Leicester caretaker manager Craig Shakespeare led the Premier League champion to a crucial victory against a hopeless Liverpool on Monday Night Football.
With the Kingpower Stadium rocking akin to last season, 10 of Leicester's starting XI were league champions, and Shakespeare reverted to the 4-4-2 which had heralded such success not months ago.
A Jamie Vardy brace and a stunning half-volley from Danny Drinkwater were enough to seal Leicester's first victory of the new year, leading some - including Geoff Shreeves - to ask whether Shakespeare should be granted the job on a permanent basis.
It was during this post-match interview with Shreeves where Shakespeare spoke of his Leicester players' ability to bear the whips and scorns of time, th' oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely. But while this writer was busy making Shakespeare puns in his head, the Foxes' boss seemed to make an altogether more interesting Freudian slip.
Quizzed by Shreeves on whether a 3-1 victory over Liverpool made for a good 'audition', Shakespeare appeared to indicate that this wasn't his first game in charge, per se.
My remit was one game, and that's what I said. Could I do the job? I think I can. Does it phase me? No.
I've quite enjoyed the last few games in a way.
It's been different for me. You know, I've been an assistant manager a long, long time. Having to deal with the press and having to deal with other things has been different. But I've quite enjoyed it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR6zxB1cCMc
The last FEW games, you say, Mr. Shakespeare? Why, we were under the impression that Claudio Ranieri was removed from his managerial duties only on Thursday.
Shakespeare, however, seems to inadvertently indicate that he's been in charge for more than just last night's fixture with Liverpool.
Up until Ranieiri's sacking the 53-year-old had remained First Team coach, but based on his rather telling remark to Shreeves, it might well have transpired behind the scenes that - with Leicester's players no longer playing for their Premier League-winning manager - Shakespeare took the reins in an unofficial capacity long in advance of Ranieri's departure.
Intriguingly, it was reported last week by a number of British football journalists that Ranieri's fate had been decided a considerable period of time before Leicester's 2-1 defeat at Sevilla, which would add further credence to the notion that the amicable Italian and the club were merely keeping up with appearances until after that crucial first leg, in order to avoid the inevitable external pressures and distractions which would have arisen had he left before his side's trip to Spain.
As such, with the first leg done and dusted and the tie still alive, Ranieri and Leicester parted ways.
All will surely be revealed in the Jamie Vardy movie...
