Sunday, 5 February 2017

Leicester 0 Man Utd 3: Clinical United humiliate champions and turn up the heat on Claudio Ranieri




Zlatan Ibrahimovic makes it 2-0 for Manchester United against Leicester City Credit: REX FEATURES

The Post Horn Gallop is still played at Leicester City – and has now taken on new significance. The Foxes are being hunted and, more immediately, their manager Claudio Ranieri is fighting for his job after this humiliating defeat by Manchester United.

Leicester do not want to sack their manager. They stuck with Nigel Pearson, and he finally avoided relegation two seasons ago, and the mood is to carry on if possible. They are desperate to back Ranieri, but the champions are in real danger of going down. Unless they can quickly turn around their season after this at times shambolic display, the Italian will surely not see it out. He would go from World Coach of the Year to the sack within one campaign.
They are just a point above the relegation zone, but even more damning is the evidence presented here of a team who appear to have lost their way, who appear to be unable to summon a reaction, who even appear not to be able to muster the effort, who cannot score a goal (almost nine hours in the league without one), and who seem dispirited, disorganised, disintegrating.
Sometimes there comes a game which has to be the turning point or the end. This felt like that game, and there was a role-reversal in that it was Jose Mourinho in the opposing dugout. The last time he was at the King Power Stadium, in December 2015, he was the Premier League champion fighting for his job. Chelsea lost and he was sacked a few days later.