Leicester City are poised to win the Premier League title and warm the hearts of most football romantics. But Dai Sport columnist NEIL MASUDA believes the romance could be wilting even before the winners’ garlands.
In what now seem like fabled, distant days, the prospect of the Premier League title being decided at Old Trafford had an almost inevitable happy ending – fixture-list permitting – for those wearing the colours of the Red Army.
Their foremost knights – Alex and Bobby, to name but two – would assemble and the silver booty, valiantly secured from the grasping hands of precocious pretenders, would have been ostentatiously displayed for the adoring masses to gaze upon with due reverence.
The freedom of the city would be conferred on their greatest knight, the dynasty would go on, etc, etc.
But this year, it could be those most dogged of underdogs, Leicester City, who tread from that hallowed turf in Manchester as victors – the dominant monarchs, the new King Power.
Knowing how unpredictable their opponents can be, however, the Red Devils will probably contrive to grind out a tedious draw and the title will have to be decided on the first Saturday in May against Everton (if not by Spurs losing at Stamford Bridge on Monday).
Most of the nation want the 5,000-1 outsiders to win – anyone but Tottenham, say many – in a never-to-be-repeated, romantic achievement.
But, on the eve of their greatest triumph, the sure ground of their success has started to see fissures cracking within it.
Leicester have agreed to a possible transfer of N’Golo Kante, one of the predominant factors in their astonishing season.
Manchester City, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham already head the queue for the France midfielder’s signature.
Leicester say they will sell if they can acquire someone capable of replacing him – now that’s a pretty tall order.
The other problem is that their acceptance to sell one of the key figures in their championship season shows an all-too-ready willingness to trade on success.
In commercial terms, however, it shows shrewd prescience.
The business acumen of Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, chairman of the Foxes’ owners, the King Power International Group, has alerted him to the fact that this brightest of dawns can only be followed by less radiant ones.
Claudio Ranieri is on the verge of a truly remarkable result, but does he have the steely resolve of a Brian Clough/Peter Taylor championship-winning mindset to repeat it?
His “dilly-ding, dilly dong” success has all the novelty of Chuck Berry’s My Ding-A-Ling (Google it, you tender-aged ones!) hitting No.1 – never to be repeated.
If Kante represents the first part of the triumphant Foxes’ dissolution – and Arsenal are equally ardent for the services of Player of the Year Riyad Mahrez – there is also the prospect of dissection by the minds of the managers in the top flight. All of them will be coming up with plans to counter the Vardy Vanguard.
And the TV deal that will bring untold wealth to all in the Premier League means every single club will be better equipped for the fray next season.
Stoke’s manager Mark Hughes says a new era will soon be upon us, with the middling clubs capable of challenging for the honours which were formerly the preserve of the two Manchester clubs, Arsenal, and Chelsea.
He’s right.
And, with Pep Guardiola, Antonio Conte and others fervent for success within the Premier League – not forgetting the sombre figure of Jose Mourinho sinisterly lurking in the shadows – the task of winning the title just became even more difficult.
For now, let’s all enjoy Leicester’s moment in the sun and applaud their amazing season.
For, we will not see their like again – and never at 5,000-1.