Claudio Ranieri doesn’t believe it would be possible for a La Liga side to emulate Leicester City, the Premier League leaders.
Ranieri was appointed at the King Power Stadium last summer, taking over a side that needed a miracle run to avoid relegation and has maintained that form to the point the Foxes are top of the table with only nine games to play.
“I don’t think it would be possible [in La Liga] because it is a different style of play. It’s more about territory and possession,” the Italian told Marca.
“When a big team has 60% of the ball, they win. The small club can’t endure. But there are other ways, Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid, for example. They didn’t control the ball but won the League.
“Could Leicester compete with Barcelona and Real Madrid? I don’t even know if we can beat Crystal Palace! I wouldn’t compare Leicester to [teams in] La Liga, or Italy or Germany.
“Of the previous 10 seasons, Leicester have been in the second tier for eight, the third tier for one and the last one, in the Premier League. We know our level.
“Valencia is the club most like Leicester that I’ve coached. We built something beautiful with a lot of young players. Here, too. There are similarities.”
Ranieri was on the opposite bench on Monday as Rafa Benitez debuted with Newcastle, and explained where he felt it went wrong for Benitez at Madrid.
“It all started when Carlo Ancelotti left. They’d already sold Angel Di Maria and Xabi Alonso and crashed a machine that was wonderful,” he complained.
