Leicester City has recently announced plans to part with the services of manager Claudio Ranieri. News comes following last night’s loss against Sevilla and an altogether disappointing season. Ranieri had helmed the team to a very surprising title win in the last season. Leicester City won the Premier League for the first time, of course.
As previously reported, Leicester are currently sitting 17th in the League. They are just one point ahead of the relegation line. This is a far cry from last season when everything seemed to come together for the Foxes. Leicester won the title, despite practically nobody giving them any chances at the start of the season. If anything, the current position held by the team is more in line with the expectations of most fans at the beginning of the last season.
Claudio Ranieri’s job security was under discussion for some time now. The FA Cup defeat against Millwall in the weekend added insult to injury. Leicester also lost 2-1 to Sevilla yesterday in the Champions League. The team was under heavy dominance from the beginning. Through sheer will power they pulled off a result that gives them hope for the second leg. Leicester are to play the second game on home grounds.
Leicester’s form has been particularly poor lately. They have lost seven of their last nine games. Ranieri still did not seem likely to lost his job because of last yearțs achievements. The manager helped secure (by far) the most important result in the team’s history. Leicester won the Premier League last year. Furthermore Claudio Ranieri achieved this with a team roster that was, on paper at least, miles away from what the usual title contenders offered.
“Leicester City Football Club has tonight [Thursday] parted company with its first team Manager, Claudio Ranieri,” read the club statement.
“Claudio, appointed City manager in July 2015, led the Foxes to the greatest triumph in the club’s 133-year history last season, as we were crowned champions of England for the first time. His status as the most successful Leicester City manager of all time is without question.”
“However, domestic results in the current campaign have placed the club’s Premier League status under threat and the board reluctantly feels that a change of leadership, while admittedly painful, is necessary in the club’s greatest interest.”
Vice chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said: “This has been the most difficult decision we have had to make in nearly seven years since King Power took ownership of Leicester City. But we are duty-bound to put the club’s long-term interests above all sense of personal sentiment, no matter how strong that might be.”
“Claudio has brought outstanding qualities to his office. His skillful management, powers of motivation and measured approach have been reflective of the rich experience we always knew he would bring to Leicester City. His warmth, charm and charisma have helped transform perceptions of the club and develop its profile on a global scale. We will forever be grateful to him for what he has helped us to achieve.”
“It was never our expectation that the extraordinary feats of last season should be replicated this season. Indeed, survival in the Premier League was our first and only target at the start of the campaign. But we are now faced with a fight to reach that objective and feel a change is necessary to maximise the opportunity presented by the final 13 games.’”
Ranieri’s managerial staff will leave along with him. The decision to sack Ranieri comes only 16 days after the Leicester board expressed their “unwavering support” for the manager. The decision also comes before a second leg in the Champions League in which the team has a realistic chance of going through. Previously Leicester had won a group featuring Porto and Club Brugge.
Leicester will most likely announce a new managerial team shortly. Their next game has them facing Liverpool at home, on Monday.
