December 25, 2024
Claudio Ranieri: Leicester boss may not watch crucial Chelsea-Tottenham game
Old Trafford point ‘satisfies’ Ranieri
Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri may not watch the crucial game between Chelsea and Tottenham on Monday as he is on a flight from Italy.
The Foxes will clinch the Premier League title if Tottenham fail to win at Stamford Bridge.
“I’d like to watch the Tottenham match but I’m on a flight back from Italy,” Ranieri said.
“My mother is 96 years old and I would like to have a lunch with her. I will be the last man in England to know.”
The Italian has never won a top-flight league title in his managerial career, but Leicester are just two points from glory following their 1-1 draw with Manchester United on Sunday.
However, Ranieri expects Spurs, who have three matches left, to prolong Leicester’s wait. If Tottenham win at Stamford Bridge for the first time since February 1990, then Leicester can secure the title by beating Everton next Saturday.
“In my mind, Tottenham will win all three matches,” he said. “I am now focused on the Everton match. We must continue to concentrate.”
Defender Danny Simpson said Leicester’s players would be watching to see if Tottenham slip up.
“We’ll try to get together tomorrow and watch the game,” he said. “We’ll see what happens.”
‘The draw was the right result’
Ranieri said he was “satisfied” to take a point from Old Trafford.
“We didn’t come here to win the title, we came here to make a performance because we knew it was a difficult match,” he said.
“The draw was the right result. In the first 15 minutes, we were a little scared, but we scored in the right moment and then got more confidence.”
Captain Wes Morgan, who scored Leicester’s equaliser, described the result as a “step in the right direction”.
He said: “It was very tough. Manchester United dominated possession and we had to dig in and be resilient. [The title] is not ours until we get two hands on the trophy.”
Ranieri queries referee’s decisions
Ranieri questioned some of the decisions made by referee Michael Oliver, in particular the dismissal of midfielder Danny Drinkwater for a second yellow card when he pulled back Memphis Depay.
Drinkwater will miss the game against Everton.
“It wasn’t [a red card] in my opinion,” Ranieri said. “And when Rooney stopped Demarai Gray on the edge of the box, it was a [second] yellow card. But I accept the referee’s decision.”
He also described Marouane Fellaini’s elbow on Robert Huth – not punished by the referee – as “not a good show from him”. BBC
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