adminKINGSTON. — Claudio Ranieri admitted his Leicester City side were suffering from nerves after they began their English Premier League soccer title defence with a surprise 2-1 defeat at managerless Hull City on Saturday.
Ranieri’s team suffered only three league defeats all season on the way to winning the title for the first time in their history in May as they finished 10 points clear of runners-up Arsenal.
But they looked disjointed and anxious as they were beaten at the KCOM Stadium on Saturday by Hull, a team with only 13 fit senior players and in turmoil off the pitch.
The Tigers’ supporters protested before and during the match against owners Assem and Ehad Allem, who they accuse of failing to invest properly in the club.
But they cheered their team to victory on the pitch, with Adama Diomande and Robert Snodgrass scoring the hosts’ goals either side of Riyad Mahrez’s penalty for Leicester.
“It was a difficult match for us,” Leicester manager Ranieri said in his post-match press conference.
“We started well. We created chances to score, but at the end of the first half, we conceded a goal from a corner. They were smarter than us. We made little mistakes when we lost the ball.
“We got nervous. We want to draw, and Hull played very, very close. We made a big effort, but individual effort, not like a team. Our strength is when everybody is connected.”
Ranieri is refusing to panic, though, despite the fact Leicester’s losing start follows a run of pre-season defeats.
Having won their first friendly at Oxford United and then beaten Celtic on penalties in the International Champions Cup, Leicester were beaten by Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona in their final two pre-season games.
They then lost 2-1 to Manchester United in the Community Shield at Wembley last Sunday. “It’s the first match, it’s OK,” Ranieri said. “Against Manchester United, we played well as a team.
“Today, there was a big effort, but not together. In the second half, they played better.” — AFP.
Online Reporter