Leicester City’s Premier League Triumph Smacked Of Sir Alex Ferguson

I couldn’t help but think of Sir Alex Ferguson after Leicester City’s momentous Premier League triumph was confirmed on Monday evening.

The departure of the looming Scot from English football eradicated the fear that most of Manchester United’s opponents were paralysed by whenever they played them. But Leicester’s success proves that it’s moved beyond that, and even Manchester City and Chelsea’s billions don’t intimidate the supposed lesser sides anymore.

Over the course of the season though it’s been rather snidely suggested by some that a Manchester United team led by their greatest ever manager would have blocked Claudio Ranieri and his men from securing the most unlikely of titles.

But there’s every chance that Leicester City will finish the season with 83 points, a total that since 1995/1996 would have won them six Premier League titles, while the Foxes are unbeaten in ten games (winning 8, drawing 2) since they lost to Arsenal in stoppage time on Valentine’s Day.

It’s been a mesmerising run of results, especially when you consider that everyone with even a passing interest in the sport was waiting for the bubble to burst, the fairy tale to end, and for Leicester City to turn back into the mere mortals that they once were.

But while it’s now clear that even Sir Alex Ferguson’s greatest Manchester United side (I’ll let you argue amongst yourselves about which that is) would have struggled to stop Claudio Ranieri, Jamie Vardy, Riad Mahrez, Danny Drinkwater, N’Golo Kante, Robert Huth, Kasper Schmeichel and pals in their tracks, Leicester City’s path to the title mirrored that of United’s in past.

Obviously, the genial Ranieri and the fiery Ferguson differ drastically in their man management approach. But the Italian still instilled his players with a never say die mentality, which, in turn, has provoked several decisive comebacks and late goals that were the hallmark of Ferguson’s time at Old Trafford.

A potential draw against Norwich and a defeat against West Ham United were turned into a victory and a draw, respectively, thanks to stoppage time strikes from Leicester’s very own Ole Gunnar Solksjaer Leonardo Ulloa as the Premier League games dwindled.

This turned impending negatives into resounding positives, and maintained a momentum that, if had begun to crumble and crack, could have easily led to Leicester’s capitulation.

But they never gave even a slight indication that would occur. Even after falling behind at Old Trafford, and with one hand on the trophy, Leicester fought back to equalise and then kept their composure and shape to secure another point that proved to be decisive.

The Leicester and United comparisons don’t stop there, though.

Much like how United’s 1994, 1999, and 2008 sides were built upon the solid defensive partnerships of Steve Bruce/Gary Pallister, Jaap Staam/Ronny Johnson, and Rio Ferdinand/Nemanja Vidic, respectively, Leicester City have been emphatically reinforced by Wes Morgan and Robert Huth’s formidable pairing.

With the Foxes’ defence shutting out their opponents this allowed the likes of Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy to either nick or create moments of match winning magic, which was akin to how Eric Cantona inspired Manchester United to a string of 1-0 victories in the 1995/1996 season that ultimately saw United haul back Newcastle United’s 12 point gap.

Claudio Ranieri also worked out his best starting 11 very early on into the season, stuck with it, and waited to see if any opponent could figure out how to stop them, while in the process forever extinguishing his Tinkerman nickname. Once again, in 1994, 1999, and 2008, Sir Alex Ferguson knew his best starting 11s, and would only sporadically change his line-ups due to injury or fatigue.

But while there are similarities to Leicester’s Premier League success and United’s previous campaigns, Ranieri’s Foxes have really done it in their own way.

They’ve ridden a seemingly serendipitous crest of a wave that has not only helped to rejuvenate many borderline dormant fans’ love of the game but has also shaken English football’s elite out of their complacent haze and reminded them that the game isn’t all about the millions that’s spent but instead the team that’s assembled.

Something that every single Ferguson team was built upon no matter how much he spent.

[Images via Getty/Michael Regan & Ian MacNicol]