Foxes of Leicester
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3 Leicester players who let the club down in 2022/23

By Elliot Mackness

Jamie Vardy of Leicester City looks dejected after being relegated after the Premier League match between Leicester City and West Ham United at The King Power Stadium on May 28, 2023 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Jamie Vardy of Leicester City looks dejected after being relegated after the Premier League match between Leicester City and West Ham United at The King Power Stadium on May 28, 2023 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /
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Leicester City triumphed over West Ham United, but fell short of Premier League survival after an abysmal campaign. Here are three culprits who have to go.

The Premier League season is over and the King Power club have been relegated. We had better xG than previous campaigns, and we equally saw what should have been a good team. Nevertheless, after a win against the Hammers, Everton were the ones who sealed our fate. Well, the Foxes should not have been close to relegation, so clearly there was an underperformance.

I shall give an honourable, or dishonourable mention, to former head coach Brendan Rodgers. The Northern Irishman lost his grip on the situation, failed to manage the players well, and threw away those who could have been helpful. Although not a player, the manager should have been removed far earlier to provide an opportunity for survival.

Leicester City’s main man

37 played, 19 starts, only seven goal contributions, equating to 0.34 per 90. The highest underperformance in a player judged on those metrics. Can you guess the player? It was Jamie Vardy – a legend, a star, and the one who awakened at the end of the campaign when all was almost said and done.

I take no pleasure in listing the former main man and talisman for this situation: afterall, Kelechi Iheanacho should have been starting ahead of ‘Vards’, and it was a Rodgers decision to do otherwise. Nevertheless, there are several aspects of his game plus about him in general, which must be improved going into the next season. Firstly, involvement. 12.7 touches per game according to Sofascore. Let us compare that to 53.6 per game for James Maddison, or 18.6 per game for our alternate Nigerian striker.