Should Claudio Ranieri have walked after last season?

Ranieri victim of own success?
Source: PA

Hindsight is glorious, twenty-twenty as some describe it and while it is easy to come to conclusions after the fact, it can also in some circumstances be just as easy to predict the outcome beforehand.

One such circumstance goes back to May 2nd last year. The night Claudio Ranieri's unfancied Leicester city won the league. A miracle, astonishing and barely believable, pick any superlative and it suits the level of achievement. One superlative or description that first came to me when it was looking like Leicester might actually win it was "never to be repeated" or "once in a lifetime". It's those two four word descriptions that have me writing this post.

I'm trying to cast my mind back and I do remember saying to friends, albeit in gest, "if I was Ranieri, I'd quit, how can you top what he just did", adding "I'd retire, go out on a high". So the question is should Ranieri have resigned in the aftermath of the title victory?.

Of course I've already hinted my thoughts. I think he should've walked. Now I can understand that the lure of guiding Leicester out to the sound of the champions league theme would've been a massive pulling power in staying, it would take quite a brave and confident man to walk. Not that I am saying Ranieri is not brave, he is but the point I'm making is that it takes a certain type of personality to walk after that type of success.

The previous achievement I can remember that is in slightly the same shape of Leicester is when FC Porto shocked Europe to win the champions league. The mastermind José Mourinho collected his medal and marched through photographers and down the tunnel, leaving his players to celebrate the occasion. He left immediately. Why? Well he perhaps he had the Chelsea job signed and agreed at that point or maybe he realised he couldn't possibly achieve more with Porto so he walked out on a high. Mention Mourinho and Porto you immediately think champions league winner.

Had Ranieri left the foxes after the league win he would be instantly remembered for THAT league win in his only season at the club. The way this season has transpired it isn't impossible to think Leicester might slip through the relegation trap door. They are probably having a far worse season than many had predicted. I thought they'd get maybe a top ten finish, they signed decently in the summer, but despite the many predictions of losing all their best players they lost the one player that made them tick in Kanté. I don't think the loss of one player can drag a team from first to sixteenth in a matter of months but his loss was huge yet predictable.

Leicester were never going to repeat the title success and surely Ranieri saw this. However being 'defending champions' expectations change. Pressure of such a tag has shown this season, results prove that, rather than the 'plucky underdogs' tag they played so confidently under last season. In normal circumstances Ranieri having Leicester anywhere north of eighteenth place would constitute a good season.

Domestically Leicester have struggled but there is one thing that might in my opinion top last season and that is the champions league. So far so good in that regard although it needs to be stated that they came through a group where opponents Club Brugge and FC København are hindered by being from leagues with no major financial rewards so perspective is needed when writing about that group. Now though in the knock out stages it gets tougher. They have drawn Sevilla and this is the test. A quality team. Leicester in Europe this year have in ways just carried on last year's domestic wave. If Ranieri was to win the champions league this year then surely he would walk afterwards. If he were to win then the domestic woes would be forgotten completely and he would be remembered with Leicester solely for winning the league and champions league.