Leicester City: The impossible made possible

The impossible. That is what Leicester City achieved.

After being promoted to the Premier League in 2014, all it took was one season for Claudio Ranieri to analyse and strategically embarrass the Premier League. Ranieri enforced a style of football and morality within the players that no other manager achieved.

While Leicester were looking a mid-table worthy team, financially superior clubs such as Manchester City and Chelsea had a poor and arguably unsuccessful transfer window in the summer. Thus, the upcoming 2015-16 season seemed to be that if any ‘miracle’ were to happen, this would be the prime opportunity, and Leicester certainly did so with ease.

Although, winning a Premier League title isn’t quite as simple as that.

One of the greatest contributing factors to winning a football title is the style of football played by the team and the morality that is enforced throughout the football club as a whole, including both players and coaching staff.

Ranieri indulged his players into counterattack football that blew opponents away through the unfamiliarity of how to deal with such a style of play. Out of 38 league games Leicester played, 31 of them finished with them having less possession than their opponents.

This includes home victory’s such 4-0 against Swansea and 4-2 against Sunderland. Such evidence typifies the clinical finishing in front of goal and defensive efforts that counterattacking football requires.

The style of football instilled in Leicester was distinctive to any other manager’s attempt of it through the balance of players throughout Ranieri’s squad.

This was achieved through explosive players on the wings such as Riyad Mahrez, and the ball distribution role fulfilled by Danny Drinkwater, who in turn, would receive an international call up. The two key players who led Leicester to a Premier league title were Jamie Vardy and N’golo Kante.

The reason was their hard work and physical presence on the field which allowed them to adapt to the Premier League’s high-tempo status as they controlled the football field week in week out.

Consolidating these beneficial factors that Ranieri was privileged to work with, the balance and consistency of Leicester would stun the league and create history.