Leicester City helped by frank talks following Porto defeat, says Claudio Ranieri
Saturday 10 December 2016 22:12, UK
Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri said a post-Porto inquest helped to inspire the reigning Premier League champions after Jamie Vardy's hat-trick downed Manchester City.
The striker ended a three-month wait for a club goal as the Foxes won 4-2 to seal their first league victory since October.
Vardy was left at home for Wednesday's 5-0 Champions League defeat in Porto, when Ranieri made 10 changes, which sparked a dressing room discussion about how to revive their form after just one win from eight games.
"We spoke a lot about everything but this time the words go in the right direction, not only mine. The players contributed," Ranieri said.
"We must be upset with our performance [in Porto] because it wasn't good enough and the fans are always behind us. It's important to say 'we are here'.
"We can tell it's a turning point in two or three months, now it's too early. For this reason I want to wait for the next two matches. It's important the players feel better, with more confidence because we can do this.
"Now, forget the Champions League and put our brain on the Premier League."
Leicester were 2-0 up after five minutes against City when Vardy drilled past Claudio Bravo and King scored from distance.
Vardy rounded Bravo for his second goal with just 20 minutes gone and then completed his treble with 12 minutes left after latching onto John Stones' poor backpass.
He had failed to score in his previous 16 club games but Ranieri was relaxed over his form.
"He played so well, never he told me he needed to score. Never," he said. "Although I know the goalscorer needs to score goals."
