Claudio Ranieri: Leicester fairy tale is over but we must stick together

Claudio Ranieri admits Leicester's fairy tale has now finished, and that the club must remain strong together to improve their form.

After winning the Premier League last season, the Foxes are now only one point above the drop zone, with no away wins all campaign.

Speaking ahead of the 3-0 defeat by Jose Mourinho's Manchester United on Sunday, Ranieri said people must return to reality after their shock title win.

He told Sky Sports: "I can understand what we did last season was something special, a fairy tale. I was waiting for this kind of season last season. Then we made something extraordinary, out of the world. Everything was fantastic, everything was right.

"Everything now is wrong. Now you have to choose; if you are a loser, you say it's gone. If you aren't a loser you fight, you continue to fight, believe.

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"I believe we can arrive, we must be together, together with the fans. The fans enjoyed last season and less so this season, but we are a family, we are strong.

"Now is the right time. I think we thought a lot of about what we did last season - everything was fantastic. And then we believed it was possible also this season. No, it's finished. The fairy tale has finished. Now it is the reality.

"If you are a loser in this sport, you are a loser also in life. If you are a gladiator, a fighter in this sport, in life you can be the same.

"The reality must come back, and from two seasons ago, the fighting until the end. I believe because my players are champions, and fighters."

Leicester hosted United having picked up just one win in their previous eight league games, losing five of those.

Ranieri has not ruled out the possibility of relegation, referencing last season's title win as an example of anything being possible in football, but insists the current squad and owners are fully behind him.

Asked if relegation was a possibility, Ranieri said: "With how we won the title, anything is possible. But of course I want to see my players fight until the end.

"I don't believe that they don't believe in me. If they don't believe in me, they have to do only one thing, and that is go to the chairman and tell them they don't believe, please change. But I feel we are together.

"And the same from the owners, he supports.

"Everything was OK, full of confidence, now nobody, or very few people, believe in us. Now maybe confidence is very, very low. I don't know if it actually is. My confidence is full, always, more than last season, because it's my character. Under pressure, I don't go down, I go up."