Ranieri: I Need Gladiators

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Ranieri: I Need Gladiators

Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri has challenged his players to come back stronger after a late 1-0 Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round exit away at Millwall on Saturday afternoon.

2017-02-18T17:00:00.000Z

by Leicester City

Published

18 Feb, 2017

Ranieri: I Need Gladiators

Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri has challenged his players to come back stronger after a late 1-0 Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round exit away at Millwall on Saturday afternoon.

Leicester City

2017-02-18T17:00:00.000Z

Ranieri: I Need Gladiators

Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri has challenged his players to come back stronger after a late 1-0 Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round exit away at Millwall on Saturday afternoon.

Leicester City

2017-02-18T17:00:00.000Z

Ranieri: I Need Gladiators

Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri has challenged his players to come back stronger after a late 1-0 Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round exit away at Millwall on Saturday afternoon.

Leicester City

2017-02-18T17:00:00.000Z

Ranieri: I Need Gladiators

Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri has challenged his players to come back stronger after a late 1-0 Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round exit away at Millwall on Saturday afternoon.

Leicester City

2017-02-18T17:00:00.000Z

- Claudio Ranieri reflects on a 1-0 defeat to Millwall in the Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round

- Shaun Cummings’ last minute strike put the home side through to the quarter-finals

- The manager wants his players to show the same fight that Millwall showed after going down to 10 men

- Next up is a trip to Seville in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night

Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri has challenged his players to come back stronger after a late 1-0 Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round exit away at Millwall on Saturday afternoon.

The Foxes came flying out of the blocks in the first half at The Den but were frustrated by the Lions, who were reduced to 10 men just before the hour when Jake Cooper was shown a second yellow card.

Ranieri’s charges created chances - Shinji Okazaki going closest - but were punished in the final minute of normal time when Shaun Cummings cut inside and finished into the bottom corner on his left foot to book a quarter-final berth.

Though he was pleased with aspects of his team’s display, Ranieri called on his players to look at the fight and the heart shown by Millwall and take that into their next match against Sevilla in Spain on Wednesday night.

“Now we have to fight every match,” reflected Ranieri. “I need soldiers. I need gladiators. Millwall with 10 men showed they have fantastic gladiators.

“The first half was a good performance from us. We knew that Millwall wanted to counter attack and try to do something at set plays. We created some good chances but we lost in the last parts.

“I was very satisfied with the first half. We started not at the same level as the first half but positive. When they played 10 vs. 11 they played better than us. They showed more character and more heart than us [after the red card]. At the end they deserved to win. They had the chance and they scored a goal, so well done to them.

“I think this defeat could be good for us because when you lose against a team who fights like Millwall did, you have to say well done to them, ask why you lost and come back stronger.”

The manager made 10 changes for the match as he aimed to give chances to players who didn’t feature in the defeat to Swansea City at the weekend, including January loan signing Molla Wagué, who was unfortunately withdrawn through injury in the second half.

Ranieri explained: “It was a dislocated shoulder. Now we go back and check on him.

“We also made 10 changes against Derby and we won the match. In this period when you play three matches in nine days, you need to give the opportunity to players to come in and play well. The players showed a good performance but we lost because of the concentration [at the end]."

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