Leicester’s Ranieri dilemma

COULD it be a statue and the sack in the same season? Even in the condensed craziness of the Premier League that would be incredible.

But the harsh reality for Claudio Ranieri is that last weekend confirmed that Leicester City – the champions – are in a relegation dogfight.

Defeat at Southampton marked the point at which Leicester have now played more matches than they have gained points. With 21 from 22 fixtures they are on a dangerous trajectory.

Only four other Premier League teams have lost more often than Leicester this season, and one of those, Swansea City, have just recorded a remarkable victory away to Liverpool.

And there is a sense that Hull City’s new manager, Marco Silva, has enough about him to make them competitive. Both those clubs have new managers.

Serious questions have to be asked as to whether Ranieri – and the players – have the stomach for this fight after back-to-back 3-0 losses and an abject defeat on Sunday at St Mary’s against a Southampton side who had been beaten in their previous four league matches.

In early December I wrote a column arguing that Leicester’s dropoff this season was inevitable, and that even the indicators last season suggested that their success was unsustainable, that there would be a correction. — The Daily Telegraph