Claudio Ranieri has finally admitted that he believes Leicester City can win the Premier League title. With qualification for the Champions League group stage secured earlier in the week, following Manchester City’s draw with Newcastle United, Ranieri was happy to break with tradition and accept that winning the championship is now the sole target for his players.
“We are in the Champions League, dilly ding, dilly dong. It’s fantastic, terrific,” Ranieri said, his face beaming. “Well done to everybody, the owners, the fans, the players, the staff, everybody involved in it. It’s a great achievement. Unbelievable. Yes, man, only this remains. I wanted 79 points and we have to fight more now.
“And now we go straight away to try to win the title. Only this remains. Mauricio [Pochettino] , keep calm!
Moment to push
“I talked with my players: ‘Come on, now is the right moment to push.’ I believe. Always I believe. I am a positive man. If Tottenham go above us, congratulations. But I prefer to be five points ahead. I think they’ll win the final four games. But I also think we’ll win. If we win the title it will be unbelievable.”
Leicester have the opportunity to stretch their lead at the top to eight points when they host Swansea City tomorrow. Ranieri will be without Jamie Vardy for that game, following the striker’s controversial dismissal against West Ham United last Sunday, but the Leicester manager was reluctant to wade into the English Football Association’s decision to charge the striker with improper conduct.
“I don’t want to put my energy into this case. My focus is only on Swansea. Swansea is a difficult match,” he said.
Asked specifically about Roy Hodgson’s comments and the England manager’s public show of support for Vardy, who picked up a second yellow card for an alleged dive, Ranieri said: “I think it’s not only sympathy, I think it was the truth. He was going very fast, and when you touch someone you lose balance, maybe it is not a penalty, but sure it is not a yellow card.
“Football is football. I don’t like to speak about what happened. I forget and I think about the next game. But Roy is an honest man and he said what he watched.”
Candidate
Leonardo Ulloa, whose injury-time penalty earned Leicester a point in the 2-2 against West Ham, seems the obvious candidate to start in place of Vardy.
“We have to change something, because with Jamie everybody knows his movement, without him we have to make some other strategy,” Ranieri said.
“We know he has one match off and our preparation is without him. He trained very well and he was not happy but he enjoyed the training session.
“I don’t tell you whether I change only one player or the system. Leo deserves to play but before Leo there is a team. I think about what is best for the team.” Guardian Service
