MX23RW : Monday, September 30 15:53:18| >> :120:62656:62656:

Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri praises 'hard-working' Shinji Okazaki

Ranieri praises 'hard-working' Okazaki
© SilverHub
Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri says that Shinji Okazaki is the "dilly ding, dilly dong" of the team.

Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri has described 'hard-working' Shinji Okazaki as the "dilly ding, dilly dong" of the team.

The Foxes claimed a historic Premier League title triumph last season, but they have struggled for victories in the 2016-17 campaign.

After two defeats and a draw, the Foxes managed to find a win by beating Crystal Palace 3-1 at the King Power Stadium.

Okazaki earned his first start since September 10 in the match at the weekend and found the back of the net, which has prompted Ranieri to speak of the 30-year-old's importance to the team.

"He is a hard worker - sometimes he's not so close to goal but when the ball is around the box Shinji is always there," Ranieri told reporters. "He is important for team because he presses a lot - he is our dilly ding, dilly dong. He wakes up our players, he has the bell!"

Okazaki also covered 11.66km during the game, which is more than Jamie Vardy has run this season.

ID:284116: cacheID:284116:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2061:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri yells instructions during his side's 1-0 win over Porto in Group G of the Champions League on September 27, 2016
Read Next:
Ranieri hails 'best performance of season'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
FT
Bills
10-35
Ravens
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool65011221015
2Manchester CityMan City6420146814
3Arsenal6420125714
4Chelsea6411157813
5Aston Villa6411129313
6Fulham632185311
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle632187111
8Tottenham HotspurSpurs6312125710
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton623110829
10Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest62316519
11Brentford6213810-27
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd621358-37
13Bournemouth512258-35
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham6123610-45
15Ipswich TownIpswich6042510-54
16Everton6114715-84
17Leicester CityLeicester6033812-43
18Crystal Palace603359-43
19Southampton501429-71
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves6015616-101


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!