A fanbase divided, a team in crisis: Leicester’s current issues explained

Brendan Rodgers out?

Last, but certainly not least, is the quandary that is Brendan Rodgers. The Northern Irishman recently celebrated his fourth anniversary at the club but is facing increasing hostility from a disillusioned fanbase. After bringing the club to great success, things have steadily regressed under the 50-year-old’s recent tenure, to the point where the club is in a worse position than when Brendan took over.

Ignoring the issues of Brendan’s personality, the injury crisis is one topic to highlight. It seems ironic that since Brendan fired Dave Rennie in 2020, the Leicestershire side have run up a horrific list of muscular injuries. Such an issue do go back to Rodgers, given that Leicester City used to have such a good injury record. The firing of Rennie for another of Brendan’s appointments, therefore, is another blot in his copybook.

Furthermore, the regression of key players is also mystifying. Some of these such as Ricardo Pereira were admittedly due to injury. Even so, Brendan Rodgers inherited one of the most talented Leicester squads ever and whilst he did bring success, he is also accountable for its ruin. Players such as Wilfried Ndidi and Caglar Soyuncu look like shadows of their former selves. The extent to which Brendan is directly responsible is up for debate, nevertheless, he must take some share of the blame, especially for the latter.

As mentioned in the Twitter thread, Khun Top, for all his merits, is not the ruthless man his father was. If he was, it is likely that Rodgers would have gone before this season’s first international break. Nevertheless, the fact that Brendan Rodgers is still at LCFC brings us to the uncomfortable reality; that sacking him may now be too late. After all, what manager of any quality would want to come to a relegation-threatened and frankly mediocre side?

Whilst there is the alternative of appointing an interim coach, such a policy is unlikely to happen and also not guaranteed to succeed. Therefore, fans must hope that there is enough quality and spirit within this side to pull clear of this debacle, though recent performances do not inspire any degree of confidence.

At the end of the day, it may come down to there being three worse teams, as opposed to Leicester City’s own merits. Such a decline highlights how fortunes outside the top six can change in a heartbeat. All it took for the Foxes was one season of failed recruitment, exacerbated by financial mismanagement. Without wanting to look too far ahead, a final-day clash against fellow strugglers West Ham already looks ominous.