Claudio Ranieri has said he will not quit as Watford manager, despite the woeful 3-0 home loss against Norwich City on Friday night. The Hornets came into the game knowing a win would give them some much-needed breathing space ahead of their rivals down at the bottom end of the Premier League table.
Claudio Ranieri said: “No, no, I don’t go away. I want to continue because I am a fighter. I never give up in my career. This is a good team but they must change the mentality.”
When asked if he had spoken to the board of late,
Claudio Ranieri said:” I speak every day with all the board and we work with passion. We are in the right way and we have to react.”
The defeat now leaves Watford in 18th place with 14 points after 20 league games played. But it should have been an opportunity for the club to pull away from the likes of Norwich, Burnley and Newcastle – who make up the rest of the bottom four. The Italian apologised to the home fans for his team’s abject display but seemed to be unhappy with a number of individuals in the team.
Claudio Ranieri said: “We have to change. We have to change mentality. We can’t carry on in this way. I want players who believe, believe to fight in every match, with passion, with heart.”
Undeniably it was a dreadful display from the home team, and Ranieri suggested his team could learn from the team spirit shown by Dean Smith’s men.
Claudio Ranieri added: “Look, after the Newcastle performance I wanted to see the same spirit, the same squad spirit, but I didn’t see this. Everybody wanted to resolve the question alone. That is not right. Norwich gave us a very right lesson. They played as a squad, they played together, they fight together, and they won.”