Claudio Ranieri believes Leicester City can cope without record signing Islam Slimani during the Africa Cup of Nations, despite the striker’s match-winning contribution against West Ham United on Satruday.
The £28 million (US$34.6 million) signing scored his sixth Leicester goal in the 1-0 victory over the Hammers, but is set to leave to represent Algeria after today’s trip to Middlesbrough.
Countryman Riyad Mahrez is also absent for up to a month, but Ranieri welcomes back the suspended Jamie Vardy after today’s game on Teesside and he believes his reigning champions can handle the loss of Slimani, although he admitted the former Sporting player is becoming better all the time.
Photo: Reuters
“Now Vardy comes back, I have Leonardo Ulloa, I have Shinji Okazaki and I have some good players, and I am very calm and very confident with all my players,” the Italian said after seeing his side end their historic year with a victory.
“Of course, Slimani can only improve. When somebody comes from another country it is not easy and some players need six or seven months, or one year, to be involved in the atmosphere of English football,” Ranieri said. “He scored six goals and it is good for us, but we have to find him much better because he has very good quality and also he presses a lot, and sometimes he can make mistakes because he is very tired.”
Ranieri called Slimani’s winner a classic header, “a masterpiece.”
“When the ball comes from the cross Slimani is fantastic, we have to make more crosses for him,” he added, before reflecting on the calendar year that saw his side crowned English Premier League champions in one of the great shocks.
“Of course, 2016 will remain in our heart and in our mind, not only me, but all my players, the chairman, staff and everybody in Leicester,” he said. “It was something special, but it was special to win today against a team with a lot of confidence.”
West Ham ended the year with defeat after three successive wins had given the Irons and boss Slaven Bilic some much-needed breathing space.
“I believe we deserved something. I’m very disappointed, angry and frustrated that we lost,” Bilic said. “They started better. We knew they were going to start aggressively and they deserved the goal for the first 20 minutes. After that, for 70 minutes we were the better team. I’m very disappointed, but we played a good game and that makes me satisfied in one part. We looked good, fit and on the ball. It was just that final product that wasn’t there.”
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