Finally, Liverpool are back playing football. It feels like it's been an absolute age since the last match, bloody boring! The Reds travel to Leicester on Monday evening to face the managerless foxes.
As soon as Claudio Ranieri came to Leicester I was immediately on his side. I have a huge soft spot for anything Italian and Ranieri almost instantly worked his charm, it was like he'd never left.
What Ranieri did with Leicester in 2015/2016 is nothing short of a miracle. An unbelievable feat that will never be matched. For him to then be unceremoniously sacked? Well it's a real shame. There's no hiding from the fact that Leicester have been poor this season but is that all Ranieri's fault? I don't believe so. Some of that blame lies squarely at the players door and I don't personally think any new manager will have the time or the magic touch to get enough out of the players now, but I suppose we will have to wait and see.
In bocca al lupo Ranieri!
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| Image via express.co.uk |
Despite the fact Leicester are without a manager and very much in a rut you can almost guarantee that Liverpool will be made to suffer on Monday. The Reds have slipped up against all sorts of sides this season and Leicester have all the makings of another banana skin.
For Liverpool, it looks as though Jurgen Klopp will be unable to call upon Dejan Lovren and Daniel Sturridge. Lovren has a knee injury to contend with while Sturridge has a virus.
Leicester have failed to win any of their last six games but the Reds have only managed to win one themselves. The victory over Spurs gave Klopp's side a much needed boost but the result came at an awkward time for the Reds who have had to wait a long time to try and continue their momentum in the league.
The last time the two sides met was in September 2016 when Liverpool put four past Leicester. Two goals from Roberto Firmino, one from Lallana and one from Mane made for a fantastic result at Anfield. Jamie Vardy also found the net for his side in the 4-1 loss for Ranieri.
The Reds' last trip to the King Power was definitely a day to forget after an absolute worldy of a goal from Vardy. The spectacular long range effort left Simon Mignolet dumbfounded. The game ended 2-0.
With no cups to concentrate on and no matches in Europe, Liverpool now simply must focus on the top four. On far too many occasions this season we have dropped points that in some cases should have been a dead given. Monday night is no different, Leicester are there for the taking, Liverpool need to make sure they get all three points.
Enjoy the match folks, wherever you are watching!