Ranieri: I’ll dig Foxes out of hole
LEICESTER stars have come out fighting ahead of today’s crunch relegation battle saying: Don’t question our bottle.
The Foxes have been hurt by suggestions that they have not lived up to their billing as champions – with reports of dressingroom rifts and speculation over manager Claudio Ranieri’s future.
The club’s Thai owners issued a statement of unconditional support for the Italian this week, after they had slipped deeper into relegation peril.
Message
But a victory over Derbyy County in the FA Cup restored some of the calm – and Ranieri himself looked far more relaxed than he did last Sunday when Manchester United won 3-0 at the King Power Stadium.
And his skipper on Wednesdayday night, Andy King, had a message for the critics: anyone doubting the mentality in Leicester’s dressing room should know better.
King said: “We’ve seen the stuff flying around. But we are 100 per cent behind everyone at the club. And I think it would be naive of people to doubt the strength of this group.
“With the journey and performances we have had over the past three or four years, I don’t think we can be questioned on that.
“We are a group of fighters here. We are good players. Have we taken our eyes off the ball? No, I don’t think we have. We knew this campaign was going to be tough.
“If we knew what was wrong, we’d put it right. Personally, I just think that one thing has led to another. But we can’t dwell on it, we need to rectify it.
“People can say what they like about us, but we are still in the Champions League, still in the FA Cup and there’s more than one-third of the Premier League season left to play. So, whatever happens at Swansea, there’s still quite a few games left.
“Obviously, we have not done as well as we would have liked. It’s not going to be the be-all and end-all of our season down there. But it is one we want to win.
“There’s a lot of football to be played between now and May. It’s the same with the Champions League. And the FA Cup. We’re still confident we can make something of the seas season.” One major bright s spot for Ranieri is the f orm of England U Under-21 star Demarai Gray (left) who scored a s superb solo goal against the Rams to book a fifthround date with Millwall. King added: “I guess Dimi has given the manager a headache – which is exactly what the gaffer would have wanted.
Bargain
“Dimi can be as good as he wants. He’s a brilliant kid as well. He’s willing to learn, and willing to listen.
“You can see he has natural ability and frightening speed. But his main attribute is that he is grounded – a level-headed lad – and he listens to the manager and older players.
“Dimi is doing a brilliant job. He was a snip at £3million [from Birmingham in January 2016] – an absolute bargain.
“He’s waited for his chance. And he will get stronger and better with each year.
“If he keeps grounded, keeps listening and learning, he’ll turn into one of the best talents in the Premier League.” Follow us on Twitter: @peoplesport CLAUDIO RANIERI insists he knows what it takes to win a relegation battle.
Leicester City’s boss has endured a rollercoaster nine months after winning the Premier League title, with the Foxes dropping towards the bottom three.
But he claims he can cope, saying: “It could be difficult for a big team – one that’s used to fighting for the title – to stay down.
“They will ask: ‘What’s happened?’ But Leicester is used to being in a battle.
“And I have not always been near relegation – but often I have been.
“In 1990 at Cagliari we were down the bottom but safe at the end.
“After Chelsea, I went back to Italy, with Parma, and we stayed up one day before the end of the season.
“My career has been up and down – but I have good memories of survival fights.” Ranieri was handed a huge vote of confidence prior to Leicester’s midweek FA Cup victory over Derby when the club issued a statement firmly backing the Italian.
But speaking ahead of today’s trip to Swansea, Ranieri added: “That was for the press and the fans – not for me.
“The chairman believes in me and we talk all the time about how we improve. I speak normally with him and when I said there were a lot of rumours he said: ‘Stop.’
“You know if a chairman is with you or not. You know if he is confident in you or not. I don’t need it.
“However, this is a very important game and it is important for them as well as us. It’s a huge battle.”