Drinkwater backs new boss for permanent Leicester role as Italian’s assistant says there’s no malice between him and fallen hero
Leicester City’s Japanese striker Shinji Okazaki (L) and Leicester City’s Nigerian midfielder Ahmed Musa attend a team training session at Leicester City’s training ground in Leicester, central England, on March 13, 2017. Leicester City are set to play Sevilla in a UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg football match on Monday
Leicester: Craig Shakespeare said there were “no grudges” between himself and Claudio Ranieri on Monday after he succeeded the Italian as Leicester City manager.
Ranieri was sacked last month, nine months on from Leicester’s fairytale Premier League title triumph, after the club slid towards the relegation zone.
Shakespeare took over as caretaker manager and was on Sunday confirmed as manager until the end of the season following 3-1 wins over Liverpool and Hull City in his first two games.
“Of course I’m part of that back-room team, but it’s about time we all moved on,” Shakespeare told a press conference before Tuesday’s Champions League last 16 second leg at home to Sevilla.
“I bear no grudges, Claudio bears no grudges. We have to try and move on as a football club.”
Shakespeare previously worked as Ranieri’s assistant.
Asked if he had spoken to Ranieri since his appointment as manager until the end of the season was confirmed, Shakespeare replied: “We haven’t spoken since.
“But I said last week, when we spoke he wished me luck. We’ll probably be in contact and I have no problem with that.”
In an online poll run by local newspaper the Leicester Mercury, 92 per cent of respondents backed Shakespeare to become Leicester’s next manager, but he played it down.
“If we’d have lost both games, it would probably have been one or two per cent and that would probably have been my family!” Shakespeare said.
Leicester are seeking to overturn a 2-1 deficit from the first leg against Sevilla and Shakespeare says his players will approach the match with renewed self-belief.
Player support
“It will be a special occasion at the King Power,” he said.
“The atmosphere will be electric. I’m expecting the team to take the momentum from the two results, to take the confidence they’ve gained from that and really play on the front foot.
“That’s not saying we’ll be open as we know Seville have some very, very world-class players. But it makes for a very interesting game because of the away goal.”
Shakespeare, 53, was cautious when asked if he wanted the job beyond the end of the season, saying he would “take stock in the summer”.
But midfielder Danny Drinkwater said the players were all hoping for Shakespeare to land the role on a long-term basis.
“On behalf of all the players, I think all of us would love to see him get the job long-term,” Drinkwater told reporters at King Power Stadium.
“We were all very happy when it got announced that he was getting the job until the end of the season and I’m sure it’d be the same reaction whether it be long-term or not.”
Leicester’s players trained beneath bright sunshine on Monday in their pre-game training session.
Shakespeare said French midfielder Nampalys Mendy will miss the match after taking a knock to the knee, but could be fit for Saturday’s trip to West Ham United in the league.
Asked if Leicester could replicate last season’s 5,000-1 title win by triumphing in the Champions League, Shakespeare replied: “Why not?
“We’re in it. There’s no free game in football. You have to try and win every game.
“You have to show that determination, that competitiveness, and we need to show that in abundance tomorrow night.”
Leicester could be in with a very good chance considering Sevilla’s letdown in form — which couldn’t have come at a worse time.
“I’m worried about the team’s behaviour,” Sevilla coach Jorge Sampaoli said after his team were held to a 1-1 home draw against relegation-threatened Leganes in La Liga on Saturday.
It was the second-consecutive setback for third-place Sevilla after a run of five consecutive victories in all competitions. They had also been held to a 1-1 draw at Alaves in the league.
“We know that with this type of performance it will be very difficult to advance in the Champions League,” Sampaoli said. “We will face bigger opponents and they won’t allow us to make these mistakes. If we don’t improve, it will be very difficult.”
“We have to recover as soon as possible because we have a crucial match on Tuesday,” said Stevan Jovetic, who scored Sevilla’s equaliser against Leganes. “We have to reverse this situation.”
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