How Leicester and Rodgers can salvage the 2021/22 season

This wasn’t the only thing to be positive about, for the first time since their 2015 ‘great escape’, Leicester hadn’t lost any of their big-name stars in the transfer market, instead adding Boubakary Soumare, Patson Daka and Ademola Lookman to their ranks. This seemed a serious turning point for City.

Soon though, the illusion came crashing down; injuries decimated the squad depth that the summer had brought. Wesley Fofana, Ricardo Pereira, James Justin, James Maddison, and Jonny Evans were but a few names ruled out for lengthy periods. This, paired with the poor form of new defenders Ryan Bertrand and Jannik Vestergaard, and alongside Caglar Soyuncu’s crisis of confidence, led to the Foxes being unable to keep the goals out.

There were still signs of hope, beating Manchester United 4-2 in belting fashion reminded fans of seasons previous, but Rodgers’ men couldn’t build on this. Instead, the form of the squad was further shot, with Tielemans’ looking tired amid reports of a stalling contract and the ever-reliable Schmeichel beginning to show a few cracks.

Still though, the fans were back for European nights, and the Foxes had been handed a comfortable draw in the cup. Legia Warsaw and Spartak Moscow provided – on the face of it – a smooth entry into the knockout stages.