Leicester sack Puel after home loss to Palace
Leicester City have sacked manager Claude Puel after Saturday’s 4-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace, the club has announced.
Puel leaves the King Power Stadium with the club 12th in Premier League table after a run of five defeats in their last six matches in the competition, with that run also including a 1-1 draw at Liverpool.
ESPN+ is America’s home for a host of professional soccer leagues from around the world, highlighted by Italy’s Serie A, Major League Soccer, UEFA Nations League and English FA Cup. | ESPN+ schedule
ESPN FC’s experts ranked the best men’s players and managers in world football. Check out the list.
Fear, paranoia, difficult behaviour and constant battling with club officials and players led to the inevitable, writes Rob Dawson.
When Boca Juniors and River Plate were set to meet in Argentina’s most important match, Buenos Aires lost its mind, writes Wright Thompson.
The Foxes suffered a shock exit in the FA Cup third-round to League Two side Newport County on Jan. 6.
The club released a statement on Sunday morning which reads: “Leicester City Football Club has today parted company with Claude Puel, who leaves his position as first team manager with immediate effect.
“Assistant manager Jacky Bonnevay also departs with the club’s best wishes. First team coaches Mike Stowell and Adam Sadler, supported by the club’s established backroom staff, will assume responsibility for the senior squad while the club begins the process of appointing a new manager.”
The Frenchman said after the defeat to Palace: “Of course it is a difficult and worrying time. We were in trouble at the end. It is normal for the fans to be worried, I understand this. The players need confidence, they have played well without fair reward in the last few games.”
Puel had to guide Leicester through grief when owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha died after his helicopter crashed leaving the stadium after a game in October.
Hired in 2017 to replace Craig Shakespeare, Puel was Leicester’s second manager since Claudio Ranieri improbably won the Premier League in 2016 after defying 5,000/1 odds.
He was appointed when Leicester were 14th in the table and he led the club to a ninth-placed finish in his first season. Although the club were in seventh place at the turn of the year, they had a dismal start to 2019, suffering four consecutive home defeats.
Earlier this month, Peter Schmeichel, father of Leicester keeper Kasper, said the club did not have a manager capable of getting the best out of the players and indicated that his son might be looking to move.
Striker Jamie Vardy had also been critical of Puel’s style of play this season although Puel said there was no rift with the striker.
Leicester’s next game is a league trip to Brighton & Hove Albion on Tuesday.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report