EPL 2016/17: Why Leicester City were right to dismiss Claudio Ranieri

Ranieri was sacked earlier this week

And so the axe fell. Claudio Ranieri was dismissed after Leicester City’s 2-1 defeat in Seville in the Champions League, but don’t be misled. This was not a cause and effect. The Foxes’ deteriorating form over the course of the 2016-17 Premier League season was the reason behind this decision.

It was initially written off as the hangover after a big league-winning party. But surely even hangovers don’t last this long, do they? Then it became the kind of lazy reluctance to get going associated with getting out of bed on a cold winter morning. A case of resting on one’s laurels, perhaps.

But Leicester were eventually going to get back on the horse, right? Unfortunately, the answer has so far proved to be ‘no’. The January transfer window could have energised the team. However, quite the opposite happened. That reluctance became something much more worrying.

The slide down the table has now become a genuine relegation battle. The bottom six teams are separated by just five points, and Leicester currently lie in 17^th, a point and a place above the bottom three. To make matters worse, Hull City and Swansea have chosen precisely the wrong time for a mini-renaissance of their own.

All these things have combined to put Ranieri’s neck on the chopping block. Affable and avuncular, the Italian was warm and likeable as manager of Leicester. But now, the King Power International Group have decided to dispense with an employee who managed to defy 5000-1 odds to make history last season. For a group of businessmen, their blind eye to numbers seems ironic, but they have acted in good faith this time. 

Failed expectations

Maybe we should have seen this coming. About a fortnight ago, the club offered Ranieri the dreaded vote of confidence. After one point from the last six games, elimination from the FA Cup by Millwall and no league goals scored in 2017, Leicester’s “unwavering support” for their manager was bound to waver sooner rather than later: Ranieri’s amicability was unable to buy him more sand for his hourglass.

This decent man, who led the underdogs to a fairytale success last season, bought himself a lifetime supply of glory – sport’s most priceless currency.

If we agree that this was more or less the story of last season, then it would benefit us this season to take a dispassionate view of the situation in which Leicester currently find themselves.

Ranieri took Leicester to new heights

José Mourinho, no stranger to being sacked after a league winning season, took to Instagram to discuss the sacking of his predecessor, opponent and immediate catalyst for his dismissal in his second spell at Chelsea. Such a sacking is simply part of the modern game, he claims in not as many words. However, it smacks of painting the owners as thoughtless people and the Italian as an egregiously wronged man.

That is not quite accurate, and the reverse is actually true here. And of course, there is a more pragmatic consideration to take into account as well.

As employees, we have to toe our boss’ line at work, even if we don’t want to. It’s even more annoying if our boss’ line has a point. Leicester’s vice-president, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanapraba, made clear in his statement that they did not expect to win the title again and survival in the Premier League was the priority.

The hierarchy have set aside their sentiment and acted, as that hope of survival has been increasingly threatened in 2017. This expectation also undercuts any consternation at Ranieri’s dismissal before the home leg of the Sevilla game. One goal might be enough to take Leicester through to the next round of the Champions League – but not enough for the Italian to keep his job if poor showings in the league continue.

When an employee fails to complete his task, he is fired. It seems a little unnecessary to blame businessmen for running a business. Even in pure sporting terms, Leicester would happily accept good results regardless of the means used. It is simply a results-oriented business – because of the situation they are in.

Bad to worse

Ranieri’s tactics have proved ineffective, his summer transfers have not slotted into the team easily and Leicester have picked up only five wins all season. Their defence is leaking goals at an alarming rate – 12 in the last five games – and the attack is unable to keep up: they are going at less than a goal a game compared to 1.78 goals per game last season.

This is not some knee-jerk reaction either; Ranieri’s Leicester have struggled all season, and twenty-five games in, after a January window, is enough time to show improvement. Their performances in the new year have slid from poor to alarming, which has prompted a pull of the trigger.

Where did it all go wrong for the Italian?

The problem with football contracts is that many-a-time they are rewards for good performances rather than indicators of present worth. Football moves fast, and if you stand still you get left behind. Leicester shouldn’t be blamed for attempting to change when they are still outside the relegation zone with their Premier League survival on the line.

Speaking of contracts, finance is an important factor when considering relegation. Jamie Vardy reportedly rejected Arsenal's advances last summer for a lucrative new deal with Leicester. The champions spent over £70 million in the same window, and they may soon have more expensive assets than can be maintained in the Championship.

Perhaps funds from the Champions League can help with that, but staying in the Premier League is evidently the more desired option, with good reason. 

But let us also try to contextualise Ranieri’s performances a little more. The departure of N’Golo Kante was a big blow to Leicester. In fairness, Ranieri attempted to replace him, but did not succeed in re-creating the midfielder’s energetic and intelligent presence.

Transfers sometimes don’t work out. It is also somewhat unfortunate that Leicester’s fall down the table coincided with the good runs of Hull and Swansea, which makes their slide look even worse by comparison.

Dissension?

The other major factor in Leicester’s troubles is also perhaps the most problematic. Reported unrest in the dressing room is something that players like Kasper Schmeichel, perhaps tellingly, have not spoken about to the media. Ranieri might have ruffled some feathers, and that is not a situation that usually has a happy outcome for the manager. 

Ranieri lost the backing of his players as the season progressed

There is no easy way to rectify that. It might be harsh on the Italian and too lenient on the players, but the unfortunate truth is that it is far easier to dispense with (one) manager as opposed to (several) members of the playing staff – especially at this stage of the season with time running out.

On the balance of things, it was probably correct to part ways with the Italian, for reasons, either of declining performance or because, players’ displays, somewhat unfairly, reflect discontent with the management. Take your pick. As Mourinho says, it’s part and parcel of the ‘new’ game.