The Second Best? No, the Best!

Somewhere in September last year, I asked my football playing son if he would be interested to watch Leicester play tonight. He turned to me quizzically, his eyes almost saying, “Are you insane”, or “poor old man, he does not know his football!”, and told me that he would prefer to watch Schalke play instead, suggesting that I have a poor FQ.    

Yesterday, when I stayed home from going to a party, he asked, why I had skipped the party. I told him I wanted to watch Leicester play Swansea, he stayed with me, and together we watched “Mahrez the magician” score the first goal.

Back then in September, when I told him Leicester was likely to win the Premier League, he had no doubt in his mind that his father was into his lunatic fantasising mood. He asked, Leicester? I never heard of it? You should not pity his football reading. Who in “IPL India” had heard of Leicester back in September? Forget Indians, even Riyad Mahrez, it seems had not heard of Leicester City before he joined them from Le Havre, a second division French club. Even Leicester’s own “God” Garry Lineker did not believe the team could stay afloat in the Premier League, and had vowed to present himself in his underpants at the BBC show if the club wins the Premiership League title.

Last night, as we were celebrating the third goal that sealed the match almost, he made some calculation and told me that if I had put 1000 bucks on Leicester winning the Premier League then, I would have been richer by 2.6 million!

Last Sunday against the West Ham United I was a little tense after Jamie Vardy being sent-off. Waves after waves of the WHU were soaked in by Wes Morgan, Huth & Co, and then that happened: two goals in spate of two minutes or so. Is the fairytale going to have a sour end? Is Leicester going to be the “second best", behind Tottenham Hotspur? Though doubts were sneaking in, heart was not willing to yield.

There is history with their manager Claudio Ranieri, the tinkerman being derided for “always coming second”. In 2004, he led Chelsea to be second best behind Arsenal, and three other occasions, his team had finished runners up.

Then last season the foxes were certain to be relegated but survived. In the match against West Ham, Vardy was sent off at 57 minute, and playing with ten players, a penalty was awarded against Wes Morgan. Two minutes later Cresswell scored at 86 minute and all the talk shifted to the refereeing, the next match with Swansea, and perhaps it was inevitable that foxes’ run had come to an end.

But it did not, and the spirit with which Leicester salvaged a point with ten men for more than 35 minutes, it reflected about the resilience of the club. It also reflected on the hunger, and the point that has missed many a pundits, and often repeated by commentators, is how well the parts move in anticipation of the moves of their colleagues. Before he was send off, Vardy had completed a grand move that started from West Ham earning a corner. Kasper collected the ball, and threw the ball immediately in the empty space where Riyad Mahrez appeared from nowhere. As he was having a “rain dance” around the West Ham players before deftly passing on to N’Golo Kante, Shinji Okazaki crossed from left to right at breathtaking speed selling a dummy and drawing along with him Noble. That created space at the left, and Vardy moved the ball in that comfortable space and banged the net. That was a perfect synchronisation. This synchronisation, often called as unselfishness of the Foxes players, make you believe that the “end” prophesied by many would be delayed eternally for this team of foxes. Is that illusion?                             

On Sunday, Ranieri looked a wily fox himself. Before the match with Swansea, with the best forward suspended for the match and perhaps an extended ban for improper conduct, what he said was clear message to confuse the strategist at the other end. It was widely reported that Ulloa was sure to start in place of Vardy. But he said Leo was good to be in the team but before him there was the team, and if needed he would change one player or the entire system. It was a master stroke. Then on the eve of the match, he told Spurs manager to wait for another year to get the coveted Premier League title. This, one the one hand suggested the confidence the manager had despite his top scorer unavailable for the match. It also hinted at the change in strategy, and how confident was he about that strategy being implemented by his troop of players.

And the strategy was very much discernible. After Riyad Mahrez scored the first goal, the team instead of sitting deep and defending, was very much on the prowl for the second goal. Raneiri was seen directing his defending line to move upfront, and he had a distinct game plan was very much evident.

After demolishing Swansea there is only one obstacle between the Foxes and the title: Tottenham Hotspur; and they are not playing each other for the rest of the season. Three more matches for the Foxes, and counting today’s match, four for the Spurs. The pressure will certainly be on Spurs, and especially Harry Kane. With Stoke match, it was different; the Foxes had barely managed to draw earlier; Vardy was banned for the next match, and likely to be facing an extended ban. There was little pressure then; on the contrary, there was a sense of recognition: Harry Kane was leading the tables, he was a leading contender of the PFA Player of the Year award, and the “Lions” were roaring to prowl the foxes.

But now with Leicester winning four nil and making a statement in the absence of Jamie Vardy, the pressure shift has arrived. Add to it Riyad Mahrez wining the PFA Player of the Year Award yesterday rubbing on Harry Kane, one of the six shortlisted players, and the top scorer in the league, the wrong way. There could be clumsiness in his movement with the missed chance weighing heavily on his mind. His manager was sure it was Kane (with 24 goals this season) and not Vardy (22 goals this season) going to lift the prestigious trophy (in the end it was Riyad Mahrez). But the manager had banned the players to take part in the grand occasion. This means the players were put on an extended pressure cooker till the match with West Brom Albion. This could make them stiff and nervy, and tonight that obstacle could break on it’s own.      

 
Whether that happens tonight or not, whether the team fails to beat Manchester United, Everton and Chelsea, the Foxes are not the second best, no doubt about it. They are the best.