They’ve done it!!!
Just like Montpellier in France a few years ago, and the Kaiserslauten side of & ’97 in Germany, Leicester City have only gone and etched their names into the history books and nobody saw it coming. They have become Premier League Champions for the first time in the club’s 132 year existence. In one of English football’s greatest ever stories, a side who only just survived relegation last season have upset the odds, the big teams and tradition, and earned their maiden title having been one of the pre-season favourites for the drop.
Having missed the opportunity to wrap up the title at Old Trafford over the weekend with a 1-1 draw, it was a nervous wait for the Foxes, who knew that anything but a Spurs win at Chelsea would give Claudio Ranieri’s men the title. Spurs began well taking a two-goal lead into halftime, through Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min.
Chelsea responded by bringing on last season’s player of the year, Eden Hazard, who provided the spark to get the West Londoners back into the game. A great second half performance by the Belgian ensured that the sides shared the spoils, which was capped of by the equalising goal after Diego Costa pulled one back for the Blues.
Tempers flared throughout with referee Mark Clattenberg dishing out a flurry of yellow cards to players from both sides in a fiery London derby, which even saw Spurs’ manager Mauricio Pochettino involved in the fracas after the final whistle.
The draw ensured Leicester were crowned as Champions, sparking wild celebrations from the players, who were gathered at the newly-crowned Writer’s Player of The Year, Jamie Vardy’s house. Skipper Wes Morgan spoke of the triumph telling Sky Sports, “It’s the best feeling of my career and I couldn’t be prouder of this team”. The Jamaica international added, “Everyone’s worked so hard for this, nobody believed we could do it, but here we are, Premier League champions and deservedly so”.
Having scraped through the 2014/15 campaign winning seven of their final 9 games, the Leicester board sacked the then heroic former manager Nigel Pearson and replaced him with the hugely experienced Ranieri in one of the stranger appointments of the season. The ‘Tinker Man’, as he is often known had lost his previous five jobs and was the favourite to be the first managerial crisis of the season, but surprised everyone, with some shrewd signings, popular press conferences and league-winning tactical nous.
But after a strong and somewhat surprising start, they were able to establish themselves as title contenders, not only reaching their points target in no time at all, but maintaining the form keeping them in and around the title picture. The form throughout the season of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez were the driving force behind the Foxes’ success. The two who had a combine transfer fee of less than £1.5m and struck up a devastating partnership which earned them the Writer’s and PFA awards respectively.
Mahrez (L) Vardy (R) Image Caught Off Side
Other stand out performances include the previously unknown N’golo Kante, who starred alongside former Manchester United academy product, Danny Drinkwater in the midfield all season. Centre backs Robert Huth and Wes Morgan were instrumental in the impressive defensive displays alongside Christian Fuchs and Danny Simpson. And were well supported by the brilliant Kasper Schmeichel who was a steady presence in goal throughout. It is no secret that some of Europe’s big sides will be interested in some of Leicester’s stars, which will make it an extremely difficult summer for the club. Holding on to the likes of Mahrez, Kante and Vardy will be crucial if the Foxes are to defend their crown next year.
With a squad full of hungry and talented players, a manager with a bit of know how and adequate financial support from the board, it will be interesting to see how they fare as defending champions. Taking absolutely nothing away from the club, the big hitters have all failed to deliver this season, and will be looking to bounce back. The various incomings of high-profile managers and no doubt splashing of the millions will ensure the sleeping giants will re-emerge as forces next year. Simultaneously, the smaller clubs will be encouraged by the events and will look to become next season’s surprise story, making next year something to seriously look forward to. The question is, will Ranieri’s men be in the mix? Or was it just one hell of a flash in the pan.