Leicester City lucky to have Brendan Rodgers’ 2 years of progress

Europa League – Rodgers achilles heel

Before Christmas, Rodgers navigated the group stages of the Europa league expertly whilst never having to compromise the league form. He mixed up the team and utilised the squad effectively and kept everyone on song whilst winning his group comfortably.

The knockout games against Slavia Prague were still seemingly managed with the tone and effort of a group stage match instead of a knockout clash. Slavia seemed far better equipped and ready for the battle as they pressed Leicester hard and cannily won and made cheap fouls effectively. By leaving ‘man of the moment’ Harvey Barnes and two of the finest full backs in Ricardo and Castagne on the bench was an error in judgement. If Leicester go on to continue their Premier League form then this will be seen as a necessary sacrifice, if not then familiar questions will be asked.

On a personal level Rodgers has now failed to qualify through the last 32 of a European competition yet again. Whether this is something that concerns him above Leicester’s goals this season remains to be seen.

From a club progressional point of view this is only the third time the foxes have competed in European competition this century and will hopefully give them a taste for more of the same.

Professional conduct

Brendan Rodgers is a huge asset to the club for many reasons, his sound bites and quips might not generate the same level of media interest as ‘King Claudio’ but he is great value. Notice how often he has complained about injuries, referees or anything in general. He is a positive character and the players seem to have smiles on their faces when playing. They are enjoying their football and we are enjoying watching them. This ‘David Brent’ nonsense that followed him after the infamous ‘Liverpool’ documentary should now be put to bed.