In recent months, Leicesters 5,000/1 Premier League title charge has drawn only a handful of parallels from English ftballs modern era. Nottingham Forests triumphs under Brian Clough in the late 70s and early 80s and, further back, Ipswich Towns successful first crack at the First Division under Alf Ramsey in 1962, are both obvious comparisons. But just 18 years ago on the continent, a similar tale unfolded. The story of Kaiserslauterns 1997/98 Bundesliga win is one less told, but just as unprecedented. Having risen from the second division under ftballing miracle-worker Otto Rehhagel in 1997, Kaiserslautern became the only Bundesliga team to win the title after being promoted the previous season.Their success was unthinkable given the mid-90s dominance of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, but Rehhagels first of two major career turn-ups was a masterstroke. Before leading Greece to a miraculous Euro 2004 crown six years later, Rehhagel turned German ftball on its head, giving players freedom on and off the pitch, and creating a team without superstars. Sound familiar? Otto Rehhagel collects the Bundesliga title after Kaiserslauterns victory Claudio Ranieris buzzword throughout the season has been freedom. Play with freedom, train with freedom, live with freedom - an alien concept to those of us who welcomed the supposed Tinkerman back to the Premier League with widespread predictions of relegation.Jose Mourinho won Chelseas first title in 50 years in 2005 with a rigorous training schedule matched by a meticulous tactical approach. This was chalk and cheese to Ranieris Blues side and his flexible approach the previous season, according to Damien Duff in Graham Hunters Big Interview, but there are no textbks to winning trophies. Ranieri fell short of silverware during his three-and-a-half years at Stamford Bridge, but his current success, and Rehhagels from years past, shows hands-off can be just as effective as hands-on. Parrallels can be drawn between Claudio Ranieris style and Rehhagels approach to the 1997/98 season For Kaiserslautern, the journey to May 1998 started with relegation. Dropping from the top flight in 1996 having won their first Bundesliga title just five years earlier, Rehhagel swiftly tk the second tier by 10 points.Andree Wagner, a Kaiserslautern fan who has studied Rehhagels success closely, remembers the time well, and his description of their situation before and during the title success has uncanny similarities with Leicesters.Their relegation into the second division caused absolute agony around the team, he told Sky Sports. Even insolvency was officially discussed.But the goal for the new season was merely: stay in the Bundesliga. The fans loved the team because it was a fantastic mix of players. Fans, team and coach became an absolute union.It was apt that Kaiserslauterns opening game of the season would be at champions Bayern Munich. They won 1-0, but Rehhagel was quick to manage expectations and take the pressure off the players. Kaiserslauterns title-winning side had no superstars Otto gave us our freedom on the pitch, Olaf Marschall, who was their top scorer that season with 21 goals, told UEFA.com last year. He told us the line-up; we did the rest. Everyone helped out in defence, even the strikers, chasing the ball as sn as wed lost it. A bit like Dortmund when they won their recent Bundesliga titles.They earned 33 points out of the next possible 42 up to December, but the title talk was still under wraps, allowing the team to go on without heightened publicity, further helped by Bayern and Dortmunds rocky starts to the campaign. Like Ranieri, Rehhagels clness and experience from previous high-level jobs helped stem the attention away from Kaiserslautern, but Wagner remembers how inside the camp, the club were conscious of their momentum since the win over Bayern.Marschall was the main man in attack, and Jurgen Rische also contributed to the goals, with young midfielder Marco Reich providing the service, he said.From the first day Kaiserslautern were riding on top of a wave. The fans were high on emotion and the team were playing successfully.But how was that success brought about on the pitch? Like Leicester, it started with industry at the back and yielded deadly results in attack, but with a defensive role rarely seen in ftball in 2016. Miroslav Kadlec was vital for Kaiserslautern in their title-winning season The sweeper was one of the hallmarks of German ftball - think Franz Beckenbauer in 1974, Klaus Augenthaler in 1990, Mattias Sammer in 1996 - and Kaiserslautern used it perfectly.Wagner says: Possibly the most important tactic was the implementation of Miroslav Kadlec as the libero, the sweeper at No 5, the independent man behind the defence. This was a special German success story in the national team. It was the key factor for success. Many saw Kadlec as the best libero in Europe, but a man that was very introverted and needed full support from the manager.Kadlec, a 33-year-old Czech international who had been at the club eight years, received that backing, and std behind the pure, destructive defenders in Harry Koch, Axel Rs and Michael Schoenberg.Swiss international Ciriaco Sforza, a summer signing from Inter Milan, played a major role in midfield, alongside Andreas Buck, Martin Wagner, and even cameos from a young Michael Ballack. While Ballacks status rose after 1998, the other names in this fairytale side are still unfamiliar to most outside of Germany. There were no superstars, and team spirit overshadowed the need for any names to be put in lights. Ratinho (left) and Ciriaco Sforza celebrate with the Salad Bowl Everybody was a boss without being bossy, says Wagner. One player was fighting for the other without being jealous of their success.It was a mix of stars who remained grounded, nobody played the superstar. The result was an unbelievable shock for ftball in Germany.From December they drew more than they won, but the title was wrapped up on the penultimate day of the season with a 4-0 home win over Wolfsburg, while Bayern could only draw 0-0 at Duisburg.Cue a party for the 80,000-population city that lasted a week. Kaiserslautern was a sea of red, the players banged drums on the rf of their open-top truck, and German ftball has yet to see a story quite like it.With one hand on the trophy, Leicester should have that party to lk forward to, but what will happen after remains a mystery.Never change a winning team, was the motto tied to Ramsey, the man who led England to World Cup glory in 1966, but with the addition of the Champions League next season, that nugget of advice wont stick for Ranieri. If Kaiserslauterns years following the title triumph are anything to go by, the warning signs are clear. Michael Ballack (middle) was let go by Kaiserslautern to join Bayer Leverkusen Kadlec left the club in the summer, along with Pavel Kuka and Andreas Brehme through retirement. Rehhagel failed to replace the departures like for like, and though a respectable fifth-place finish was achieved in 1998/99 along with a Champions League quarter-final appearance, the seeds of disharmony behind the scenes were already planted.The club allowed Ballack to leave for Bayer Leverkusen in 1999, much to the annoyance of the supporters, before Sforza, now captain, publicly criticised Rehhagel and his tactics.He was dropped, then more back and forth between Rehhagel, Sforza and the clubs CEO Jurgen Freidrich ensued, while other members of the squad supported their captain.Rehhagel tk Sforza back into the squad but there was no relationship there anymore, remembers Wagner. The coach and captain didnt talk, it was a disaster for the club.The hierarchy within the team began to crumble, and leaders like Marschall, a friend of Sforza, also saw their position weakened because they supported the captain. Rehhagel saw this as an additional attack. Leicester City are on the verge of an unprecedented Premier League title win They finished fifth again in 1999/00 under Rehhagel, but by October 2000, King Ottos reign was over, resigning after what some described as a smear campaign.Kaiserslautern completed the full circle in ftball terms, slowly stumbling down the table for the next five seasons before relegation in 2006.For Leicester, their Premier League rivals have some making up to do next season, and their push for the top again will undoubtedly encounter more obstacles.As Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho and the other Premier League title-winning managers have declared with experience - retaining is the real challenge. Also See: Leipzig turned down Vardy English ftball permutations Mahrez: Title race not over Martin Tylers stats Nike Air Max 270 From China . -- Aldon Smith believes he is on the path to being sober for gd. Cheap Nike Air Max 270 . -- Al Jefferson found a grve just in time for the Charlotte Bobcats. https://www.cheapnikeairmax270china.us/ . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. Clearance Nike Air Max 270 . PETERSBURG, Fla. Nike Air Max 270 Sale .ca lks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. CHAPECO, Brazil -- Six players, a handful of support staff, and deep sorrow are all that remain of Brazils Chapecoense soccer club.They will still try to play again. Because they know thats what their 19 teammates who died Monday when a charter plane ripped into an Andean mountainside would want them to do.In the memory of those who died and to honor their families, we will rebuild this club from scratch so it is even stronger, club director and local businessman Cecilio Hans said. We had material assets and human assets. Now weve lost nearly all of our human assets.Other clubs in Brazils top league are offering to loan players to Chapecoense, with a proposal that the modest club in deep southern Brazil is guaranteed to stay in the top division for the next three years.The club will rebuild, I am sure, said Walter Feldman, secretary general of the Brazilian Ftball Confederation. Eight clubs have already called me to offer concrete, material solidarity. We are studying ways to best help.The crash occurred as the team was on its way to the opening game of the two-leg Copa Sudamericana final -- the No. 2 tournament on the continent. Only three players survived, and all are recovering at a hospital in Colombia: defender Helio Zampier, commonly known as Neto, defender-midfielder Alan Ruschel and goalkeeper Jakson Follmann, whose right leg had to be amputated Tuesday.At the time they expected to be home watching their team on TV, more than 22,000 Chapecoense fans were at the Arena Conda to cheer, cry, watch videos of tributes coming from all over the world and attend a Catholic Mass.They celebrated the Copa Sudamericana title they hope to share with Atletico Nacional. They used a song created by Atletico fans: May they hear/all over the continent/that we will never forget/the champions of Chapecoense.With the families of the victims on the center of the pitch, fans chanted the names of the players one by one and celebrated 5-year-old Carlos Miguel, the clubs mascot that many in the city feared to be in the crashed plane. Dressed like a Chapeco indian, Carlos waved to the crowd in tears as the stadiums big screen showed messages like heroes and forcachape (be strong, Chape). The few staffers and players who didnt travel circulated the pitch as fans cheered.Chape, as the team is called locally, reached the top of South American soccer without any superstars -- no high-profile players from Brazils celebrated national team. It was in Brazils fourth division just seven years ago, climbing into the first division by 2014. Now it starts the climb again, and this one is even steeper.Goalkeeper Marcelo Boeck said he and several players had deals to leave the club new one next year. He said theyre reconsidering.We know this is a different moment, and we are part of it, he said. We hope we can help rebuild in the memory of our team.The rebuilding could start Dec. 11, the date scheduled for the final round of league matches in the top Brazilian league. Games have been called off this weekend for a period of mourning.Chapecoenses acting President Ivan Tozzo told reporters n Wednesday the club hopes to play that match against Atletico Mineiro using a primarily junior team.ddddddddddddAfter that match, there is uncertainty over Chapecoenses future. If the team is awarded the Copa Sudamericana tittle -like its final opponent Atletico Nacional proposed -- it would qualify for next years Copa Libertadores, the Champions League of South America which begins in February.Chapecoense guaranteed its place in the Brazilian first division for next season, and it is also scheduled to defend its Catarina state title in the regional championship starting in January.Data analyst Victor Hugo, one of the key assistants to coach Caio Junior, who died in the crash, said very little remains.We have a couple of doctors, two physiotherapists, two locker rm staffers, one nurse, one masseur, one goalie coach and me, he said, speaking at Arena Conda.Hugo said the staff members and six players not selected for the big match in Colombia -- some because of injury, others because of the coachs decision -- are trying to cope with the tragedy.That disappointment over not being chosen to be there was quickly replaced by that horrible mixture of grief, and with some relief just to be alive, he said. That will stick with us forever.Argentine midfielder Alejandro Martinuccio was injured and didnt travel. He spent Tuesday answering concerned calls and comforting friends and family of the Chapecoense players.I am not religious, so this is even more difficult, Martinuccio said. I am so sorry that this beautiful story is going to end like this.Veteran goalkeeper Nivaldo was not selected so he could prepare for his 300th game with the club on Sunday against Atletico Mineiro in the last game of the Brazilian league season.After the accident, the 42-year old goalkeeper said he would retire immediately, but now he wants to play in the last game to honor his fallen teammates.My teammates would want us to play that match, a teary and emotional Nivaldo said. I just dont know how I could stand a full stadium with people calling the name of the players that died. We will have to try, I think. But that is going to be hard.One of the three surviving players was Jakson Follmann, the second-string goalkeeper behind starter Danilo, who died in the crash. Authorities in Colombia said they had to amputate Follmanns right leg, and he remains in the hospital.I told Follmann I was going to stay here one more year to see him thrive, Nivaldo said. He said he was going to carry me on his shoulders after my 300th game. That is not going to happen.---Associated Press sports writer Mauricio Savarese reported this story in Chapeco, Brazil, and AP sports writer Stephen Wade reported from Rio de Janeiro---Mauricio Savarese on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MSavarese His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/journalist/mauricio-savareseStephen Wade on Twitter: http://twitter.com/StephenWadeA His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/stephen-wade ' ' '