In the not-too-distant future, Leicester City may be on the lookout for a new manager. Despite mediocre league form, cup-competition failures, both domestically and internationally, raise questions about whether Brendan Rodgers truly is the best man to take Leicester City forward.
Is Brendan Rodgers Destined For a Leicester City Exit Sooner Rather Than Later?
Dropping Form and Poor Cup Record This Season
For the majority of Rodgers’ time at Leicester City, he has found tremendous success. In the past two seasons, Leicester City have finished in 5th-place, clinching Europa-League group-stage qualification, and were agonizingly close to a Champions-League spot in both of those campaigns. Even with the late slip-ups of the top four, the Foxes’ league success under Rodgers was more than sufficient for the role. In the 2020/21 campaign, he improbably led Leicester City to a remarkable FA Cup Trophy, as well as secured the subsequent Community Shield. Averaging 1.71 points-per-match in his time at the King Power Stadium, the Northern Irishman has been immense for the 2015/16 Premier League champions.
Ever since the Community Shield triumph over Manchester City on August 7th, however, Leicester City have not been the same. Amassing just 1.44 points-per-match across all competitions this campaign signals a notable downturn of results. Despite other teams in the league bolstering their ranks in the transfer window, Leicester City appeared to have kept up or even taken a step ahead, spending over £60 million to bring in Patson Daka, Boubakary Soumare, and Jannik Vestergaard. They were also able to keep hold of all of their key players.
They currently sit 10th in the table, 11 points off of 5th-placed West Ham United (albeit with three fewer matches played). They are 10 points behind Tottenham Hotspur, currently 7th-placed and on equal games played.
In their last 17 matches in all competitions, the Foxes have won just five times. This includes getting knocked out in the quarterfinals of the Carabao Cup, in the 4th-round of the FA Cup at the hands of a three-goal-defeat to Nottingham Forest, and in the Europa League group stages, finishing behind Spartak Moscow and Napoli, relegating them to the much-less prestigious Europa Conference League.
Brendan Rodgers Might Accept Other Offers
With Manchester United known to have been keeping a close eye on Rodgers as a potential long-term Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replacement, a phone call from the Red Devils could very well be enough to pry him away. Even though Rodgers appears to be content at the King Power Stadium, he has a history of leaving teams in a heartbeat contrary to his words. His arrival at Leicester City from Rangers earned him the disgust from many of the Glasgow club’s supporters because of how swiftly and unexpectedly he left.
Season Outlook
If a phone call arrives from a team larger than the one he is currently at, Rodgers has proven that he will go for the gold. And, with form slipping and expectations for the season not being met – even if those expectations are high for a club of Leicester City’s stature – who knows what the future could hold.
The hierarchy at the Club are not known to be excessively trigger-happy when it comes to changing the man in the dugout. But, when Claude Puel was sacked by Leicester 27 matches into the 2018/19 season, he was averaging 1.19 points-per-match in the Premier League. In his 29 league matches in the campaign prior, he was picking up 1.31 points-per-match. Right now, Brendan Rodgers is only averaging 1.30 points-per-match in league play this season, meaning he is below an output that kept Puel safe, while still above the rate that saw Puel removed from his post. He may very well be in the danger area if results do not change.
Rodgers, at just 49-years-old, has achieved many impressive feats as a manager and has a lot left in the tank. However, his fuel remaining with Leicester City might soon run empty.
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