Claudio Ranieri makes the case for Kasper Schmeichel's defence at Leicester
Claudio Ranieri puts no blame at Kasper Schmeichel's door for Leicester's failure to keep a clean sheet this season.
Ranieri has seen his team concede in every single competitive game - including a Capital One Cup tie against League One side Bury - since he became manager during the summer.
Leicester have leaked 17 goals so far with only Sunderland, Newcastle and Norwich, who are all struggling towards the bottom of the table, having conceded more in the Barclays Premier League.
City's record at the back can be counter-balanced by the fact they are also among the division's highest goalscorers and sit fifth in the table.
Ranieri last month joked that he would treat his players to pizza when they finally break their duck and keep out the opposition.
Every goal Leicester let in hurts the 64-year-old Italian but he insists the problems in defence are nothing to do with his goalkeeper.
"Kasper is doing very well. He's calm about it and I'm very happy," said Ranieri, whose side host Crystal Palace on Saturday.
"All the team want to strive to get that clean sheet and are working towards that. Sooner or later we'll get one then after that it could go on to be six or seven.
"I work every day on defending. I know I'm an Italian manager and when we concede a goal something cuts inside our heart
"But if you end up drawing the game or winning it then I just have to close one eye to it.
"Kasper is very good, it is not a problem for him. I am happy with him."
Ranieri has been doing his homework and is aware that Leicester lost goals to Palace last season from set-plays - something he has been working on this week ahead of the match.
He said: "Southampton scored from set-plays against us last week and we lost there (at Palace) 2-0 to two set-plays and also they won here with set-plays.
"We were very attentive but of course with duels in the air you can concede something. But we are ready."
"It is important for me to choose the right four against Crystal Palace and also in the next game in the (Capital One) cup at Hull."
Ranieri will have both Jamie Vardy and Jeff Schlupp available against Palace.
Vardy, the Premier League's leading scorer with nine goals, suffered a wrist injury during the 2-2 draw with Southampton last weekend while Schlupp required stitches in a head wound at St Mary's.
A thigh problem will continue to keep Leonardo Ulloa on the sidelines but the Argentinian striker could be ready to return against Hull on Tuesday night.
Alan Pardew has revealed that Crystal Palace have invested in new equipment in an attempt to nurse Marouane Chamakh back to full fitness.
The Moroccan forward, who the manager said is getting closer to a first-team return, is yet to feature so far this season because of an ongoing hamstring injury that disrupted his end to the last.
Having learnt of an imbalance in his hamstrings, Palace - as part of Pardew's summer overhaul of the club - acquired a machine to directly deal with the problem, and this time the manager said they hope that it will not recur.
"This time we have spent a lot of money on a machine that measures the strength of your hamstring to have it in house," said Pardew, who is also without another frontman, Connor Wickham, for Saturday's Premier League fixture at Leicester.
"We used to have it out of house but we felt that that wasn't good enough for a player of his quality.
"We purchased one ourselves and it means he can strengthen his hamstring every day and with every opportunity that he gets because we do believe that's the key.
"One of his hamstrings was certainly less powerful than the other for a period last year, and this year the measure is a lot more even."
Chamakh's absence, alongside that of Wickham and Dwight Gayle, who is suspended, means that in Fraizer Campbell and Patrick Bamford the manager has only two fit orthodox strikers available for the weekend.
The latter is on Saturday expected to start for the first time in the league this season, and Pardew said: "I certainly feel this week is an opportunity for strikers to make a case. Gayle misses one game so he comes back for Man City and Man United.
"Therefore that leaves me with two natural strikers here, Fraizer Campbell and Patrick Bamford with Chamakh and Wickham both being injured. Whether I play two of them or one of them, it looks to me like one of them will feature for sure."
Source: PAR
