The man who penned the most romantic story in soccer's annals by making Leicester City English champions and who walked away from Sevilla's stadium last month believing he could write another in the Champions League. Well, if a week is a long time in football, three weeks between last-16 legs in Europe's elite competition is a positive eternity with Ranieri already fondly consigned to history. The next day Leicester's Thai owners ditched Ranieri and from that moment the entire complexion of this knockout tie was transformed. After the 'Shakespearean' age dawned, Leicester managed to find fresh belief to chisel out two crucial Premier League wins that have eased them away from the relegation zone. In Leicester's revival, with 3-1 wins over Liverpool and Hull City, Sampaoli has noted with concern how they appear to have reverted to their disciplined, title-winning best.

Source: The Star March 13, 2017 02:18 UTC