‘Foxes’ regain their swagger after nifty Champs run Red Devils in right old mean mood
IN progressing to the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time, Leicester City preserved a golden thread stretching back all the way to last season’s miraculous Premier League title success.
The thread has worn close to breaking in recent weeks, with Leicester’s perilous slide towards the relegation zone costing popular manager Claudio Ranieri his job.
But after overcoming a 2-1 deficit to beat Sevilla in the Champions League last 16, the sense of fearlessness that became their hallmark a year ago has returned.
“They looked so fluid and had such amazing passion and determination,” the club’s former manager David Pleat said after Leicester’s 2-0 win over Sevilla on Tuesday.
“I don’t think they would want either Real Madrid or Barcelona in the quarterfinal. But who would have thought they would win the title last year? So whoever they face, who knows?”
As well as Barcelona and Real Madrid, Juventus, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund also lie in wait in tomorrow’s last-eight draw.
Atletico Madrid and Manchester City were in pole position to join them ahead of the final two last 16 second legs late yesterday.
Asked who he hoped to avoid in the quarterfinals, Juve’s emblematic captain Gianluigi Buffon replied: “Leicester.” The prospect of a genuine European superpower arriving at the King Power Stadium will further help to restore some of the magic dust that had been rubbed off amid Leicester’s domestic toils.
Eliminated from both cup competitions and fighting to keep themselves above the Premier League bottom three, the Champions League represents their only hope of prolonging last season’s fairytale.
Yesterday’s Daily Mail back-page headline said Leicester could “carry on dreaming”, while The Guardian said victory over Sevilla had seen Leicester “write a new fairytale”.
The Times said Leicester were “back in fantasy land”.
The great irony of Leicester’s resurgence is that it has taken the dismissal of Ranieri, architect of the title win, for the players to start playing like they had last season.
They had already found the Champions League to be well-suited to their preferred contain-and-counter strategy, however, having recorded four wins and kept four clean sheets during the group phase.
Ranieri tried to introduce greater sophistication to Leicester’s tactics, notably deploying Riyad Mahrez in a central role in the 2-1 first-leg loss to Sevilla, which was to prove his last game.
But the instant impact enjoyed by his successor Craig Shakespeare suggests Leicester’s players are both happier and more effective with the simple 4-4-2 formula used to such devastating effect last season.
“I think we have to play to our strengths,” said Shakespeare, Ranieri’s former assistant.
“[Beating Sevilla] epitomises what we’re about.” Tactical factors only go so far in explaining the Leicester turnaround under Shakespeare, which started with successive 3-1 wins over Liverpool and Hull City.
The sight of Jamie Vardy and Shinji Okazaki once again breathlessly harrying opposition centre-backs suggested the change has been as much psychological as anything else.
“There had to be something wrong there,” observed former England right-back Danny Mills, a Champions League semifinalist with Leeds United in 2001.
“All those fans who thought it was a disgrace that Ranieri was sacked, they have got to eat some humble pie.”
With Leicester still only three points above the Premier League relegation zone, their players cannot afford to be distracted by dreams of European glory for too long. — AFP
JOSE Mourinho hopes Manchester United’s players will shrug off the effects of the stormy FA Cup loss to Chelsea when they resume Europa League hostilities with a depleted Rostov today.
Ander Herrera’s 35th-minute dismissal in Monday’s FA Cup quarterfinal obliged United to toil with 10 men for an hour as they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Mourinho’s former club.
United have the upper hand against Rostov, having netted an away goal in a 1-1 draw in last week’s last-16 first leg in Russia, but their heavy schedule means freshness remains a concern.
“We have a very important match on Thursday and I want to rest a little bit to try to prepare the team as best we can,” United manager Mourinho told reporters at Stamford Bridge.
“That’s the most important thing now.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s suspension and injuries to Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial meant Marcus Rashford had to play as a lone striker at Chelsea despite struggling with illness.
But while it is unclear whether Rooney or Martial will feature today, Ibrahimovic and Herrera will both be at Mourinho’s disposal as their suspensions only apply to domestic matches.
Centre-back Eric Bailly is also available again after missing the first leg through suspension.
With United’s FA Cup quest over, the Europa League is the only piece of silverware Mourinho’s side can hope to add to the League Cup they won with a 3-2 victory over Southampton last month.
Aleksandr Bukharov’s secondhalf equaliser saved Rostov from defeat last Thursday on a tricky pitch that left Mourinho fuming, but Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s 35thminute opener meant United were content to return to England with a draw.
“We didn’t underestimate them and we know what they’re capable of in the home game.
“I’m sure we’ll play on a better pitch, in better conditions, with all the crowd behind us. We have to finish it at home,” said United defender Daley Blind.
While the tie appears to remain in the balance, United’s lofty reputation and Rostov’s own selection problems have prompted visiting manager Ivan Daniliants to adopt a cautious stance.
“I expect a very difficult return match,” he said.
“We’re going to Manchester hoping to produce a miracle, which sometimes happen in football. Unfortunately, we will be without a set of first-team players there.”
Rostov captain Aleksandr Katskan and Belarusian winger Timofei Kalachev are both suspended after being booked in the first leg, while fullback Vladimir Granat suffered a broken collarbone. First-choice goalkeeper Soslan Dzhanaev has only recently returned from injury and is not expected to play at Old Trafford.
Elsewhere, Lyon will look to close out victory away to Roma after an eye-catching 4-2 win last week in which Nabil Fekir and Alexandre Lacazette scored a pair of superb late goals.
It is all-square in the all-German clash between Borussia Moenchengladbach and Schalke, who drew 1-1 in Gelsenkirchen in their first meeting.
Dutch giants Ajax will attempt to overcome a 2-1 deficit at home to Copenhagen, while Genk’s 5-2 win at Belgian compatriots Gent means they are already within touching distance of the last eight. — AFP