solely on staying in the Premier League.
Tonight Leicester face Derby in an FA Cup replay but, like their European run, that doesn’t matter any more.
Even if they beat Sevilla in the Champions League last 16 they will lose in the quarter-finals; the teams are just too good.
They could desperately use a first win of 2017 from their next two league fixtures, against Swansea and Liverpool.
Get it, and the momentum could be enough to see Ranieri through to May; fail, and he’ll find himself under extreme pressure.
I like Ranieri and hope he turns this around, but it’s a severe test of his skills now.
Chelsea didn’t baulk at sacking Jose Mourinho months after he won them the title, and Leicester’s owners will go back on their word too if they feel it’s in the club’s best interests.