It’s almost nine years since Claudio Ranieri masterminded the greatest achievement in modern football.
Leicester City were predicted to suffer relegation after surviving by the skin of their teeth in the 2014/15 campaign.
But under the guidance of Claudio Ranieri, they achieved the unthinkable by winning the Premier League title in the following year, only losing three games all season.
Jose Mourinho placed Ranieri above Premier League greats Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola for achieving such an incredible success story while several players made it happen.
Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has hailed N’Golo Kante as their most important player, despite the attacking brilliance of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez.
Now, the Celtic shot-stopper has pinpointed the exact moment in the campaign when he knew Leicester could achieve the unthinkable.
Photo by Ben Hoskins/Getty Images
Photo by Ben Hoskins/Getty Images
Kasper Schmeichel dreamed of Premier League title glory after the Swansea City win
During the 2015/16 campaign, there was a sense that Ranieri’s men would eventually run out of gas after using mostly the same players throughout.
But, Leicester arguably got better as the season went on, with many starting to dream after their famous 3-1 win over Manchester City in February 2016.
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However, for Schmeichel, it was the 3-0 win over Swansea City in December 2015, courtesy of a Mahrez hat-trick, that made him realise winning the league was possible.
Speaking on The Overlap, Schmeichel said: “We went to Swansea away and beat them 3-0 which meant we would be top at Christmas.
“We went on our Christmas do after and went ‘lads, this is happening’. It was all because of the season before. We were dead and buried with 10 games left.
“It was as if you were trying to get a key into a lock and it wasn’t working then all of a sudden you find the right key, turn it and everything opens up. We found a way to win and that momentum and belief just carried over.”
Leicester’s run after the Swansea game was incredible
When many expected the Foxes to falter, Ranieri’s men thrived as there was no pressure on them to win the title, and even a Champions League finish would have been phenomenal.
Luckily, through some exceptional performances in the second half of the season, Leicester lifted the trophy after a 1-1 draw against Manchester United while second-place Tottenham crumbled at Stamford Bridge.
Leicester’s record after the Swansea win (December 5th 2015) Games Wins Draws Losses
23 14 7 2
Remarkably, from the start of December onwards, City only tasted two defeats against Liverpool and Arsenal, which is a level of top-flight dominance supporters may probably never see again.