EPL 2016/17: Leicester City sack Claudio Ranieri as relegation looms for Premier League champions
What’s the story?
Leicester City have officially sacked manager Claudio Ranieri less than a year after the Italian guided the club to their first ever top division title. The defending Premier League champions have had a miserable season having won only five games in 25, losing 14.
The club are still alive in the Champions League and trail Sevilla 2-1 after the first leg of the Round of 16 in Seville. However, the club’s board feels that the only way to arrest their decline is to bring in a new manager before relegation becomes a certainty. The manager was informed of the decision on their return from the Champions League tie.
“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 skilful 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.” – Club Vice Chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha
Also read: How Leicester City were found out this season
In case you didn’t know...
Leicester beat 5000/1 odds to win the Premier League title in the 2015/16 season. They won 23 games and lost only thrice to win the title with a comfortable margin of 10 points over second-placed Arsenal. The title was wrapped up two games before the season ended as Tottenham Hotspur failed to make their mark in the title race.
But just like former champions Chelsea last season, a woeful title defence has been Leicester’s undoing this season. This is the second time in as many years that a title-winning manager has been sacked the very next season after the Blues got rid of Jose Mourinho in December 2015.
The heart of the matter
The Foxes are currently 17th in the table – one point above the relegation zone. Ranieri’s side are yet to score a goal in the league since the turn of the year and have gone 610 minutes without scoring a goal. Their last six fixtures saw the side win only a single point following a draw with fellow strugglers Middlesbrough.
| # | Team | W | D | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Middlesbrough | 4 | 10 | 11 | 22 |
| 17 | Leicester City | 5 | 6 | 14 | 21 |
| 18 | Hull City | 5 | 5 | 15 | 20 |
| 19 | Crystal Palace | 5 | 4 | 16 | 19 |
| 20 | Sunderland | 5 | 4 | 16 | 19 |
What’s next?
The club also confirmed that assistant manager and first team coach Paolo Benetti and first team sport science and conditioning coach Andrea Azzalin have left the club.
Assistant manager Craig Shakespeare and first team coach Mike Stowell will take charge of the squad until a new manager is appointed. Leicester next play Liverpool on Monday night.
Also read: 5 league champions who were relegated the very next season
Sportskeeda’s take
Although nobody likes to see a man lose their job, it seemed almost inevitable that Ranieri had to leave for the sake of the club. Leicester were going nowhere with the Italian in charge and he simply couldn’t do wonders with the squad as he did last season. It seemed as if even the players had stopped responding to him.
With approximately £100m in revenue guaranteed if the club stay in the Premier League, relegation simply wasn’t an option for the club. They had survived once before with an improbable winning run towards the end of the 2014/15 season and the club needs something similar to avoid relegation yet again or bear the ignominy of becoming only the second English champions to be relegated the very next season.