The Italian Job
To say Claudio Ranieri wasn’t warmly received when he was named Leicester City’s manager last July would be an understatement. Former Leicester City great and current broadcaster Gary Lineker took to Twitter after the hiring and wrote to his 4 million followers: “Claudio Ranieri? Really?” He later added, “Claudio Ranieri is clearly an experienced coach, but this is an uninspired choice.” Lineker even pined for the team to bring back Nigel Pearson for a third term. Many in and around Leicester agreed with Lineker. Ranieri hadn’t been in the Premier League since 2004, when he was fired after a four-year stretch with Chelsea. Back then, some journalists called him “Clownio” and labeled him “The Tinkerman” because of his penchant for constantly changing lineups. He had seven jobs between Chelsea and Leicester, the last a short stint as manager of the Greece national team that ended with an embarrassing loss to the Faroe Islands in November 2014. But the 64-year old Italian, known for his affable personality, proved to be the perfect fit for Leicester City. He not only believed in the players on the field but brought them together off it. He promised them pizzas if they posted a clean sheet against Crystal Palace in October after the team had allowed at least one goal in their first 11 games of the season. After the Foxes shut out Crystal Palace, Ranieri took them to Peter Pizzeria in Leicester City Square, where they made their own pies. “You have to work for everything,” he told them. The Foxes have posted 13 clean sheets since the pizza party and are on the verge of having an even bigger party.
Must be the money
It’s no surprise that the five teams which routinely contend for the Premier League crown also own the top five payrolls in the league. This season, Chelsea tops the list at £215.6 million, followed by Manchester United at £203 million, Manchester City at £193.8 million, Arsenal at £192 million, Liverpool at £152 million and Tottenham at £110.5 million. Look at No. 16 on the list, and you’ll find Leicester City at £48.2 million. To put that number into perspective in the big-money world of the Premier League, Manchester City paid £69.7 million to acquire Kevin Du Bruyne from Germany and £55.2 million to acquire Raheem Sterling from Liverpool last year. Despite their historic run, Leicester City players aren’t in for a massive bonus if they win the title. In fact, their bonus would be the same if they finished in 12th place; some pundits predicted they could if everything broke their way. The team is in line to share a £6.5 million pot for finishing 12th or above under terms agreed to last year.
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