Claudio Ranieri Wins 2016 Premier League Manager of the Year: Comments, Reaction

Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri picked up the Barclays Premier League Manager of the Year and League Managers' Association Manager of the Year awards on Monday in recognition of his incredible work with the Foxes this past season.

The team shared the news via Twitter:   

Expected to battle relegation for much of the season, Leicester stormed out of the gate and challenged for the Premier League title all season, eventually beating out Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur for the first top-tier championship in their history.

Ranieri's appointment last summer was initially met with scepticism, as the Italian had been sacked from his previous job with Greece and had found limited success since his stint with Chelsea. 

The Guardian’s Marcus Christenson did not like the Foxes' decision to go with Ranieri at all:

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Few will back him to succeed but one thing is for sure: he will conduct himself in an honourable and humble way, as he always has done. If Leicester wanted someone nice, they’ve got him. If they wanted someone to keep them in the Premier League, then they may have gone for the wrong guy.

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But Ranieri's humble, laid-back approach was exactly what Leicester needed. The 64-year-old soaked up the headlines and the media attention throughout the campaign, keeping the pressure off his players.

Along the way, he provided some comedy gold in his press conferences, as you can see in this video, courtesy of Leicester's official YouTube channel:

Tactically, Ranieri opted against tinkering with his team too much and used the 4-4-2 for most of the campaign, relying on his squad's defensive prowess and raw pace. The likes of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez proved perfect fits for such an approach.

As shared by the Daily Mirror's John Cross, Ranieri credited a combination of two philosophies for his team's success:

Ranieri was the obvious favourite to win the Manager of the Year awards, yet another piece of silverware made its way toward Leicester. Mahrez was voted Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year in April, while Vardy claimed the Football Writers' Association award in May.

The manager's next challenge will lie in Europe, as Leicester will feature in the UEFA Champions League for the first time in the club's history.

Balancing the domestic league and Europe's top competition could prove tricky, and Ranieri will again have to be at his best to make it work. 

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