Leicester City having a laugh all the way to the top

They say practice makes perfect but, in an intriguingly counterintuitive move, Claudio Ranieri has taken to banning Jamie Vardy from shooting drills at Leicester City’s training ground.

“I don’t really get the chance to practise that much on my finishing because we have our shooting drills early in the week when the gaffer’s wanting me to rest my legs,” Vardy said after scoring twice in the 2-0 win at Sunderland on Sunday. “So normally, when there’s a bit of shooting, the gaffer tells me to go inside! I’ll keep doing that if it means I’m saving my legs – and goals – for games.”

The England striker’s 20th and 21st goals of the season not only saw off Sam Allardyce’s team but have left Leicester with a seven-point lead at the top of the table. A top-four place is assured and, with only five games to go, the title is almost within their grasp.

Considering the side, then under Nigel Pearson, spent most of last season at the bottom of the table before a near-miraculous escape from relegation, their position is almost surreal.

Even more remarkably, Vardy maintains that laughter has been a prime force in propelling them up the Premier League ladder. “We’re always laughing,” he said. “In training, we’re always having a laugh and a joke. That’s just how we are, everyone’s relaxed – and the gaffer wants it to be like that. The good thing about this squad is we’re tight-knit. That’s how we’ve been from day one.”

British managers used to be big on camaraderie, but it has gone out of fashion a little. The new breed of European technocrat coaches prefer to believe in tactical acumen and statistical analysis while suspecting “camaraderie” may be a euphemism for alcohol-fuelled boys’ nights out. Ranieri, though, refuses to underestimate it.

“There isn’t a secret to us,” Danny Drinkwater said. “It’s just that we’re a bunch of lads that get along. We’re all willing to work hard for each other on the pitch. It shows by how well we graft out results. If stuff’s not going well, we still manage to win games.”

Leicester’s players seem remarkably diligent – not to mention effective – when it comes to self-policing.

“Wes Morgan’s a great skipper,” Drinkwater said. “If a big header or a big tackle’s needed, he’s going to make it. But we all tend to talk and fire each other up. It’s not just down to Wes; we’ve got a few players who like doing that.”

Drinkwater’s bond with Vardy has resulted in a formidable understanding on the pitch.

“Drinky knows exactly where I’m going to be,” said Vardy, whose first goal on Sunday came after he collected the midfielder’s long ball over the top of Sunderland’s defence. “He doesn’t have to look most of the time. As long as I know the rough area where it’s going to go, I’ll be on my bike and chasing the ball down.”

Drinkwater did not disagree.

“The majority of the time, you don’t need to look for Jamie,” he said. “You just know he’s going to be on the move and that, with his pace, if the pass is right, it’s going to cause defenders a problem.”

This ostensibly simple, undeniably direct, formula has seen several opponents turn a little sniffy. Even a manager as pragmatic as Allardyce talked about Leicester being “unique in that they don’t have to be pretty”.

Privately, Sunderland’s manager must have been impressed by the way Ranieri’s streetwise players have mastered the dark arts of the tactical foul, conceding freekicks in areas where they can reset their shape again, and timewasting. Going forward, Ranieri’s team are very good at drawing opponents into challenges in areas where it might suit Riyad Mahrez and friends to take a set-piece.

As befits a vastly experienced Italian coach, the charming, softly spoken Ranieri has clearly passed on some valuable tips between all the laughter and pizza consumption.

“It’s exciting to learn new things from the manager,” Drinkwater said. “It’s brilliant. It’s showing in our performances, where we are in the league. But Claudio Ranieri’s a big name in football.”

Not that Drinkwater and company have forgotten or are prepared to overlook Pearson’s contribution to Leicester’s ascent.

“The momentum obviously carried on from last season,” he said. “Credit to the old gaffer for starting that off. Both managers, I think, deserve credit.”

– Guardian Service