Opposition View: Leicester City
Another one bites the dust. Claude Puel has become the third Leicester City manager to lose his job in the past three years since the Foxes improbable coronation as Premier League champions in 2016.
Claudio Ranieri, Craig Shakespeare and now Puel have all paid for failing to hit the heights that Leicester managed during the 5,000-1 title triumph. But how does a club ever match achievements that were meant to be impossible in the first place?
Puel’s sacking, the aftermath of the tragic helicopter crash which took the life of Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and who the Foxes standout performers have been in a season that is unraveling nearly as quickly as Brighton’s were just some of the questions we put to Chris Forryan from Leicester Till I Die before the Albion’s visit to the King Power Stadium.
We’re four months on from the King Power helicopter tragedy which claimed the life of chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha. How are the football club and the city recovering?
Firstly, our thoughts are with Cardiff, Nantes and the family of Emilano Sala and his pilot – we’re two clubs united in grief. Vichai will never be forgotten. His 61st birthday would have been this April and now the LCFC Foxes Foundation charity has been renamed in his honour, the first donation will be made to mark it. With gifts to the fans being traditionally made at the home match nearest to his birthday, I am sure this year the fans will return the gesture and we will do our best to mark the occasion, as sad as it will be.
Claude Puel lost his job following your weekend loss to Crystal Palace. Was that the right decision and where do Leicester go from here manager wise?
Yes it was. You could sum up Leicester’s season at the King Power Stadium on Saturday. Nice passing, flowing football but no end product though and easy to hit on the counter. Puel was trying to rebuild a team after the slow departure of most of the league winning side, but its hard to rebuild while the original structure is crumbling beneath you. Where do we go from here? All the usual suspects have been named. Nigel Pearson, David Moyes, Sam Allardyce until the end of the season? Brendan Rodgers or Rafa Benitez after that? Who knows it could be anyone – I certainly never saw the Claudio Ranieri or Puel appointments coming.
What hopes do you have for Leicester for the remainder of the season?
Depending on who takes over, a top 10 finish.
Who have been Leicester’s stand out performers this campaign? Any disappointments?
James Maddison has been a great buy and Ben Chilwell has improved this season, breaking his way into the full England squad. Marc Albrighton is my player of the season so far which makes it a huge shame that he is out for the rest of the season by the looks of it. Biggest disappointment? Kelechi Ineancho, who we signed from Manchester City in 2017. £25m for what? Don’t get me started! He has to come good next season for him to have any chance of a career with the Foxes.
Based on what you’ve seen so far this season, where do you think the title is going and who are the three sides who are going down?
Manchester City to win it over Liverpool. City didn’t panic when they slid behind Liverpool, clawed back the points and I think they are the team that will hold their nerve. Down? Huddersfield & Fulham are gone and then you can take anyone from Southampton, Newcastle or Burnley. I think you guys will survive though.
What did you make of our meeting at the Amex back in November?
Our inability to beat teams around us was fully on show then. We didn’t deserve to win the game so the 1-1 draw was probably fair but it was another one of those afternoons which showed that you just don’t know which Leicester will turn up – that day it was the one we didn’t want.
If you had to give Chris Hughton some advice on how to take points off Leicester, what would it be?
Sit behind the ball, don’t give Jamie Vardy any space and let us play passy passy football cross the park as we don’t tend to go anywhere with it – unless it’s completely different with Puel gone!
Finally, a prediction please?
I never back against my team so 2-1 to Leicester – and as always we will give the away team a goal start.
Thanks to Chris for answering our questions ahead of the Albion’s trip to the King Power Stadium. We did likewise for him – so why not check out our interview on Leicester Till I Die
