Leicester City: Liverpool win showed Claudio Ranieri had to go

Leicester City were impressive as they dismantled Liverpool 3-1 at the King Power Stadium. The performance was more like the Leicester of last season and showed just why Claudio Ranieri had to go.

Finally, the real Leicester City decided to stand up. The Foxes mauled Liverpool on Monday, and in the process, put in their best performance of the season. This all happened, of course, just days after Claudio Ranieri was sacked from his position as manager.

A decision which struck a cord with most. Almost universally it was agreed that the decision was harsh on a man who basically did the impossible last season. Winning the Premier League with Leicester City was like winning the lottery with a parking ticket.

But time inevitably moves on. Last season was last season. This season, it has been a completely different story. Leicester have looked nothing like the team of last year. Gone was the intensity, desire and organization of the previous campaign.

In a nutshell, those were the very things that made Leicester champions. Without those ingredients, the club was heading for relegation. Unless, that is, something was to change. That something, as usual, turned out to be the manager. Ultimately, it’s the easiest component to replace.

Just slide one out and slide another in. Unfortunately, that’s the business side of the game. The Leicester owners don’t sit around a table and say ‘hey, if we get relegated and toil in the lower leagues for 10 years now, it will be fine because we won the league that one time.’

The club have a right to survive this season. It wasn’t a package deal to win the league and then be relegated. If the club were hovering around mid-table, then Ranieri would still be at the club. But the drop-off, both in performance and position, was too drastic.

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The first game after Ranieri left the club showed that the Leicester players still have good performances in them. They’re not finished. They’ve not been found out. Things had just hit a wall, for whatever reason. Something had to change.

That change brought on the performance against Liverpool. Whatever the difference was between playing under Ranieri before, to now, the change was clearly necessary. It had to happen for the club to re-find their form.

Now, suddenly, Leicester look like they have a much better chance to avoid relegation. If they play out the rest of the season as they played against Jurgen Klopp’s team, then they’re going to avoid relegation with ease.

Which just shows the stark contrast between Leicester under Ranieri this season and Leicester post-Ranieri. It has only been one game so far, of course. But the difference was startling. The energy, drive, desire and team work was exemplary.

Did the players just stop playing for the Italian? Maybe. It certainly looks that way now. And after what Ranieri did last season for those players, that is unforgivable. It’s tragic that it takes sacking the manager to bring out the best in a team. And especially so in this instance.

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But with the way things were heading, versus they way they look now, sacking Ranieri already looks like the right decision. The change that was needed. Was it harsh? Yes. Cold blooded? Yes. Lacking respect? Perhaps.

But, in the end, for whatever reason, a necessary change? The performance against Liverpool would suggest so.

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