Let’s face it – this has been an incredibly unpredictable season of the Barclays Premier League. Who would have imagined that with 3 weeks to the end of the 2015/16 season, Leicester City would still have a sizeable lead atop the top of the table?
And if this remains the case, it would be the most improbable league triumph in English football since Alf Ramsey’s Ipswich City romped to the title in 1961-62, the very year they were promoted to the top division for the very first time in their footballing history.
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Ranieri’s men have confounded critics and naysayers worldwide who said that their early season form was just a blip on the radar of the top clubs of London and Manchester, one of whom would romp to the title anyway – they said. And who could fault them?
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For the last 15 years, it’s invariably been one amongst Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City or Manchester United who have stood tall at the top of the Premier League table come May. But Leicester has steadfastly refused to buckle down under the increasing spotlight of the media and pressure being heaped on them by the clubs below them.
The Foxes were flirting with relegation for a significant portion of the year last season. So much so that the bookmakers considered them odds of 5000-1 to win the title. But now that Leicester has shown that they would be no pushovers and stay resolute on their position on top of the table, the bookies have now installed them as the favorites for their first premier league title.
And if Leicester does manage to achieve that (mind you that is still a big IF), it would be an incredible story for people who still believe in the romance of football. For a team which was assembled with a fraction of the amount which other title aspirants have spent, they have punched far above their weight this season., having already confirmed their spot in the UEFA Champions League next season.
Now comes the more important question: Can they build on this? Can this be the start of something more sustainable than a one-off title charge? Can Leicester City become a European powerhouse in the years to come?
Michael Owen certainly doesn’t think so. For he was heard saying
“Leicester conceivably could go down next year. They could win the league and they could still be in a relegation fight next year.”
And though this is somewhat an extreme suggestion, there are good reasons to believe that come next season, the Foxes will not be experiencing the same euphoria as 2015/16.
Other clubs won’t fail simultaneously
This has certainly been an air of unpredictability about the league this season other than the fact that Arsenal will blow away a title opportunity but keep gunning for the fourth spot that is perennially reserved for them.
Jokes apart, who could have predicted at the beginning of the season that Stamford Bridge would no longer have an air of invincibility that Jose Mourinho had created and that the Portuguese would be forced to depart the club with his tail firmly between his legs. Or that a storied club like Aston Villa would be going down this season while all of the promoted clubs might stay up. Or that Pelligrini’s expensively assembled squad would end the season merely scrapping for Champions League places.
In fact, Ranieri was heard admitting:
"We know we're having a strange year, we're doing well because the big teams haven't found their rhythm.”
Let’s face it, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal all have experienced a season which their fans will unanimously term as disappointing. And inspite of the managerial change, even Liverpool. This has certainly been unprecedented and has played right into the hands of the Foxes. But it’s hardly likely to be repeated once again come the 2016/17 season.
Other clubs strengthening their squads
Given the season of underachievement that the aforementioned clubs have seen, their respective billionaire owners won’t be sitting silently.
Manchester City have already set the wheels in motion by appointing the most sought-after coach in the world in Pep Guardiola and another summer of squad restructuring is on the cards. Chelsea have Antonio Conte coming in and a major upheaval awaits Stamford Bridge and what history has shown us that Roman Abramovich is never one to shy away from loosening his purse strings.
Also read: Leicester City's success would be greatest, says Ipswich Town legend Ray Crawford
Given the underwhelming nature of the season and the supporters’ displeasure at the “unattractive” brand of football dished out by Van Gaal’s men, a change in personnel and possibly the coach would be warranted at Manchester United. Klopp will finally get a chance to fashion the squad in his own firebrand image to turn Liverpool a club that inspires fear in the opposition hearts.
And this is even without considering the effects of the £8.3 billion TV windfall which all 20 Premier League clubs will receive. And thus from next season, we will see a more level playing field where even promoted clubs will have the finances to attract global superstars thereby increasing the level of competition in the league.
Agreed that even Leicester have a billionaire at the helm - Thai tycoon Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, the founder and CEO of King Power. But he is unlikely to flex his financial muscle as much as the Abramovich’s or the Sheikh Mansour’s of the world.
Losing their best players and getting new players onboard
A lot of the success of the club this season has been attributed to the brilliant camaraderie within the squad. Ranieri has had a long and illustrious career spanning 3 decades and worked with some of the best players in the world, but he himself admitted that this squad is among the best he has ever coached.
"It is a very good group, one of the best I have had in my entire football career. The camaraderie is very good. This is the secret, the spirit and camaraderie of the players. They fight for each other. They are friends off the pitch as well.”
The problem is he won’t have this same set of players to work with next season. It is no secret that given the breakout season of some of Leicester City stars, the vultures have already started circling over the King Power Stadium.
Midfield engine N’Golo Kante is rumored to have a release clause as little as £20million in his contract and is on the radar of several clubs such as Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain.
Leicester is braced for the exit of Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez, one of the frontrunners for the PFA player of the season, who was purchased at a snip from French side Le Havre in January 2014, thereby landing the Foxes a huge financial gain. And Jamie Vardy, their record goalscorer may well be a target for other top English clubs.
One just needs to take a look at how the squads of surprise league winners in the recent past – Bundesliga winners Wolfsburg in 2009, Ligue 1 champions Montpellier in 2012, La Liga winners Valencia in 2004 – all had their squads taken apart by outgoing transfers just after they won their respective leagues.
So it would be a challenge for Ranieri to hold on to his star performers and add sufficient quality to the squad in case they decide to leave.
Champions League distraction and misfortune with injuries
Come next season, Leicester will have their fixture list choc-a-block. Out goes the midweek rest and the one-match-a-week schedule. As the Foxes faithful savour the sound of the Champions League Anthem on a regular basis (for 6 weeks at the very least) and watch their favourite team go toe-to-toe with the best in Europe, with it comes the associated fatigue and the subsequent injuries. Ranieri would really have to live up to his famed moniker as “The Tinkerman” when he would be forced to rotate his squad heavily in order to keep us with the relentless stream of matches.
As far as injuries are concerned, Leicester have been incredibly lucky with injuries this season. Eight players have missed two or fewer games. Imagine what would have happened if a freak injury sidelined Mahrez or Vardy or Kante for a sizeable duration.
And while that could be put down to a well-drilled and fit squad, there is no doubt that non-participation of the club in Europe has contributed to their cause leading to more rest and recuperation schedules.
In contrast, compare it to Liverpool, Manchester United or Arsenal, teams who had their fair share of European midweek commitments, who at times could have made an entire XI just from players sitting on the treatment tables.
Dealing with expectations
Having just escaped the clutches of relegation last season, Leicester City were considered very much the minnows and the underdogs. Even till December, football pundits were dismissive of their achievements and were expecting a spectacular meltdown. That never came.
But the fact remains that until a few weeks back, only a minority were considering Leicester as genuine title contenders and the pressure was off their shoulders. Ranieri was himself reinforcing the opinion that the only target of the Foxes this season was to guarantee safety in the Premier League.
For long stretches in the league this season, Leicester was happy playing the role of the plucky underdog, giving way the ball to their opponents, not try to monopolize possession, defend deep —and then launch lightning-fast counterattacks with precision.
But once you have established yourself on top of the hierarchy, it would be your turn to become the hunted rather than being the hunter. Their future opponents would use this same tactic against them and sit back stubbornly with two banks of four players as the onus would be on Leicester to go for the 3-points most of the times.
With it will come the expectations of performing well in each match and dominating the opposition as the media scrutiny of their performance increases and a lot of hue and cry will be made over individual errors.
The Tinkerman would surely have his task cut out next season.
