Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

Champions Leicester reward Ranieri with the sack, but manager’s legacy is untouchable

When players lose faith in the judgement of their manager, the team is dead.

In file photo taken in May 2016, Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri has the crown of the Premier League trophy placed on his head by goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel as they celebrate becoming the English Premier League football champions. Leicester have sacked Ranieri less than a year after their incredible run to the Premier League title. Photo: AP

In file photo taken in May 2016, Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri has the crown of the Premier League trophy placed on his head by goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel as they celebrate becoming the English Premier League football champions. Leicester have sacked Ranieri less than a year after their incredible run to the Premier League title. Photo: AP

When players lose faith in the judgement of their manager, the team is dead.

In football it has to be all for one, one for all. When that Musketeer spirit vanishes into thin air, and the blame game takes over a dressing room, you’re in huge trouble.

This in part explains why Leicester City have been so abysmal in recent months.

It has to be said that Claudio Ranieri got himself into a right old muddle.

Instead of sticking to the tried and trusted formula that worked so well for them last season, the Italian returned to his old, tinkering ways and with his logic not entirely clear the Foxes players got themselves into a state of confusion too. No one knew the best XI anymore. The tactics were all a bit scatter gun too.

Ranieri was also too soft on the super hero players that won the title.

He should have spent big on players that were better than them last summer. It was the right time to strike while the iron was hot and find some upgrades, but instead he showed loyalty, adding signings to beef up the squad rather than to improve the team. This bred complacency, and the dressing room because a them and us environment. The newbies are outsiders.

Ranieri should also have stamped out their lax attitude much, much sooner. Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, Wes Morgan, Robert Huth and Danny Drinkwater, to name but a few, have not worked anywhere near as hard this term, but the gentle Italian let them get away with it. They’ve been dining out on last year’s glory, and it was down to the manager to wake them up. He let it go on too long, and the laissez-faire attitudes became habitual.

And now, according to reports, they have stabbed him in the back, secretly meeting the club’s Thai owners and telling them the gaffer was a busted flush.

It’s incredibly sad to see him go. The decision feels cold and ruthless.

But for the sake of a team that’s no longer a team, and to stand ay chance of avoiding the drop, this was the right decision in the interests of the club.

Ranieri’s legacy is untouchable though. They should build a statue at the King Power and we will only ever remember that one, vintage season.

It’s a pity he didn’t do a Nico Rosberg. Maybe it was time to say goodbye the moment Andrea Bocelli sung that song on the day he was crowned King.

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.