Claudio Ranieri’s Leicester City continue to defy the odds in the English Premier League as last weekend they hammered struggling Newcastle United 3-0 away to take sole leadership in the standings.
Big-spenders Manchester City had started the day in first place and rivals Manchester United briefly led the standings following a slender 2-1 away success over Watford in the early kick-off. The Foxes have 28 points from 13 games, one better off than United and two above City and Arsenal.
Ranieri is the man behind Leicester’s blistering start to the season.
Results attained so far – eight wins and four draws in 13 outings – have made of Ranieri a colourful protagonist in England after years of under-achievements in the Serie A and abroad.
The much-travelled Ranieri was sacked by Juventus, Roma, Inter, Monaco and Greece over the past eight years.
Before, Ranieri, a former Roma, Catanzaro, Catania and Palermo defender, had established himself as a shrewd coach after obtaining commendable results with Cag-liari, Napoli, Fiorentina, Chelsea, Valencia and Parma since the early 1990s.
In 1996, Ranieri helped Fiorentina win the Coppa Italia and the Italian Super Cup. A few years later, he led Spain’s Valencia to the 1998/99 Copa del Rey and to the 2004 European Super Cup.
However, Ranieri experienced a change in fortunes ever since he left Parma and took charge of heavyweights Juventus in 2007 following their promotion from Serie B.
His tenure with the Bianconeri started on a positive note as he led them to a third-place finish in season 2007/08.
A year later, Ranieri was replaced by former Italy defender Ciro Ferrara just a few days before the end of the 2008/09 campaign and at a time when Juve had already made sure of Champions League football for the following season.
Setback at Roma
Ranieri had come close to leading Roma to an historic domestic double after taking over from Luciano Spalletti in 2009.
However, Jose Mourinho’s Inter proved too strong for the Giallorossi as the team from the capital ended the season empty-handed. Ranieri eventually stepped down from his job in February 2011 after a poor run of results.
He experienced the same roller-coaster effect when he was at Inter, having replaced GianPiero Gasperini.
Ranieri seemed like being the right man to revive the Nerazzurri fortunes as he led the side to seven straight wins, including the derby against Milan.
But the honeymoon period was soon over as a bleak run of results, coupled with a premature exit from the 2011/12 Champions League, led to Ranieri’s dismissal.
In May 2012, Ranieri signed a multi-million contract with Monaco.
In his first season in charge, he helped the side win the Ligue 2 title and promotion among the elite in the French league.
Monaco finished runners-up to eventual champions Paris SG the following season but that lofty placing was still not enough for Ranieri to retain his position.
This time last year, the 64-year-old was shown the backdoor by the Greece football federation after a shock 0-1 home defeat to minnows Faroe Islands in a European Championship qualifier.
At the time, Greece FA president Giorgos Sarris said: “I take full responsibility for the unfortunate choice of coach.”
Such negative sequence would have left a devastating effect on anyone in the game.
So, at his veteran age and with no financial problems, Ranieri was expected to throw in the towel and call it a day.
However, he had other ideas.
In fact, Ranieri convinced Leicester that he was not finished yet and last summer made a headline-grabbing return to the Premier League after an 11-year absence.
His spirited character and never-say-die attitude are leading his players at the King Power Stadium to dizzy heights in arguably the most demanding European league.
Ranieri is now hoping that Leicester’s prosperous start will not turn into a nightmare experience as had happened to him in the past.
Ranieri is particularly renowned for his knack of transforming modest teams into formidable outfits.
Time will tell if he has finally found the club where he can revive his ailing career.