Ranieri keeps calm amid Leicester maelstrom
LEICESTER — Asked whether, having watched his Leicester City team move seven points clear at the Premier League summit, he was worried they might choke, manager Claudio Ranieri responded: “What is ‘choke’?”
The question was more a reflection of his imperfect English than a display of brazenness, but after having the word explained to him, the 64-year-old Italian put his hand around his own throat and mimicked a throttling noise.
When the laughter of those present in the King Power Stadium press room following Sunday’s 1-0 victory over Southampton had subsided, Ranieri smiled and said: “No, no, no.
We must stay with our feet on the ground
Ranieri
I am very calm.” Leicester’s win, courtesy of captain Wes Morgan’s 38th-minute header, left them requiring 12 points from their last six games to complete one of the most improbable title triumphs in football history. But while the city of Leicester, in central England, is abuzz with excitement, Ranieri is determined not to let the title fervour get the better of either him or his players.
“(The fans) must believe, they must be happy for this season, but we must stay with our feet on the ground,” he said.
“Because if you remember our last matches, all the matches are very, very tough, very difficult. Imagine Sunderland next Sunday, what (will) happen? Another battle. And then we must be focused.”
The nervy win over Southampton was Leicester’s fifth 1-0 success in six matches and they are ticking off their remaining games with the dead-eyed professionalism of seasoned trophy-winners.
Leicester’s approach, Ranieri joked, has become “more Italian” as the season has worn on.
The final whistle brought a giddy end to a giddy day, which had started with home fans collecting free doughnuts laid on by the club’s Thai chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha in celebration of his birthday on Monday. Vichai was present to see his team’s latest success and Ranieri revealed afterwards that he had been serenaded by the players.
“The chairman is happy,” he said. “We sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to him in the dressing room before the match and I ask the players for a good present for him: three points.” Ranieri also praised Morgan, the hulking 32-year-old centre-back, who registered his first goal since last May after shrugging off a cold that he had picked up on international duty with Jamaica. —
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