Ranieri: They Play For Each Other

- Claudio Ranieri praises his team’s willingness to work hard for each other 

- Leicester City move to the top of the Barclays Premier League table with a 3-0 win over Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Saturday

- The boss was impressed with Jamie Vardy after he scored for the 10th consecutive Premier League game 

- Ranieri also pleased to see strikers Leonardo Ulloa and Shinji Okazaki score 

After watching his side roar to the top of the Barclays Premier League with a 3-0 victory over Newcastle United on Saturday, manager Claudio Ranieri paid tribute to their team mentality. 

The Foxes’ hard working and attacking approach has made them one of the most exciting teams in the league, and the boss thinks it’s their willingness to work for each other that has set them apart so far this term. 

At St. James’ Park the new league leaders gave Newcastle very few opportunities with a dominant display. Jamie Vardy opened the scoring with a record-equalling goal, before Leonardo Ulloa and Shinji Okazaki added another two after the break. 

Afterwards, there was little fault that the Italian could find with his team, who moved to the top of the table – a point ahead of second-placed Manchester United. 

<div ><br /><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">He told <strong><a href="http://www.player.lcfc.com" target="_blank">Foxes Player HD</a></strong>: “I don’t know if it’s the best performance [of the season] but I’m very pleased with my players. It’s always difficult when there has been an international break to go back. </div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">“We made just two training sessions before this match but I saw a fantastic performance. Everybody works very hard, are united, they play for each other and I’m very glad when the team play in this way.” </div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Vardy’s goal saw him draw level with former Manchester United striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s Premier League record of scoring in 10 consecutive matches – a remarkable feat. </div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">The City striker was a huge doubt for the fixture with a knock, and Ranieri admitted afterwards that he nearly didn’t feature at all. </div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">He said: “He was very, very close. I spoke with all our medical staff and at the end. They told me that he was OK and that was good for us. </div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">“Jamie is an easy boy. He doesn’t think about the expectation. He wants to win and show his best performance. He is a worker for the team. I love him. </div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">“He’s not a striker who waits for the ball and then scores a goal, he works very hard for the team and then scores a goal. </div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">“For all the strikers it’s very important to continue to score. That’s Jamie and also [Shinji] Okazaki and Leo [Ulloa]. Leo was our top goal scorer last season and he continues to work hard, even when he hasn’t scored and hasn’t played. </div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">“That is the right way. I need 25 players who believe something is good for the team, not selfish. They are involved in this project. </div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">“I also want to say also thank you to our fans. They travelled for four hours and I want to say thank you to everybody.”</span></span></div><div><a href="http://www.player.lcfc.com" target="_blank"><img xlink:href="tcm:0-2692753" title="PlayerHD2015_Banner" alt="PlayerHD2015_Banner" style="width: 480px; height: 100px;" /></a><br /></div></div>