Leicester 0-1 Chelsea: Keep faith with Brendan Rodgers

Leicester City suffered a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in the FA Cup quarter-final yesterday, with many supporters taking to social media to voice their complaints.

Ross Barkley’s 63rd-minute goal condemned Leicester City to their third quarter-final exit to the Blues in eight years, continuing the Foxes’ poor form in 2020.

The defeat now means Brendan Rodgers’s side have still only won six times this year, form that continues to disturb the supporters towards the end of the season.

However, the first-half performance against Chelsea would of pleased Rodgers in many ways, the only thing missing from the opening 45 minutes being a goal. With another goalless game for City, they have only scored once since the restart, a worrying stat.

Compared to the first half of the campaign, Leicester have struggled to replicate the performances and form after the turn of the year. With Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers looking bright, Champions League football now could be at risk.

With the many errors that were on display at King Power Stadium on Sunday, the calls for Rodgers to be dismissed and the questioning of the players’ mentality have been circulating around social media.

From Ben Chilwell’s failure to close the cross down that led to the winning goal, the exclusion of Kelechi Iheanacho and introduction of a second defensive-midfielder.

This article discusses why the Foxes faithful should not give up on the current crop of players and staff.

Brendan Rodgers is the man for Leicester City job

Following another unimpressive performance after the restart to the Premier League season, questions have been asked about Rodgers’ tactics and substitution decisions.

Any uninformed reader on Twitter would be under the impression that Leicester are currently fighting a relegation battle. There have been a number of Foxes fans claiming they believe that Rodgers has lost the dressing room, with some also calling for his head.

In a poll I created on Twitter for Leicester City fans, I asked what their thoughts were on the future of the manager. After only five hours of being active, 59% voted that Rodgers is still the right man for the club.

An additional 29% voted that they believe the reaction has been over-the-top. Out of the 263 people who voted, only 5% voted that Rodgers needs to go and 7% think Rodgers has lost the dressing room.

Something that has been discussed is that it seems a very familiar sight at the moment with the performances reflecting how City played under Claude Puel.

But in all seriousness, is that true? The football put onto display in the first-half of the season should not be forgotten. There was a time where the club were supposedly Liverpool’s closest title challengers.

Since the former-Celtic man took over last February, the style of play, atmosphere and rise of the club has been clear to tell. But with the recent bad run of form, his tactics have been questioned.

Rodgers, despite claiming not to be worried about the poor form, is not blind. He will notice the drop in performances from his key players. Come Wednesday, do not be surprised if Chilwell and other players are dropped.

Kelechi Iheanacho

After starting last Tuesday night, Iheanacho was left to watch from the ‘new’ bench as Chelsea’s substitutions made a key influence on the game. But why was the Nigerian striker left out?

"Speaking after the game, Rodgers said: “I was looking at Jamie knowing he still looked fresh.“We felt he (Vardy) could grab a goal, he doesn’t need many opportunities, so it was just waiting for that opportunity for him to come. So it was as simple as that.”"

But does that really explain the decision? Could Iheanacho have influenced the game with Vardy?

Going back to the 4-1 win over Aston Villa in December, Iheanacho and Vardy both started and scored in the first-half. Prove that the two Foxes strikers can play together and arguably puts the question, why wasn’t Iheanacho brought on with Rodgers’ having two more substitutions to make.

With Everton upcoming on Wednesday, Iheanacho could be a vital tool for Rodgers to win the game. The striker dramatically won the reverse fixture after, ironically, coming on as a sub to partner Vardy.