Editor's note: This article was updated after Leicester City won the Premier League.
The astonishing success of Leicester City seems to have captivated the whole world -- even those not normally interested in football -- and nearly everyone, save Spurs fans and a few others, were thrilled to see the Foxes claim the Premier League title. But it's not just their fairytale story, from rock bottom to top dogs, that's endeared them to the masses; it's the way they have succeeded without being perceived to have "bought" their success in the fashion of, say, Chelsea and Manchester City.
So what is Leicester's secret formula? Having personal experience of working with their head coach, Claudio Ranieri, I've analysed how their roster was built and why Ranieri's pragmatic and utilitarian outlook on squad management will likely lead to continued success.
"I wasn't allowed more than a couple of transfer windows to build a team" -- this is a commonly heard phrase when managers lose their jobs. The money spent and resources provided in the transfer market have 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 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 of players at a football club.
And for that reason, among many others, it's particularly refreshing to see Leicester City claim the Premier League title. As with most other presumed lower/midtable 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 were brought in to strengthen the title-chasing team in January, to the tune of an additional £10 million. There's no denying that the summer signings of Shinji Okazaki (£9 million from 1. Bundesliga side Mainz) and, in particular, player-of-the-season contender N'Golo Kante (a £7 million bargain from French side Caen) made a significant contribution in their debut seasons. But the miracle season we've witnessed has more to do with the collective than with individual players.
Having worked with 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 have been 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 suitability to his system. As an experienced squad builder, the Leicester 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 in 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 who 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 the coach's preferences) who had already clicked well with the line of defenders in front of him.
Even in central midfield, the former Chelsea, Juventus and Roma boss found an unlikely cornerstone for his project. Only used sparingly by former manager Nigel Pearson after the promotion to the Premier League, Danny Drinkwater has proved vital to the balance in the Leicester midfield. The newly capped England international is the perfect match in the centre of midfield as the stabilising makeweight to the relentlessly mobile Kante, a role that was initially intended for 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 that 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 Vardy as the perfect man to exploit his preferred counterattacking 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 Algerian playmaker/winger Riyad Mahrez. Under Ranieri, the £650,000 signing, who arrived as a virtual unknown in the Championship in the middle of the 2013-14 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 increasingly performed 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 that 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 arrived from Birmingham City) tend to be thrown into the game when Mahrez or Marc Albrighton (another player whose career is back on track under Ranieri) tire toward 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 means coming off the bench.
Planning for next season likely started months ago. And while impending 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.
Much in line with his approach to squad management, Ranieri is 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, Ranieri will work on how to strengthen the team for the next campaign, based on a variety of scenarios (e.g., losing/keeping key players, etc.).
What is certain is that while Ranieri is the Leicester City 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 skill set (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 in the summer months. On the one hand, there could be a need for new blood after 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.