Claudio Ranieri is a bit of a cup specialist. Having won it in Italy and Spain, however the much respected Italian has never won a title. The 'Tinkerman' as he is fondly called is on the cusp of realizing his dream, and it’s with Leicester City. A team, which last season was battling relegation.
Leicester has one hand on the Premier League trophy. With three games to go and a seven point lead over nearest rivals Tottenham Hotspur the title is theirs to lose.
The foxes have been quite incredible this season. With the talismanic Riyad Mahrez, winner of the PFA Player of the Year Award, and the fiery Jamie Vardy, Ranieri has been able to capitalize on the shortfalls of the traditional big six of England.
Chelsea imploded half way into the season, Manchester United is still coming to terms with its transition under Louis Van Gaal, Manchester City lost the way with Pellegrini and Arsenal, well, less said about them the better.
And yet, nobody quite believed that the fairytale would actually come true.
Every now and then sport throws up the perfect underdog story. The David triumphing over Goliath tale. A story that makes you believe in the purity of talent over the corruption of money. When oil and real estate dollars are beaten by sheer hard work, grit and passion.
Leicester have kept things magically simple.
Pacy forwards. A compact, physical defense. An indomitable spirit. And yet, this simple formula has proven to be too difficult for most opponents with title winning managers and star players.
They are the team with the most Premier League clean sheets in 2016 and have only lost once in the New Year. But they haven’t just played defensive, negative football. They are a fabulous counter-attacking side. The blues have managed to open the scoring in 25 of their 35 Premier League games this season; more than any other team.
Once the gold dust settles, the challenge for Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha would be to hold on to this talented group. Players like Mahrez and Kante have come cheap but have the potential to go for big money. Bigger clubs from England and Europe will come calling and it will be interesting to see how the players react to it. This team playing the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the Champions league next season is a mouth watering prospect.
But there’s time for that. For now, let’s revel in the triumph of the underdog.
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