Claudio Ranieri, for all of his plaudits this season, is the same man who led a Greece side that had finished in the Round of 16 at the 2014 World Cup to the worst European qualification campaign in the country’s history. Not only did they finish bottom of their group, they also suffered a home defeat to the Faroe Islands that has since been referred to as one of the most humiliating and unlikely defeats in the history of international football. Despite being top seeds, it was not until their final fixture that they won their first game. By that point, Ranieri had been relieved of his managerial responsibilities.
Not only did they finish bottom of their group, they also suffered a home defeat to the Faroe Islands that has since been referred to as one of the most humiliating and unlikely defeats in the history of international football. Despite being top seeds, it was not until their final fixture that they won their first game. By that point, Ranieri had been relieved of his managerial responsibilities.
Jamie Vardy, despite the praise he has received this season, is still the same player who managed just five league goals in 2014/2015. While the zenith of his exploits this year was his breaking of Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record for scoring in consecutive Premier League matches, this was followed by an eight-game drought that spanned the entire Christmas period through to mid-January. Thus, it is unrealistic to expect Vardy, at 29 years old, to surpass or even maintain his goal-scoring prowess. He should be lauded for what he has achieved on a personal level but this season is the exception rather than the rule for a player whose first appearance in the Football League occurred just three-and-a-half years ago.
Thus, it is unrealistic to expect Vardy, at 29 years old, to surpass or even maintain his goal-scoring prowess. He should be lauded for what he has achieved on a personal level but this season is the exception rather than the rule for a player whose first appearance in the Football League occurred just three-and-a-half years ago.
While Riyad Mahrez still has time on his side, and all the attributes needed to succeed in the Premier League for years to come, it is unlikely that he will be of much benefit to Leicester City in the near future. If he continues his current form, then it is inevitable that one of the England’s (or Europe’s) more established clubs will make an offer for him. However, should he fail to maintain his performance levels and slip into mediocrity, then it will be a damning indication of his fall that Leicester will be invited to keep him. In either case, Leicester fans would be well advised to enjoy this season while it lasts. While Leicester’s league standing suggests that they are among the elite, their finances dictate otherwise. If a bid in excess of £30m came in for Mahrez, it would be a huge test of Leicester’s resolve to turn down such a lucrative offer.
In either case, Leicester fans would be well advised to enjoy this season while it lasts. While Leicester’s league standing suggests that they are among the elite, their finances dictate otherwise. If a bid in excess of £30m came in for Mahrez, it would be a huge test of Leicester’s resolve to turn down such a lucrative offer.
Leicester, it must not be forgotten, were only promoted to the Premier League in 2014 and spent the vast majority of last season in the relegation zone. If it had not been for one of the English football’s most unlikely turnarounds, they would have returned there at the first opportunity. Yet it is this very fact that has served as the foundation upon which they have built their title challenge. Underestimation by the opposition has played right into Leicester’s hands, allowing them to utilise Vardy’s pace and Mahrez’s trickery on the counter attack. Due to their traditionally modest status, it is thus remarkable that it would be incorrect to brand them as flat-track bullies. Instead, if their unlikely title challenge does ultimately falter, it will be due to their inability to finish off sides against whom they should be expected to defeat.
Yet it is this very fact that has served as the foundation upon which they have built their title challenge. Underestimation by the opposition has played right into Leicester’s hands, allowing them to utilise Vardy’s pace and Mahrez’s trickery on the counter attack. Due to their traditionally modest status, it is thus remarkable that it would be incorrect to brand them as flat-track bullies. Instead, if their unlikely title challenge does ultimately falter, it will be due to their inability to finish off sides against whom they should be expected to defeat.
Due to their traditionally modest status, it is thus remarkable that it would be incorrect to brand them as flat-track bullies. Instead, if their unlikely title challenge does ultimately falter, it will be due to their inability to finish off sides against whom they should be expected to defeat.
Aside from Arsenal having completed a league double over them, Leicester have generally performed well against the league’s more established clubs this season. The four points that they have off of Manchester City include the recent 3-0 thrashing at The Etihad. The game in which they defeated Liverpool 2-0 included a contender for Goal of the Season by Jamie Vardy. They also earned a 1-0 away victory at White Heart Lane in January and were unlucky to only emerge with a point from their clash with Manchester United in November.
However, the fact that they have failed to defeat newly-promoted Bournemouth or an Aston Villa side who are currently bottom of the Premier League serves as evidence that they struggle against teams who are happy to sit in their defensive half and no leave space in behind their defence. As has often been cited as a criticism of Arsenal, a lack of ‘plan B’ may prove to be Leicester’s downfall.
It must also be remembered that while their rivals have struggled with a congested fixture list, including the toils of European competition, Leicester have enjoyed the benefit of playing almost the bare minimum amount of games for a Premier League side. Defeat to Hull City in the 4th Round of the League Cup was followed by falling to Tottenham in a 3rd Round reply in the F.A. Cup.
While their league rivals have been fighting wars on multiple fronts, Leicester have been able to focus solely on the league. It is why Ranieri, so often called the ‘Tinkerman’ for the way he has traditionally utilised an entire squad of players to his benefit, has currently made fewer substitutions than any other manager in the league. This is notwithstanding the fact that of the six games Leicester played from 13th January to 14th February, Leicester named an unchanged starting line-up in every game. Only a red card to Danny Simpson against Arsenal will necessitate a change in personnel for Ranieri.
While Spurs, Arsenal, and Manchester City prepare to resume their gruelling European campaigns, Ranieri has given his Leicester players an entire week off: “they go to Dubai or somewhere. I’m off to Rome” was his retort after overseeing his side’s home defeat to Arsenal on Valentine’s Day. These are not the words of a manager for whom fixture congestion has been an issue this season. While Leicester can only play games in competitions they are in, their lack of involvement in other competitions means that neither Ranieri nor his players have faced the same physical challenges as their counterparts at the top of the Premier League. In the long run, this must surely cheapen the success that they have enjoyed this year.
Make no mistake; Leicester may well go on to win the Premier League. However, if they do achieve this most unlikely of feats, it will have been cheapened by their lack of involvement in other competitions and all of the struggles associated with a congested fixture list. While the rest of the Premier League falter, this Leicester City side have thus far been the best of an average bunch rather than the league’s dominant force in their own right. Their run this season, while endearing to the neutral, is merely testament to how far this league has fallen, and how easy it has become to join England’s supposed ‘elite’.