A Step In The Right Direction!?

Improvements & Implosion by Simon Mcilvenna

As the lingering embers of a passionate encounter died away the foxes fluffed their lines.

Kaoru Mitoma had given the visitors a one goal lead with a curling wonder strike from the edge of the box in the fist half, and having rebuilt the outlook of the game Leicester had their backs to the wall clinging by their fingertips to a one goal lead provided by a back post smash and grab from a corner that had looked for a while it just might seal the points.

City were sitting deeper and deeper and the entire eleven was pinned back behind a Brighton onslaught that eventually bore fruit when substitute Patson Daka with no one in front of him to release the ball to weakly passed backwards. The ball was intercepted and positional mistakes from Mendy and Amartey resulted in a cross and pinpoint header by Seagulls striker Evan Ferguson which flew past Danny Ward pinged off the post and into the net.

2-2

As the post mortem commenced (and arguments about a Danny Wellbeck penalty claim ensued) the take aways from this game looked a little Brighter for Leicester City despite the bitter pill of a late denial of all three points.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall had started the game back from a fortnight layoff with injury, and his replacement in the second half by a fit again James Maddison gave signal that the foxes recent long injury list is beginning to shorten. In addition this draw against a high flying and quality Brighton side (who had smashed the Foxes 5-2 in the reverse fixture) bore witness to shoots of improvement in terms of performance, intensity and confidence for the foxes.

Yes Harvey Barnes had sold Vardy short when he could have more easily put him clean through on goal, and yes late on the almost crippling negativity of the team’s positioning and tactics had most likely caused Rodger’s men to chuck 2 points into the bin. Leicester have blown more points from a winning position than any other team in the Premier league this season (19) and many city fans would point to Rodgers and his tactical management of trying to defend leads as the main cause, however Foxes owner Khun Top had flown in this week and had a face to face meeting with the Leicester gaffer, and the result was a pre-match press conference where the Northern Irish city boss had orated explanations of ‘invisible factors’ being at play and seem empowered by his musings with the Leicester hierarchy, and chances of a change at the helm seemed to drift away in a haze of financial issues.

News came about of a new loan the club had taken out secured again the revenue of being in the Premier League for the 2024 campaign, and soon after a new player…. Victor Kristiansen a defender from FC Copenhagen joined the ranks signing a 5 year deal for a fee reported around £20 million, and rumblings of more new blood before deadline day at the end of the month suggested that the loan secured will afford the foxes the chance to add new blood to a squad that Rodgers is becoming more vocal about admitting is just not good enough.

Post Brighton draw Rodgers conducted a round of media interviews where he did not hold back in his criticism of the players at his disposal. Politely, calmly and confidently the city manager explained that the cheapness in giving away the ball allied with some of the disjointed flow of our attacking play he lay at a lack of quality available in his squad. He continued to explain that whilst he felt the intensity and effort in the game was of the standard required the technical level of the performance was substandard.

Whilst the delivery of his words appeared pre planned and considered the message he publicly delivered was like a metaphoric kick between the legs for a group of players that are surely left with an ache of offence at their manager’s words. He was basically writing at least some of them off as not good enough in terms of ability, and whilst some of his comments could be attributed to the club’s long injury list I’m not sure how you turn up for Monday morning training all smiles after comments like that?

And that got me to thinking about Rodgers. There was a time when post-match he would enter the field, exchange pleasantries and hugs with his own players then acknowledge the fans. These days he is straight down the tunnel with no pleasantries for anyone and his words seem to bear witness to a manager that believes he is working with a group of players that are not good enough to complete the task his club expect of him. Basically he is having to ask more of them than they are capable of, and that they are going to have to go over and above in terms of commitment to make up for the deficiencies in their ability.

It remains to be seen if the city boss will continue along this line of excuse further into the season. If the club brings in more players will he continue to distance himself from their signing as he has done so far this January? There have long been rumblings of rifts between Rodgers and the recruitment staff at the club, and the more time passes it seems Rodgers is increasingly isolated in his philosophy as to what will make Leicester City a force to be reckoned with again.

Lets not forget that the city gaffer is reported to be one of the highest paid in the league, and on a supposed huge pay out if sacked, but whatever the circumstances outwardly Rodgers has always looked like an ‘arm round’ motivating & positive influence on his players until recent times. Now he seems to be scathing in his public criticism of his charges, and only time will tell if his amendment of relationship (looking from the outside in) will have the desired effect and get the city squad performing in a manner that keeps them in the Premier League.

Just one point off the relegation zone and three points off the bottom you could see some shoots of recovery in the performance against Brighton on Saturday. With a break for the cup this week Rodgers has a little time to get the likes of Maddison fully fit for a run of games that includes Spurs, Manchester Utd and league leaders Arsenal. If rumours are to be believed Ayonze Perez will be the first to exit the club this window as he heads back to Spain to Betis. The revolving doors of the city dressing room could see more arrive this January window, but that seems to be only matched with players exiting at the same time, and once concluded will Rodgers continue to bemoan the quality at his disposal?

He doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, and our fate and Premier League survival appear to hang within the equilibrium that is the manager, the recruitment team and the business management of the club. Rodgers alluded publicly to the current storm hanging over the club clearing over the next year, lets hope a formula is found and common ground collectively reached to produce the results to push Leicester City away from danger as the clouds continue to linger.