Liverpool 2-0 Leicester: Rodgers’ broken Foxes template

It’s been a difficult period for Leicester City, over the past couple of months they’ve surrendered leads to losses and disastrously exited the FA Cup to their “rivals”, all whilst performing to a very subpar level.

This time, a trip to Anfield wasn’t going to change the discourse. A very comfortable display for Jürgen Klopp’s side saw them beat the Foxes yesterday evening — what are my takeaways from the game?

Firstly, a large section of the fan base merely wanted a performance, for the squad to show some resilience and character — two aspects that have been abject recently. I think Brendan Rodgers’ side showed both of these traits, albeit without threatening Allison in the Liverpool net, but many Leicester fans anticipated it would be a quiet evening for the Brazilian.

There’s a template that Rodgers reverts to in these kinds of fixtures. It’s about being defensively resolute, and perhaps taking the few chances on the counter — reminiscent of Claudio Ranieri’s title-winners, but, unlike that fast-paced, clinical 2015/16 side, the Foxes aren’t anywhere near as lethal on the few flourishes forward and are one of the worst defensive units in the division.

It’s a blend that doesn’t bode well for pushing the European places in the league. In fact, if you judged the league on “expected points” — a metric utilised by Infogol, that uses “expected goals for” (xG) versus “expected goals against” (xGA) in every individual fixture and determines what the outcome “should” have been, Rodgers’ side would be sitting in 16th place. Only two spots above the dreaded relegation zone — instead, they’re 12th.