To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Claudio Ranieri started his Premier League defence by stating the club’s objective was to avoid relegation.
Even after winning the competition against 5000/1 odds last season, the Italian manager played down any chance of a repeat performance, employing the same tactic as he did throughout the 2015-16 campaign.
Starting far slower than most anticipated, Leicester currently finds themselves in 12th, with 11 points from their first nine games, and the manager’s realistic expectations are starting to rub off on the players.
Speaking to TuttoMercatoWeb, unused defender Yohan Benalouane echoed Ranieri’s tactic when asked about the 2016-17 season.
He said: “It’s not easy for us, with the various cups, playing every three days, but I think we are managing the various commitments well. We need to avoid relegation. Then we will see. We are still Leicester.
“I’m playing with the reserves and waiting for my time. One of our goals is to progress in the Champions League without forgetting the league.”
Having picked up nine points from their first three games in the Champions League, Leicester are in a strong position to move onto the first knockout round of the competition.
As for the league, improvements needs to be made, and the 3-1 win over Crystal Palace was a step in the right direction.
Realistically, we all know avoiding relegation won’t be an issue for Ranieri’s side, let’s be honest.
