This offseason has been one of turmoil for Leicester City, particularly for the Pearson family. With the appointment of Claudio Ranieri, the Foxes have seemingly opted for a man who brings less of a risk than his predecessor in pursuit of their Premier League survival… which may not necessarily be the case.
Ranieri has had a storied managerial career to date, with a vast amount of experience with some of Europe’s elite clubs. His former employers include the likes of Valencia, Juventus, Roma, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid and Chelsea – his last Premier League appointment.
His story is also one of varying fortunes. In his time at Valencia, Ranieri guided the club to UEFA Champions League qualification, a Copa del Rey, UEFA Intertoto Cup and UEFA Super Cup. He has secured promotion with Cagliari (from Serie C), Fiorentina (where he also won a Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italia) and most recently Monaco, having also staved off relegation with Parma. At Chelsea, Roma and Juventus, Ranieri had teams that were challenging for titles.
In stark contrast, Ranieri has had his fair share of failures and disappointments. In part, the long list of clubs he has managed is due to his inability to retain jobs. After a positive 2007-08 season at Juventus, following its promotion from Serie B, Ranieri was without a job in the middle of the following campaign after a succession of poor results, a theme mimicked throughout his short stays at both Roma and Inter Milan, also preceded by a similar fate in his second stint with Valencia in 2004-05. After securing promotion and a second place finish in Ligue 1 with Monaco, he was harshly dismissed. He had previously resigned from his position at Atletico prior to imminent relegation in 2000, however the club at the time was forced into administration.
Most alarmingly, however, is his most recent experience with Greece’s national team in 2014. Ranieri’s reign in Greece lasted five fixtures, resulting in four defeats and one draw. His last match in charge was the most catastrophic, losing to footballing minnow, the Faroe Islands. This does not bode well for a club which will likely be scrapping in the bottom half of the table.
The brinkmanship displayed by Nigel Pearson’s Foxes at the end of last season should not be underestimated. After seeming destined for relegation at the start of 2015, Leicester was outstanding in salvaging its season, including seven wins in its final nine games to finish 14th in the league – a more than commendable feat. Even prior to Christmas, the Foxes were often competitive and perhaps unlucky not to have accrued more points.
On-field performances were not what ultimately cost Pearson his job though, with a series of well documented misdemeanours by the touchline, in the media and allegedly behind closed doors. Following his son James’ sex-tape scandal in Thailand, Pearson was relieved of his duties, with the club citing “differences in perspective”. Despite what may appear to be an environment detrimental to the performance of the club, the results under Pearson speak for themselves. Assuming Pearson was indeed willing to continue as the manager for the upcoming season, it is in some respects a difficult decision to understand.
[interaction id=”55a867149831cbaa219842eb”]
If the club is worried about its public image, then sacking Pearson will have a positive effect in that regard, however performance should be of the highest priority. Ranieri, at least on face value, seems to be an odd decision and as former Leicester man Gary Lineker stated: “Claudio Ranieri is clearly experienced, but this is an uninspired choice by Leicester.” While the behaviour of the new manager is almost certainly going to be more stable, recent history suggests that results may be far from it.
A positive for Leicester is the early success that Ranieri tends to elicit from his teams as mentioned. Furthermore, he has already declared on the club’s official website that he will not be “chang[ing] too much” tactically from last season, while gradually working on the team’s poor defensive record. This will be music to Leicester fans’ ears, as the club often conceded a large number of goals last season. A balance, however, must be struck as the team possesses significant attacking potential with the likes of Leonardo Ulloa, Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and David Nugent. Ranieri’s chances of success, however, may largely rest on the fitness of Robert Huth and whether or not Esteban Cambiasso re-signs with the club.
Considering the season is yet to begin, and the time remaining in the current transfer period, it is of course too early to determine the fortunes of the club for the upcoming season. In any respect, the appointment of Ranieri is going to provide plenty to talk about. If his record since his last Premier League tenure is anything to go by, Ranieri may be here for a good time, but not necessarily a long time.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
