Monday’s game is Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri’s first meeting with the club he managed between 2000 and 2004, when Mourinho first took charge. For some reason, a team that deservedly won the EPL title is now mired in the bottom half of the table.
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Vardy wins the accolade for the second successive time after sealing October’s prize, having continued his scoring run in consecutive games to break Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s Premier League record and extend it to 11 matches.
The Foxes top the division and are just eight points short of the 40 that guarantee them top-flight football next season. We have the same manager, we have the same players.
The 52-year-old also revealed the names of the players he thinks have underperformed this season.
“Their record does not mean anything as Chelsea are Chelsea and Mourinho is Mourinho”, he said. The expected goals map shows that the Blues’ defense has been stalwart, allowing few chances and limiting opposition to mostly shots from long range. It’s not easy for the top clubs to win three, four, five or 10 matches in a row now, so who knows? Now we need to win more games, not just today. He arrived back in England in the offseason with his coaching reputation in tatters after a short, ill-fated spell with Greece’s national team but his results with Leicester, plus his cuddly persona, has endeared him to the British public.
It makes a difference from 2010, when Mourinho said Ranieri was “considered a loser” at Chelsea for failing to win any silverware in his 3 1/2 years at Stamford Bridge. The latest comments from the Foxes’ best player, Riyad Mahrez, claim that he doesn’t believe his side is capable of winning the league and they are still focused on their original goal of 40 points and Premier League survival.
Watford striker Troy Deeney, meanwhile, scored in all three of Watford’s games in November against Leicester, Manchester United and Aston Villa.
Ahead of the mouth-watering clash that brings together two of the most surprising teams in the English top-flight, Ranieri has provided an extremely positive reference about his former employers.
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Despite their struggling domestic form this season, Mourinho has remained largely popular amongst the club’s supporters, and the Portuguese mentor says it is somewhat embarrassing.
