Leicester City players are behind Claude Puel, insists Jamie Vardy

Jamie Vardy has denied the suggestions that some of the Leicester City players have turned against manager Claude Puel.

A number of outlets had recently reported that the Frenchman had lost his players, just as Claudio Ranieri did shortly after winning the title in 2015/16.

However, Jamie Vardy has now spoken up on the team’s behalf, rubbishing all the reports as mere rumours and nothing else.

Talking to Sky Sports, he said:

"“There is no truth in that at all.“If you look at us in training every day and in the games you can see the players are trying to implement exactly what the manager wants us to do.“So all I can say about that is no truth whatsoever.“You can tell he is thoughtful about his football but behind the scenes on the training field he is telling you exactly what he wants you to be doing, what we should be doing and every so often he gets involved as well with a few saucy challenges.”"

It’s upto you to decide whether Jamie Vardy’s words are reliable at all. He said something very similar just before Ranieri was thrown out of the exit door, and he may have done that yet again. Yes, maybe he is speaking the truth this time, and the players are actually liking what Claude Puel has brought with him, but the uncertainties remain.

As much as the new style of play has affected the team’s performance, it is fair to say that the speculation surrounding Claude Puel has also had its impact on the players. No team likes taking instructions from a manager who they think will be gone in a short while, and that may be happening here as well.

Next: Leicester City duo ruled out of Crystal Palace game

In the middle of all of this, however, everyone seems to have forgotten that Leicester City have an important game to play against Crystal Palace. They have already fallen to the ninth spot, with a point and game separating the two teams. The failure to win this week could see them in danger of even missing out on their current position.