Leicester City FC - When Style and Substance Meet

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Pic: ESPNFC

The Economist magazine ran an interesting feature article to mark the occasion of Queen Elizabeth II's now record reign. The story looked at aspects of UK politics and its social and economic history and highlighted the enormous differences found in the country as it was in 1952, when she ascended to the throne. The city of Leicester, home of Leicester City FC, was featured as a town that has experienced huge changes in that time.

"Today Leicester is Britain's first big settlement with a non-white majority," said the article's writer.

What is really interesting about this fact is the performance of Leicester City in the EPL. Currently sitting in 5th, above big guns like Liverpool, Spurs and Chelsea, the Foxes are one of the more dynamic squads in the league this year.

They are playing an exciting brand of attacking football, some old school touches like flying wing backs and out and out wingers, they are near the top of the goals scored list - equal with West Ham and below only Manchester City who just had a 6-1 win to put them top in the Goals For ledger and top the league table.

They are playing an exciting brand of fast, open, expansive football. It sounds a bit like Leicester itself.

And there are 17 non-English nationalities represented in the current 23-member first team squad. That's 74% non-English players in the squad. The manager is of course an Italian.

Of course, Leicester City's foreigner-heavy squad is due in some part to the impact of the Bosman ruling and is in the context of the overall globalisation of the English game with the advent of the EPL.

But, the increased openness to migrants that the city of Leicester epitomises seems to be holding up a mirror to an abundance of freedom and expression on the pitch at the King Power Stadium.

In fact, we think Leicester City FC, given the demographic moment, really captures something special in this trend and and expresses A Moment. When a city's culture seems to be having a positive influence on, and is being similarly influenced by, the football club in its midst, it's a good look.

In short Leicester City, now 131 years old, is not just the new, exciting face of English football, but right now, it may show the way for Britain as a whole.

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