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jonthefox

The "do they mean us?" thread

By jonthefox, in Leicester City Forum

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WiFoxes

WiFoxes

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How Claudio Ranieri built, and can sustain, surprising Leicester City

 

Claudio Ranieri has led Leicester City to the top of the Premier League thanks to his open mind and adaptive style.

The astonishing success of Leicester City seems to have captivated the whole world -- even those not normally interested in football -- and everyone, save those Spurs and Arsenal fans still harbouring their own title hopes, is urging them on to lift the Premier League trophy come May. But it's not just their fairytale story, from rock bottom to top dogs in mere months, that's endeared them to the masses; it's the way they are succeeding without being perceived to have "bought" their success in the fashion of, say, Chelsea and Manchester City. So what is their secret formula? Having personal experience of working with their head coach, Claudio Ranieri, I've analysed how their squad was built and how Ranieri is applying his pragmatic and utilitarian outlook on squad management to make it work.

"I wasn't allowed more than a couple of transfer windows to build a team," is a commonly heard phrase when managers lose their jobs. The money spent or resources provided in the transfer market has become the overriding explanation (or excuse) in recent years as to why managers succeed or flop. One could be left with the impression that success only rests on money and acquisitions alone, and that quality coaching and improving players individually have nothing to do with it especially in England, where managers typically are responsible for the comings and goings at a football club.

And for that reason among many others, it's particularly refreshing to see Leicester City five points clear at the top of the Premier League table with just seven rounds left to play. As with most other presumed lower/mid-table top-tier teams, the Foxes did dig into their transfer kitty last summer: the team spent around £ 30 million in July and August, while another two players, to the tune of an additional £10 million, were brought in to strengthen the title-chasing team in January. There's no denying that the summer signings Shinji Okazaki (£9 million from the 1. Bundesliga side Mainz) and, in particular, the player of the season contender N'Golo Kante, a £7 million bargain from the French side Caen, have made a significant contribution in their debut seasons. But the miracle we're witnessing right now is more to do with the collective than individual players.

Having worked with Claudio Ranieri during his first year as the head coach of AS Monaco (I worked as the Sporting Director and hence was responsible for appointing him), there are certain distinctive patterns from his first season at Leicester that can be recognised from his early days in France. First and foremost, he enters a new job with an open mind. Whereas so many colleagues tend to give preponderance to their own new signings at the expense of those who may have been favourites of their predecessor, or may be on the fringes of the squad over the past few seasons, Ranieri is willing to assess the entirety of the squad on the basis of their suitability to his system. As an experienced squad builder, the Leicester head coach likes to envisage his "project" as a house before he carefully picks his materials and tools to build it.

The perfect example of the Italian's rather pragmatic approach to squad building is how he decided not to break up the central defensive partnership of Wes Morgan and Robert Huth. The latter, whose initial loan arrival last January (2015) coincided with Leicester's amazing run that finally saw them escape relegation, has formed a formidable understanding with Jamaican international Morgan, who many didn't even consider a Premier League standard footballer. Ranieri, himself an ex-defender, understood more than anyone the value of a well-functioning duo to form the backbone of the team and in this rather unglamorous pair, he saw two solid, strong (in head and body) and unadventurous defenders that are good at the art of defending -- just the way he likes them. Added to that, behind them he found a reliable goalkeeper, Kasper Schmeichel, with a strong voice and lots of personality (again, much according to his preferences) who had already clicked well with the line of defenders in front of him.

N'Golo Kante has been a key figure in Leicester City's ascent to the top of the Premier League.

Even in central midfield, the former Chelsea, Juventus and Roma boss found an unlikely cornerstone to his project. Only used sparingly by the former manager, Nigel Pearson, following the promotion to the Premier League, Danny Drinkwater has proved vital to the balance in the Leicester City midfield. The newly capped England international is the perfect match in the centre of midfield as the stabilising makeweight to the relentlessly mobile N'Golo Kante, a role that was initially intended for the experienced Swiss international, Gokhan Inler, a £5.5 million summer signing from Napoli. Keeping in mind that Inler was ostensibly a signing requested by Ranieri, it perfectly underlines the thought and method the 64-year-old applies to the genuine competition for places in his side.

When it comes to the attacking department, there's further evidence of Ranieri's utilitarian view on squad disposition. While Jamie Vardy, who arrived from the Division Two side Fleetwood Town in 2012, was mainly used in a wide position by Pearson in the Premier League, the Italian saw him as the perfect man to exploit his preferred counter-attacking style of football. With his excellent, penetrating pace and constant desire to exploit the space behind the opposing defence, Vardy has enjoyed a tremendous season, breaking records (scoring in 11 consecutive Premier League matches) and earning his first England caps (and goals) in the process. Another success story is the meteoric rise of the Algerian playmaker or winger Riyad Mahrez. Under Ranieri, the £650,000 signing, who arrived as a virtual unknown in the Championship in the middle of the 2013-2014 season, has enjoyed the freedom to roam infield from his usual wing position on the left or right to become more of a playmaker with the licence to set himself up with his exquisite left foot.

Though the strength of this resilient Leicester City team mainly centres on its strong and settled core, Ranieri also finds plenty of use for his fringe players. Okazaki is increasingly performing an important role as the second forward, always chasing, closing down and covering space in midfield. Argentine Leonardo Ulloa, more of a classic, and indeed static, centre-forward type, still gets the odd minute in those instances his clearly defined attributes (aerial presence and ability to hold up the ball) are needed for the team. Quick wide players like Nathan Dyer, Jeffrey Schlupp and Demarai Gray (who recently arrived from Birmingham City) tend to be thrown into the game when Mahrez or Marc Albrighton (another player whose career has come right back on track under Ranieri) tire towards the end of matches. While many other managers would have been happy to let go of the tried and tested, under Ranieri they are kept with the understanding of playing a vital role even if that just means coming off the bench.

Regardless of where Leicester City finish, and they're practically guaranteed a place among the top three, their planning for next season is likely to be well under way. And while the prospect of Champions League football makes the King Power Stadium a more desirable arena for new recruits, it also enhances the chances of the club being able to hang on to their main assets. Kante and Mahrez are undoubtedly on the shortlist of more established top clubs, but outstanding sporting results mean increased exposure and income. At this point, there's no reason to rule out the outcome of the looming transfer sagas being new, improved contracts rather than moves elsewhere.

Claudio Ranieri has blended returning players with transfer market additions to create a strong, deep side for Leicester City.

Much in line with his approach to squad management, Ranieri is also renowned for his ability to forge constructive relationships throughout the various departments of a football club. The transfer market often causes a great deal of tension and disagreement between the head coach and the owner, and indeed the scouting staff. But based on my own experience from Monaco, I'm not surprised that the Italian seems to have built a well-functioning understanding with Leicester's much-heralded, analytics-driven scouting department: he's reasonable, patient and again very much contrary to many fellow top-level managers, he doesn't see compromise as a weakness and understands the logic of a valid argument. Together with the owner, they will already be working on how to strengthen the team for the next campaign, based on a variety of scenarios (losing/keeping key players, whether as champions or after finishing third).

What is certain is that while Claudio Ranieri is still the Leicester City head coach, their philosophy is unlikely to change. The focus will still be on the collective and any player on the shortlist will invariably be in possession of the skillset (quick, direct, equipped with strong lungs and the footballing brain to understand efficient transitional play) that is required to thrive under Ranieri's style of football.

While the current squad is not in need of any major upgrades (though I'm sure Ranieri wouldn't mind adding a top quality full-back or even another wide forward) Leicester will face a dilemma coming into the summer months. On the one hand, there could be a need for new blood following such a mentally tiring season, just as it makes some sense to increase the squad options in view of added European fixtures. But on the other, there's clearly a danger of making wholesale changes to a squad whose success is so much based on spirit, work ethic and a clearly outlined collective strategy. In any case, trust Ranieri and his backroom staff to get it right.

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Steven

Steven

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Spurs fans leave the tea bag in when making a cuppa

 

 

Spurs fans put their bag on the seat next to them.

 

 

Spurs fans don't put the little barrier down at the end of their shopping.

 

I am not a Spurs fan.  :(

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The Doctor

The Doctor

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Guys got to be taking the piss with the comment about arsenals gap - we're 11 clear of them, Spurs are 6; how is the Spurs gap insurmountable but ours isn't? Never mind that needing to claw back over a point extra every game is a near on impossible ask.

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Webbo

Webbo

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Guys got to be taking the piss with the comment about arsenals gap - we're 11 clear of them, Spurs are 6; how is the Spurs gap insurmountable but ours isn't? Never mind that needing to claw back over a point extra every game is a near on impossible ask.

I thought Spurs were 5 points behind us? Also Arsenal have a game in hand.

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