Claudio Ranieri warns Leicester fans about season of struggle
Claudio Ranieri has warned Leicester they face an even bigger fight to survive this season.
The Foxes pulled off a great escape last season, winning seven of their final nine games to stay up after being bottom at Christmas.
They became just the third team in Barclays Premier League history to survive after propping up the table at Christmas but it was not enough to save Nigel Pearson from the sack as he was axed in June after falling out with the board.
Ranieri replaced him last month and, ahead of Saturday's home opener against Sunderland, the Italian believes Leicester must be prepared for another scrap.
"The Premier League is very hard, we are a little team but we want to be bigger," said the 63-year-old, who confirmed he will assess the fitness of new signings N'Golo Kante and Yohan Benalouane before the weekend.
"In my career I've seen it is more difficult in the Premier League in the second year than the first year. I want us to play at the same level we played in the last eight or nine matches because they were fantastic. One draw, a loss against Chelsea, and all wins.
"I think they were the best team in the league for the last eight matches. Why? Because they have a big heart on the pitch. I saw one man, together.
"They pressed, played quickly and fought, it was fantastic to watch this. I want to restart on the same level. I know it is difficult because of pre-season but slowly I want to show that team. First of all the heart, the fight and then the quality."