PRESSURE TO WIN LEAGUE TITLE MORE ON NEW MANAGERS: RANIERI
LONDON: Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri is not losing sleep over his team’s Premier League title defence and believes the pressure to succeed is more on the new managers of the big clubs.
Under Ranieri, 5000-1 outsiders Leicester won their first top flight title last season, with Manchester United and Chelsea failing to secure Champions League qualification and Manchester City only just making the top four.
The 2016-17 season will see José Mourinho guiding Manchester United, Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and Antonio Conte in charge of Chelsea.
“You imagine the big teams who didn’t win, who didn’t make the Champions League. They are going crazy now, they want to kill now. Not just us, but all the other teams,” Ranieri told British media.
“They have new managers, fantastic managers. Antonio Conte is fantastic; José, everybody knows José. Pep Guardiola is an amazing person, good manager. I’m laughing because at the end only one will win. And the pressure is not on me, it’s on them.
“Leicester City? People are just curious. What will happen with Leicester? What can Leicester do next season?” Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who played every game of Leicester’s title-winning campaign, said the team remained equally hungry this season.
“I can assure you the hunger is still there. We have to do exactly the same again and see where it takes us. We have never said ‘this is what we are aiming for’,” Schmeichel told the BBC.
“We go out, we work hard for each other and do our best. If someone is not pulling their weight – which barely ever happens – then they will be told.
“Part of being a really good squad is the togetherness and being able to trust each other.”
Meanwhile, Ranieri insists he is still “laughing”, despite selling N’Golo Kanté to Chelsea and losing head of recruitment Steve Walsh. Former teacher Walsh, who also operates as assistant manager alongside Craig Shakespeare, has joined Ronald Koeman at Everton as director of football after the Merseyside club missed out on Sevilla’s Monchi last month. Riyad Mahrez, the Algerian winger who won the PFA player of the year award last season, is also holding back on giving the Premier League champions a definitive answer after being offered a new contract reported to be worth in the region of £100 000 (R1.8m)-a-week. Charlie Adam, the Stoke City midfielder, revealed that he believes Mahrez should leave the King Power Stadium, citing the fact that Leicester’s triumph “was a one-off season” which they won’t be able to replicate alongside their Champions League commitments.
However, the departure of Walsh, the brother of former Everton striker Mickey, will be a major setback after proving integral to Leicester’s recruitment policy in recent seasons and helping to stitch the wounds caused by Nigel Pearson’s acrimonious dismissal last summer.
Leicester City captain Wes Morgan has urged teammate Mahrez and other “key players” to reject offers from bigger clubs and stay with the Premier League champions next season.
Morgan signed a new contract on Wednesday that will keep him at the club until June 2019, but according to the British media, winger Mahrez has attracted interest from several clubs in Europe.
Leicester have boosted the squad by signing striker Ahmed Musa, midfielder Nampalys Mendy, goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler and defender Luis Hernandez.
“I know there’s a lot of talking going on, but hopefully everybody can follow in my footsteps,” Morgan said.
“We want to keep our key players and build on that with the new players because we have a lot to play for this season. Let the people talk the talk and do what we can do on the pitch.”
Leicester had to fight off interest from several clubs to keep striker Jamie Vardy, who signed a new deal last month.
“I suppose it’s to be expected, especially after the season we had. I suppose teams trying to poach our better players is part and parcel of the job,” Morgan said.
“We have some fantastic players and some of the bigger teams in Europe are going to want them.”
West Bromwich Albion have had a £9m bid for Leicester defender Jeffrey Schlupp rejected.
Leicester will kick off their title defence with a trip to the KC Stadium, where they will face promoted Hull City on August 13. – Reuters & The Independent