This week, news came out that the Leicester Football Club board had fired Claudio Ranieri after a horrible run of form, which saw the defending champions of the English Premier League fall within just one point of the relegation zone.
The whole soccer world was in shock. Commentators and pundits were divided. Some said that it's just the ruthless nature of the modern game and that Ranieri deserved it, given the club's current run of form, which has been in free fall. While others believed that Ranieri should have never been sacked after what he did for the Foxes last season, taking the unknown outfit of misfit players to a Premier League title. The Italian after all had just won FIFA's Coach of the Year.
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Later in the week after the announcement of the sacking, rumors came out that players contacted the general manager and Thai owner to fire Ranieri because of the unrest in the dressing room. It seemed as if the dressing room under Ranieri had undergone too much change in the past year. It was reported that some players didn't like the new food in the cafeteria and the new tactics Ranieri implemented with the newly formed team, dampened spirits. However; Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez came out and said that Leicester players were not involved in Ranieri's sacking.
Pundits this week also speculated that with the new expensive contracts that the players signed from last season, the players lacked ambition. It seemed as if according to pundits, once the Leicester team from last season achieved the "material wealth" from their title win, the team stopped performing to their best. Overall, there are still questions about why he was sacked in the first place, given that he had just won a title last season.
The most surprising part about the whole ordeal was the timing of it all. Just two weeks ago after Leicester's 2-0 loss to Swansea. The board came out and said that they would support Ranieri through the rest of the season. Then just a few days ago, Leicester lost 2-1 to Sevilla in the first leg of the Round of 16 in the Champions League in Seville. It wasn't a great performance by the team but the players showed that they could compete with Europe's elite. The tie is still in the balance and there is hope that Leicester can pull of the upset. The dream of European glory is indeed still alive.
But then just a day later, it was announced that Ranieri was out....
The quote that best sums the whole situation came from ESPN FC commentator Alejandro Moreno who stated that it felt as if "Leicester had won the lottery and and somehow it breaks the family apart". The lottery in this case being the Premier League and the windfall that came after it for the club and its players. Leicester didn't know what to do with its newfound riches and fame. Now the club is in free fall as the players and the board look for a new direction to lead the club out of the relegation mire.
The question on everyone's minds is will they get relegated this season?
Only time will tell
