All hail people’s champs
Even Palace fans willing Foxes to create history
WHEN Claudio Ranieri walked along the touchline to take his seat before this match, something unexpected occurred, something which appeared to sum up the mood of the entire football nation. Crystal Palace fans in the Main Stand began to applaud.
Ranieri acknowledged them, and several rose to their feet. The opposition manager was clapped all the way to the bench at Selhurst Park.
Ranieri has no ties to Palace, there is no deep well of affection for him here. And at the end, despite their bitter disappointment, many Eagles fans waited to applaud the visiting players off the pitch.
Leicester City have become the champion of any club outside the big five. Their tale is more than improbable — it is inconceivable. They are heading towards the Premier League title and as such they give hope to all apparent lost causes everywhere. And Ranieri, as genial a man as can be found in football, can be a league winner for the first time at the age of 64.
The goodwill is palpable. ‘I have felt this,’ said Ranieri. ‘A lot of people are like this. Also teams of fans in the title race with us say: “If we don’t win, I hope Leicester can win”. I think because a lot of people say Leicester play with heart, with spirit to try to do something unbelievable. But we have to be focussed in our job.
‘Now everybody is speaking about us, not just in England but in all the world. Everyone is pushing behind us and that is a great energy we feel. We are in the home straight. I can see the line and now I want to see my horses, how they run.’
Ranieri cannot yet join in the general chorus of acclamation. Asked if he had taken a huge step towards the title, he emitted a deep sigh. ‘Look, seven matches — it is not easy for us. You know we are Leicester. We aren’t a team like United, City, Chelsea. If they were five or eight point clear, it would be finished. With us, no. We have to fight every match.
‘Now we are in the Europa League and very close to achieving the Champions League, that is true. Our fans are singing, that is fantastic, but we have to stay calm and concentrate, because seven matches are open matches.
‘To my players, I say everything is in our hands. We have to push. No one is helping us. It’s sport. We have to do our job.’
Ranieri has mastered the psychology of keeping his players focused. One-nil victories are the markers of title-winning sides, with three in the last four games.
Leicester survived their scares. In the 90th minute, Scott Dann’s header was taken down superbly by Damien Delaney, who executed a fine volley which ricocheted off the crossbar. But, for the most part, the Foxes controlled this game and looked nerveless.
In the first half, in which Leicester played better, Palace still had chances. When Yannick Bolasie dashed down the left and crossed for Wilfried Zaha, the winger really should have scored, but shanked his shot into the stands. And when Bolasie weaved his way through the City defence on 37 minutes, Kasper Schmeichel came to the rescue with a superb save with his foot.
That said, Leicester had also been denied, on 20 minutes, when Danny Drinkwater, showing excellent form, played in Riyad Mahrez with a superb ball, but Wayne Hennessy saved well.
When City did take the lead it felt like a goal you had seen several times before. Mahrez crossed from the right and Palace cleared, but the ball was worked across to Jamie Vardy on the left. He took on his man, found space and fired in a cross. By now Mahrez had drifted in — Pape Souare unaccountably failing to follow him — and was unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box to finish.
Souare’s half would end in a booking and then substitution; it had been a poor 45 minutes. Emmanuel Adebayor also went off at half-time and Palace improved, but to no avail. They have their own issues to address: 13 games without a win, a run that includes nine defeats. Their next home game is against Norwich, winners yesterday, now fourth bottom and five points behind.
‘It’s a pretty important game for us’ admitted frustrated Selhurst Park manager Alan Pardew.
‘We know we’re kind of involved in that. We’ve got enough in that dressing room to make sure we’re not, but the bottom line is to get some points quickly.’
There was one glorious moment of comedy amidst the second-half tension, when Dann literally took the shirt off Robert Huth’s back, pulling it off over his head.
No penalty was awarded. It did not matter.
After the full-time whistle, the Leicester fans refused to leave the ground, and simply stood in their enclosure repeatedly singing: ‘And now you’re going to believe us — We’re going to win the league’.
We all do now.