Leicester Player Did Not Make Me Lose My Job – Claudio Ranieri

Claudio Ranieri has denied player power lost him his job as Leicester manager, saying they did not “kill” him.The swing in Leicester’s form after Ranieri’s exit — new boss Craig Shakespeare won his first six games — added fuel to reports that the players had forced their title-winning manager out, but he refuses to believe them.Speaking for the first time since the sacking, he said on Sky Sportsor: “I don’t believe rumours the players spoke to the Leicester owners about sacking me.
“The players got to experience something totally different. In pre-season they played against big teams, went all over the world. I don’t believe the players killed me.”However, Ranieri did allude to someone behind the scenes having an involvement in his dismissal, although he would not name names.“I listened to a lot of stories about this,” he added. “Maybe it could be someone behind me, but maybe the little problem I had before the title, maybe they push a little more when we lose this year.“I don’t want to tell. I am a serious man, a loyal man. What I have to say, I say face-to-face.”Ranieri believes Leicester’s upturn in fortunes actually started when they travelled to Sevilla in the Champions League.They were beaten 2-1 in what turned out to be Ranieri’s last game in charge, but Jamie Vardy’s goal helped the Foxes subsequently go through 3-2 on aggregate.Reflecting on his sacking, the 65-year-old said: “Of course it wasn’t easy, because I knew that the second year was totally different.“When you have won the title, the players have to understand what happened, to reset their minds, because it’s not easy, and we were not a team that was used to fighting for the title, we were a little team and then ‘explosion,’ we won the title.
“Then we had to stay calm. I believe that sooner or later we would turn. The turning point was the Sevilla match. In the second half everyone was together again, fighting, Jamie scoring.“We made very good matches before that but not with the same consistency of the year before, that was the problem.“To go to Sevilla, the team who won the Europa League three times in a row, it’s not easy to go there and [only] lose 2-1, so when I was sacked it was a shock for me and for everyone.”

I Got Death Threats After Claudio Ranieri Was Sacked – Jamie Vardy

England and Leicester striker Jamie Vardy says his alleged role in getting Claudio Ranieri sacked after a terrible slump in form placed the champions in danger of relegation has earned him and his family death threats.The 30-year-old — whose goals last season helped Leicester to the title and the one time non-league player a place in the England team — added it was barely credible the only punishment the perpetrators of the threats on Twitter received was a slap on the wrist.“I read one story that said it (the meeting between several senior players and the club owner over Ranieri) was straight after the Sevilla game (a 2-1 first leg last 16 Champions League defeat in Spain which saw the Italian sacked soon after).“It said I was personally involved in a meeting when I was actually sat in anti-doping for three hours,” said Vardy, who was speaking at the England training camp ahead of a friendly on Wednesday with Germany.Vardy, whose vigour and form have returned since Craig Shakespeare replaced Ranieri, said getting at hiom he could just about handle but attakcing his family was another.“Then of course the story is out there and people pick it up and jump on it and you’re getting death threats about your family, kids, everything,” he said.“On social media, you name it — walking down the street. To be honest I get them every week.“Football fans don’t seem to like me. I just get on with it but when people are trying to cut your missus up while she’s driving along, with the kids in the back of the car, it’s not the best. It’s happened plenty of times.“It is terrifying. All that can happen is they get banned on Twitter. People get cut up but if there’s no cameras you’re screwed.”