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.