by Michael Cox
Behind the fun and games, however, this was a genuinely significant moment. From this point on, Leicester kept clean sheets in exactly half of their remaining matches, including an incredible spell of 12 in 17 games as they evolved from surprise contenders to title favourites in the new year. Defensively, Leicester were well organised in open play and somewhat physical at set-pieces, with Huth admitting he often strayed beyond what is considered legal. The following season, when referees were instructed to punish shirt-pulling at corner kicks more keenly, Leicester struggled and right-back Simpson claimed this refereeing change affected them badly.
The shift to a deeper, more compact defensive block also suited Vardy, Leicester’s second key player, who became the first footballer to score in 11 consecutive Premier League matches, an unthinkable achievement considering he’d managed just five goals in the whole of the previous season. He dominated headlines when Leicester’s form seemed a novelty rather than making them serious title challengers; while everyone was focusing upon his unprecedented scoring streak, Leicester went top with a 3–0 win at Newcastle in November, and would hold that position for 20 of the next 23 matchdays.
Vardy’s rise was truly remarkable. He’d been released by Sheffield Wednesday as a teenager and completely quit football for seven months, before storming up the footballing pyramid in a manner rarely witnessed, starting at eighth-tier Stocksbridge Park Steels, where his wage was £30 a week. Following a conviction for assault, he played for six months with an electronic tag around his ankle and was forced to observe a home curfew from 6 pm every evening, which meant being substituted midway through the second half at away matches and driving home quickly. Then came a move to seventh-tier Halifax Town for £15,000, while he worked full-time at a factory making carbon-fibre splints. Twenty-nine goals in 41 games earned him a transfer to Fleetwood Town, in the fifth tier of English football. He spent just a season there, because 34 goals in 42 matches meant Leicester were prepared to spend £1m to secure his services – a record for a non-league player.
Initially Vardy seemed too raw for the Premier League, but a significant improvement to his first touch and finishing ability turned him from an energetic workhorse into the league’s deadliest striker. Having spent much of his career out wide, Vardy’s game was all about exploiting space on the outside of centre-backs, receiving the ball on the run and finishing smartly. There was also a significant shift in his duties once his goalscoring form became apparent; at the start of the season Vardy retreated alongside Okazaki to ensure Leicester remained compact and difficult to play through. Although Ranieri persisted with roughly the same system, Vardy was afforded licence to stay higher, on the shoulder of the last defender and considerably in advance of Okazaki, enabling Leicester to find him running through on goal immediately after possession was won. It was 4–4–1–1 rather than 4–4–2. Vardy’s memorable dipping strike against Liverpool in a 2–0 home victory was a notable example of how Leicester provided him with service – Mahrez collected a loose ball deep inside his own half, brought it under control and then immediately fired the ball into the channel for Vardy, who thumped it home first-time. You couldn’t find a more direct attack; this was a one-pass move. ‘Jamie Vardy’s having a party’ became Leicester fans’ main chant.
Vardy developed a particularly good relationship with Drinkwater, whose searching diagonal balls worked perfectly with the striker’s acceleration. ‘You can hit a 50–50 ball and he changes the odds with his pace and hunger,’ raved Drinkwater. ‘He makes bad passes look brilliant.’ Goalkeeper Schmeichel said something similar. ‘When you have a player like that, he’s a dream to play with. You hit balls and clearances and he makes something of them, he turns them into good balls because he chases everything down and never gives up.’ Schmeichel’s long-range throws were crucial to Leicester’s counter-attacking, reminiscent of the way his father had revolutionised goalkeeper distribution in the Premier League’s formative years. As if to underline Leicester’s lack of interest in possession figures, Schmeichel recorded the lowest pass completion rate of any Premier League player – but his distribution skills were vital, as he created more chances than any other goalkeeper.
Leicester’s underdog status was also crucial to their footballing style. Traditionally big clubs can’t solely depend upon counter-attacking, especially at home, because opponents tend to defend deep. But Leicester were allowed to play that way because opponents always underestimated them, playing in their default style rather than adjusting their approach to deny Leicester space. A classic example was Leicester’s 3–0 victory over Swansea, who continually pushed their full-backs forward, which created space for Vardy and Mahrez, who hit a perfect hat-trick (right foot, left foot, header).
Mahrez, Leicester’s third key player, proved extremely important during this stage of the season. Although he was a brilliant counter-attacker, he wasn’t simply a space invader like Vardy, and he could dribble past opponents with trickery, which was essential now that opponents were parking men behind the ball. A dribbler, an assister and a goalscorer in one, Mahrez was Leicester’s best all-round footballer, and his sensational contributions justified the fact that he played a considerably more advanced role than Albrighton on the opposite flank. Like Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suárez, the contribution from his counter-attacks excused his not tracking the opposition full-back. He was deservedly voted Player of the Year by his fellow professionals.
Even when opponents started to guard against Leicester’s counter-attacks, however, the Foxes still found a way through. Shortly before Christmas, Vardy and Mahrez were the two goalscorers in Leicester’s famous 2–1 win over reigning champions Chelsea, who were badly struggling in the bottom half of the table. José Mourinho was furious; he complained that his ‘work was betrayed’, having highlighted that duo’s threat beforehand. But neither goal was scored on the break. The first came from Mahrez crossing to Vardy, the second was all about Mahrez’s trickery outfoxing César Azpilicueta, arguably the Premier League’s best full-back.
That game, incidentally, finished off Mourinho’s second spell at Chelsea, a poetic moment considering the Portuguese coach had replaced Ranieri at Chelsea in 2004 and frequently attacked him in subsequent years. At one point, he said Ranieri ‘had the mentality of someone who doesn’t need to win … he is almost 70 years of age, he has won a Supercup and another small trophy, and he is too old to change his mentality.’ But that mentality proved perfect for playing down expectations and coping with pressure. Ranieri continually insisted Leicester’s target was to avoid relegation, then to qualify for Europe, then to qualify for the Champions League. Gradually, though, it became clear Leicester were genuine title challengers.
Leicester, like Liverpool two years earlier, also had the advantage of no European football and therefore much better preparation for weekend matches compared with their title rivals. This not only had tactical benefits; it also gave the team physical advantages, as Ranieri explained. ‘In England the football is always of a high intensity and wipes people out. They have more need to recover. We play Saturday, then Sunday is a day off for everyone. On Monday we resume with light training, the way they do in Italy. Tuesday is hard training, Wednesday absolute rest. On Thursday another hard session, Friday preparation for the match, Saturday another game.’ A team playing on a Wednesday wouldn’t have those two hard training sessions. Leicester were running harder, better and faster than any other side in the Premier League.
Over Christmas Leicester failed to find the net in three consecutive games, suggesting their bubble had burst, although this would be their only three blanks all season. Opponents started adjusting to their threat, and while Vardy scored excellent counter-attacking goals against Liverpool, Sunderland and West Ham in the second half of the campaign, there were fewer opportunities for Leicester to get him running in behind. At one point he managed just four goals in 16 games, one of them a penalty, a drought that forced Leicester to diversify and find goals from elsewhere.
Penalties, incidentally, proved a very useful source of goals for the club – they were awarded 13, the most of any Premier League team since 2001/02. Defenders were frequently isolated against the speed of Vardy or Mahrez, and ended up bringing them down.
Vardy’s dry spell meant clean sheets became more important, as Leicester needed to ensure that scoring one goal, rather than two or three, would be enough. They recorded six 1–0 wins during the title run-in, including a spell of five in six games. ‘Those 1–0s are really important because it points out that they are a unit, they’re not going to lose,’ said an impressed Sir Alex Ferguson, giving a rare post-retirement interview. Significantly, none of these winners were scored by Vardy, or from counter-attacks. Tactically, this was the most impressive part of Leicester’s incredible title triumph; although they had perfected counter-attacking football, they realised the dangers of relying on that approach and became a considerably more complete side. They achieved this in three crucial ways.
First, Leicester’s evolution into a complete attacking force involved their potency from set-pieces. As Liverpool had demonstrated when almost winning the title two years beforehand, striking early from dead-ball situations is extremely useful for counter-attacking sides who struggle to penetrate deep defences – because it forces defensive-minded opponents to come out and chase the game, leaving space to break into. Centre-back duo Huth and Morgan, who hadn’t registered in the first half of the campaign, contributed five important goals after Christmas; Huth nodded in the winner in the crucial January victory over Tottenham, who emerged as Leicester’s main title rivals, then scored two more, including the early opener, at Manchester City in February. Morgan, meanwhile, scored a winner against Southampton and the equaliser in a 1–1 draw at Old Trafford in April – when, for the first time all season, Leicester looked extremely nervous.
Second, Ranieri’s tinkerman tactics proved invaluable. Although he retained a settled starting XI after Christmas, he used his bench extremely effectively. Against deeper defences, back-up striker Leonardo Ulloa became the perfect plan B, as he offered considerably more height than Vardy and Okazaki, and thrived on crosses. In February, with ten minutes remaining in a home match against Norwich, Ranieri realised the match was set for a goalless draw. He made a courageous decision, introducing bonus centre-back Ulloa in place of right-back Daniel Amartey, who had started in place of the suspended Simpson. Sure enough, Ulloa popped up in the 89th minute with a crucial winner. Later, when Vardy served a two-game suspension, Ulloa kept his composure to net a stoppage-time penalty in a 2–2 draw with West Ham, then hit two more goals against Swansea. His contribution was minimal in terms of playing time but highly significant in terms of points. The fourth goal in that crushing 4–0 victory over Swansea was telling, featuring a combination between three substitutes – King, Albrighton and January arrival Demarai Gray. The match was already won, but it underlined how Ranieri kept the entire squad involved, despite rarely making changes to his first XI.
The third element in Leicester’s evolution was the most crucial, and received surprisingly little attention; far from relying on counter-attacking, the team now played more proactively, particularly in the opening stages of matches. It wasn’t about possession play but instead about regaining the ball in advanced positions by pressing aggressively. This was particularly notable in the 3–0 victory versus Stoke in January, and absolutely crucial in the season-defining 3–1 victory against Manchester City at the Etihad the following month.
From kick-off at the Etihad, Drinkwater thumped a long diagonal ball into City’s right-back zone, sending the ball straight out of play for a City throw – and Leicester pushed forward to box their opponents in. Perhaps Drinkwater simply overhit his pass, but Leicester seemed to be deliberately giving away the ball, underlining their lack of interest in possession. It meant, however, that they could quickly press high, and Kanté immediately won a 50–50 tackle with Yaya Touré. The game wasn’t a minute old, and Leicester were already demonstrating their ball-winning qualities.
Upon regaining possession Leicester immediately switched play to Mahrez on the right. By this stage of the season the Algerian’s determination to cut inside onto his left foot was well-established, so City boss Manuel Pellegrini fielded Fabian Delph as a narrow left-sided midfielder, specifically to prevent Mahrez moving inside. He and left-back Aleksandar Kolarov were clearly supposed to show Mahrez down the line. But to their surprise Mahrez was entirely happy to go there – he darted towards the byline, catching out Kolarov, who clumsily fouled him. From the ensuing free-kick Mahrez crossed for Huth to score.
The nature of these opening two minutes demonstrated Leicester’s evolution. They realised City would attempt to prevent them counter-attacking, so they changed their game plan and pressed high. Mahrez realised he would struggle to find space when he drifted inside, so he went outside. This is what great champions do; when their opponents can proactively nullify their strengths they diversify, not simply excelling at their favoured moves but also at the alternatives. Of course, the beauty of going 1–0 ahead was that Leicester could play on the break after all, with Mahrez’s outstanding second goal a perfect example. Once again he surprised an opposition defender, this time Martin Demichelis, by checking to his right, and then smashed the ball past Joe Hart with his weaker foot.
Huth scored another goal to make it 3–0, and while Sergio Agüero pulled one back as Manchester City rallied, Leicester won 3–1 and were generously applauded off the pitch by the opposition supporters. This was a momentous day – Leicester went five points clear at the top, became the bookmakers’ favourites, and as Ranieri later admitted, this was the first time he truly believed his team could win the title. Even City goalkeeper Hart seemed to realise what was happening, telling his ex-teammate Schmeichel on the pitch afterwards: ‘All right, come on, if you’re ever going to win it, it’s now. Get it done.’ A late 2–1 defeat to Arsenal followed – with various Leicester players saying Arsenal’s post-match celebratory dressing-room photos proved an unlikely source of motivation. From that point forwards, Leicester were unstoppable.
Their succession of late-season 1–0 victories was highly impressive, but there were inevitably times when they were slightly fortunate. They retreated extraordinarily deep at Crystal Palace in March, and after Mahrez gave them the lead, they played terribly and invited too much pressure, with Palace centre-back Damien Delaney hitting the bar in stoppage time. But it was moments like this that convinced Leicester fans that the unthinkable was going to happen. Twenty minutes after full-time at Selhurst Park, the away section remained packed, as Leicester supporters stayed behind to chant, ‘Now you’re gonna believe us – we’re gonna win the league.’ It was quite a sight. Some Palace fans applauded them as they shuffled towards the exits, others stopped and simply watched them belting out the same song again and again and again with a look of bemusement as if to say: this is happening. Leicester were actually going to win the league.
There have been ‘neutrals’ favourites’ in the Premier League before, but nothing like Leicester. Gary Lineker, Leicester’s most famous ex-player and now their most famous supporter, was unashamedly cheering them on while presenting Match of the Day every weekend – and no one complained. Opposition managers were falling over themselves to support them. ‘It would be absolutely fantastic for everyone in football if Leicester could do it,’ said West Brom manager Tony Pulis. ‘I am supporting Leicester City between now and the end of the season.’ Southampton’s Ronald Koeman joined in – ‘They deserve to win the title, I hope they do win it’ – and Swansea boss Francesco Guidolin repeated the message. Peculiarly, Leicester weren’t even battling the pre-season Premier League favourites. Champions Chelsea spent most of the season in the bottom half, Manchester City collapsed after Pellegrini announced he was leaving in February, while Manchester United were so mediocre that even lifting the FA Cup couldn’t save Louis van Gaal’s job. Leicester ended up competing against Arsenal, who hadn’t w
on the league in 12 seasons, and Tottenham, who hadn’t triumphed for over half a century. Yet Leicester were still overwhelmingly the neutrals’ favourites.
This extended to opposition players, too. Going into the final fortnight of the campaign, Leicester were on the brink of securing the title. The Foxes needed one more victory against Everton or Chelsea – but if Tottenham slipped up away at Stamford Bridge, Leicester’s title would be confirmed early. Spurs raced to a 2–0 lead at Stamford Bridge, but then something clicked for the home side. Beforehand, Chelsea’s players had been unanimous in their support for Leicester. ‘I don’t want Spurs to win it, to be honest,’ admitted midfielder Cesc Fàbregas. ‘For what they’ve done through the season I’d love Leicester to win the Premier League.’ Winger Eden Hazard, who had won the 2014/15 PFA Player of the Year award when Chelsea triumphed, but spent much of 2015/16 off-form and completely disinterested, echoed the sentiment. ‘We – the fans, the club, the players – don’t want Tottenham to win the Premier League,’ he admitted. ‘We hope for Leicester because they deserve to be champions.’
After half-time Chelsea rallied, got a goal back, and then Hazard drove through the Spurs defence, played a one-two, and then bent the ball majestically into the top corner. 2–2. Leicester were champions. Chelsea’s players celebrated, Leicester’s players did too – Jamie Vardy was literally having a party – and so did most of Britain. Leicester, astonishingly, had clinched the Premier League with two games to spare, and would eventually triumph by ten clear points.
The celebrations were memorable. Leicester collected the trophy after a 3–1 victory over Everton – a game where many charitable Everton fans gave up their tickets to desperate Leicester fans, while over a thousand Italians made the pilgrimage to Leicester simply to be in the city and observe the celebrations for Ranieri, with no hope of getting a ticket. Inside the King Power before the trophy presentation, Andrea Bocelli took the stage in a Leicester shirt, stood alongside Ranieri and belted out ‘Nessun dorma’.