3 Rodgers decisions already proven wrong at Leicester

Picking Craig Shakespeare’s brains

Little experience and residue remain from the side that pulled off the Great Escape. It became critical for Smith to bring a familiar face with him who played an integral part in that, knowing the club better than most.

Shakespeare served as the assistant to Nigel Pearson during the 2014-15 season. He knows what traits are vital to surviving a relegation of this magnitude. This squad has quality but remained disoriented in its tactical organization. Too much burden was unnecessarily stowed on James Maddison, affecting the side collectively as they suffered to win.

Leicester City winning without the best partakers

Smith spoke with senior players to understand their complaints and suggestions before beginning to chalk out his plans. The loss of camaraderie was already prevalent.

Some players stagnated in their potential, as Rodgers failed poorly in nurturing and developing youngsters. To shake things up, Smith focused on the priorities, making training sessions intense and shorter.

It showed instant improvement as the side was previously heavily dependent on individual brilliance. At Smith’s first home game at the King Power Stadium, he missed the services from two of the Foxes’ most prized assets. Harvey Barnes (10) and James Maddison (9) have scored 19 goals this season out of Leicester’s tally of 43.