Leicester City Now Unstoppable?

To fully appreciate the awesomeness of Leicester City’s astonishing rise to the top of the Premier League, take the clock back 12 months.

A year ago, Leicester were at the foot of the table, five points from safety with 10 points from 16 matches and looking dead certs for an immediate return to the Championship.

Now they are top, with 35 points from 16 games, and making a mockery of pre-season odds of 2 000-1 by mounting the most unlikely title challenge in the recent history of the English game.

“It’s a magical time,” said manager Claudio Ranieri after Monday’s 2-1 home win over his old club Chelsea.

“We must continue to work hard because I don’t want to wake up. I want to continue to dream with our fans.”

The victory over Chelsea, courtesy of goals from top scorer Jamie Vardy and Algerian dangerman Riyad Mahrez, typified Leicester’s approach.

Their honest, hard-working style has charmed rival fans and journalists alike – “refreshing” was the buzzword on Tuesday’s British sports pages – and their success is also a personal triumph for Ranieri.

Ranieri was derisively labelled ‘The Tinkerman’ during his four years at Chelsea, due to his habit of rotating his team, and his appointment by Leicester in July following Nigel Pearson’s sacking unleashed a tide of mockery.

Former England striker Gary Lineker, probably Leicester’s most well-known alumnus, summed up the disdain when he tweeted: “Claudio Ranieri? Really?”

“I had mixed thoughts, to be honest,” former Leicester captain Steve Walsh told AFP. “But he’s ‘tinkered about’ and added some good tactical things, so it’s worked out really well.”

The genial Italian, 64, has been converting cynics to admirers with each victory, all the while maintaining the irreverent tone that made him a popular figure during his first spell in England between 2000 and 2004.