Ranieri backs Foxes to fight
Chelsea’s title charge continued yesterday as they beat defending Premier League champions Leicester City 3-0 at home, but Foxes manager Claudio Ranieri insists his team are prepared to keep on fighting.
Leicester are just 15th, while Chelsea’s win took them seven points clear of Tottenham at the league summit, but after upsetting Everton at Goodison Park in the FA Cup third round, Ranieri believes his men have the heart to continue scrapping for points in the league.
“I said from the beginning that we would have to look over our shoulder. From the beginning it was another Premier League for us and we’re in the battle. I said that two or three months ago,” he said.
(Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
“The mentality is right – this team is used to fighting. Three seasons ago, they fought to win the Championship. Two seasons ago, they were in the relegation battle and they survived. Last season, we won the title. This team, these players, are used to fighting.
With two goals from Marcus Alonso and a third from Pedro doing the damage for Antonio Conte’s Chelsea, Ranieri found there were still positives to be found.
He said: “Of course, I’m not happy that we conceded a goal at the beginning of the first half and the beginning of the second half, but if you take out those two goals, the match was good for us. We closed the space, we mirrored Chelsea with a 3-5-2 and it was good.”
