Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri likens his hard-working players to Forrest Gump
Thursday 24 December 2015 09:08, UK
Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri has likened his players to Forrest Gump as they are prepared to run and run for the cause.
City go into the busy Christmas period top of the Premier League, a huge turnaround from last season when they were propping up the table on December 25.
A late run of form eventually saw them escape relegation and begin the campaign in stunning form, a factor Ranieri attributes to how hard his players work for each other.
"I am confident because if Leicester last season saved themselves in the last two months, that means the stamina is fantastic," he said.
"Why can't we continue to run, run, run? We are like Forrest Gump. Leicester is Forrest Gump. We must continue to play and work hard.
"We know very well our stamina is good and as long as our stamina is good we can continue to fight against anybody."
Ranieri also feels playing to his side's strengths has worked well this season, with possession often sacrificed in order to get free-scoring Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez on the ball quickly.
Vardy's impressive form has seen him score 15 goals and earn an England call-up, while Mahrez has been a revelation, scoring 13 times himself.
"Possession is important but it is not our best quality and why do we have to show something we are not so good at?" the Italian added.
"We are a strong team because we show our strength and we cover our weakness very well.
"The players are very close to each other. We don't have the high quality of Manchester City, Arsenal but we fight together. Every ball for us is the last ball."
