Ranieri: Vibrant Players Produce Results

- The Foxes have recovered from two goals down to avoid defeat in their last two Barclays Premier League fixtures 

- Ranieri’s men take on Arsenal at King Power Stadium on Saturday 

The performances of Leicester City in recent weeks have displayed great character, and manager Claudio Ranieri puts this down to the positive work ethic of his players. 

In their past two Barclays Premier League fixtures the Foxes have found themselves, somewhat unfortunately, 2-0 down against both Aston Villa and Stoke City. 

Strikes from Jack Grealish and Carles Gil gave Tim Sherwood’s men a two-goal lead in City’s last Premier League home fixture, but a stunning late fightback saw Ritchie De Laet, Jamie Vardy and debutant Nathan Dyer all notch to register a victory. 

It was game that earned the LG Performance of the Week award from the League Manager’s Association and while City couldn’t quite record a win in their next match, the display still caught the eye of many admirers. 

It was the opposition team – this time in the form of Stoke at the Britannia Stadium – who netted two early goals through Bojan and Jonathan Walters, before Riyad Mahrez’s penalty and Vardy’s excellent finish ensured the clash finished 2-2. 

Those types of results simply cannot be achieved unless City’s stars are not optimistic in how they go about their day-to-day lives, according to the Leicester boss. 

“My players come to the training ground with a laugh, but when we work, they’re very serious,” Ranieri said ahead of Saturday’s fixture against Arsenal. “If you go into your job and you are sad and not happy then you don’t work very well. 

“I think the players know me very well now. Slowly, they understand my philosophy. I want to joke, but when we work, I change my face and my voice and they understand that now is the right moment to work.” 

City’s fighting spirit was also evident on Tuesday evening as they advanced to the fourth round of the Capital One Cup with a 2-1 extra-time win over West Ham United at King Power Stadium. 

Youngster Joe Dodoo first breached the Hammers’ defence with a strike on six minutes, only for Mauro Zarate to equalise shortly after with a deflected effort from the edge of the box. 

A dominant display from Ranieri’s outfit followed and it was Andy King who would win the game for Leicester as the Wales international nodded in an excellent Christian Fuchs cross on 116 minutes. 

Ranieri added: “I watched a very good team on Tuesday night. The communication was good because they played very well. They helped each other and played like a team. It was fantastic to watch them. 

“We are also fighting to take points from every match. That is important. I don’t want to see forward, but also behind me I want to watch the match and I want to see if my players are doing well. 

“Behind us there is a passion and heart. When we are desperate we play well. We must be desperate.”