The ex-Liverpool manager delivered a spell of feast and famine at the King Power Stadium before being sacked on Sunday
Brendan Rodgers will go down in history as one of Leicester City's best ever managers. The warmth of feeling felt by the club's owners towards the former Liverpool boss was evident in the statement that appeared following his dismissal on Sunday.
"The achievements of the team under Brendan’s management speak for themselves – we’ve experienced some of our finest footballing moments under his guidance and will always be grateful to him and his staff for the heights they helped us to reach on the pitch," it began.
"Off the pitch, Brendan embraced the culture of the club and helped cultivate an outstanding developmental environment, particularly during the transition to Seagrave, and provided strong leadership during the unprecedented challenge of the coronavirus pandemic. His place in Leicester City history is assured."
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Thanks to his previous success, Rodgers was probably handed too much time to turn things around this season, in what has been a properly dismal campaign for the Foxes.
He leaves with the club in full-on crisis mode. Saturday's defeat to Crystal Palace leaves Leicester stranded in the relegation zone, while James Maddison and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall have even been firing back at the club's supporters on social media.
These issues are no longer Rodgers' to correct, but his side's shocking performance this season raises serious questions over where he'll land next in the managerial world.
Getty ImagesUnparalleled success
Rodgers succeeded the dour Claude Puel in February 2019. The Premier League looked very different then. Maurizio Sarri was chewing fags in the Chelsea dugout, Mauricio Pochettino was still at Tottenham and Huddersfield Town were still hanging around.
When he took over, Leicester looked rudderless, as close to the relegation zone as they were to seventh place. The players were tired of Puel's safety-first tactics and man management, and badly needed an injection of energy.
Rodgers provided that in spades, guiding them to within seven points of the European places by the time the season drew to a close.
The following campaign was when things really got going, though. Buoyed by the permanent arrival of Youri Tielemans, the guile of Maddison, a rock-solid defence and a revitalised Jamie Vardy, Leicester stormed into Champions League contention during the first half of the season, infamously thrashing Southampton 9-0 en route to a mid-campaign points tally of 39 – good enough for second place behind a dominant Liverpool.
Although they would heartbreakingly fall out of the top four on the final day of the season, Rodgers had Leicester playing the best football of their modern era, and there was more success to come.
The following campaign, despite the added strain of playing on Thursday nights, Leicester were in with a shout of qualifying for the Champions League on the final day of the season. Although they fell short for a second time, the blow was softened significantly by them lifting the FA Cup – a trophy that had eluded the Foxes since their formation in 1884.
In a world where the 'Big Six' dwarf the rest of the league for spending power, Rodgers' achievements were nothing less than miraculous.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesImproving players and responding to setbacks
One of the key themes of Rodgers' monstrous first two full seasons at the helm was his ability to improve players and react to the departures of key personnel.
The summer before Leicester's fifth-placed finish, the club sold Harry Maguire to Manchester United for a world-record fee. Maguire was a near ever-present prior to his departure, but Rodgers solved the problem perfectly, promoting Caglar Soyuncu – back then, a bit-part player – to the first team.
By the end of that season, Maguire was struggling while Soyuncu was inducted into the PFA Team of the Year.
The following summer, Ben Chilwell was flogged to Chelsea. Again, Rodgers handled the solution, with James Justin performing superbly before suffering a heartbreaking injury. Some of the Chilwell money was also invested into Wesley Fofana, who soon emerged as one of the very best young defenders in world football under Rodgers' guidance.
More generally, a host of players have thrived partly thanks to his leadership. As mentioned, Vardy enjoyed an Indian summer in the last few years along with – to a lesser extent – Jonny Evans. Maddison also developed from precocious talent into creative fulcrum, Ricardo Pereira had an astounding run of form that saw him linked with a host of elite clubs, while Harvey Barnes and Justin became full England internationals during Rodgers' time at the King Power Stadium.
In an era where eeking the most out of your playing resources is as important as it's ever been for clubs operating with financial constraints, the former Leicester boss squeezed every morsel of ability from his side during those two seasons.
Getty ImagesTransfer market failures – the wheels begin to fall off
After lifting the FA Cup, it felt like things could only get better for Rodgers and Leicester. But the summer of 2021 marked a significant change of approach in the transfer market.
Every year since their miraculous title win, they had sold one major asset and used the funds to re-invest in the squad. First it was N'Golo Kante, then Danny Drinkwater, followed by Riyad Mahrez, Maguire and Chilwell.
It was widely expected that Tielemans would be next on the conveyor belt, with Arsenal and Liverpool strongly linked with the Belgian. Instead, the midfielder stayed, and over £60 million was invested in Patson Daka, Boubakary Soumare and Jannik Vestergaard. Ryan Bertrand was also brought in on a free – but all four signings have been unmitigated disasters.
In hindsight, that transfer window was a huge missed opportunity for Leicester. After several seasons together, things have gotten increasingly stale, both in terms of results and performances.
Europa Conference League semi-final aside, the 2021-22 season was underwhelming and Rodgers was desperate to shake up the squad. He did not get his wish, with Leicester making just one first-team signing all summer – Wout Faes, brought in from Reims on transfer deadline day.
This lack of activity was compounded by the departures of Fofana and captain Kasper Schmeichel, and since that disappointing window, Leicester's key players have regressed at an accelerated rate.
Vardy has slowed down considerably, Tielemans has not been the same since his prospective move away fell apart and the drop off in Soyuncu's performances have been alarming.
They are not the only players who look like shadows of their former selves either. Wilfred Ndidi consistently led the Premier League for interceptions and tackles during the first half of Rodgers' reign, but fitness problems and shaky form has made him increasingly error-prone in a vital position for Rodgers' possession-based style.
Evans barely plays these days too, thanks to a string of niggling knocks, indicative of the fitness problems that have plagued Rodgers in recent years.
However, while he can feel unlucky about the injuries and aggrieved that the recruitment did not work out – even though he was heavily involved in the latter – his decision making this season must be questioned.
GettyBaffling squad management
Even when things were at their best, Rodgers' handling of the squad has always been a point of contention with some Leicester fans. This season, that discontent has been as strong as ever.
His inability to get the best out of Soyuncu has been a concern. Rodgers publicly questioned the Turkey international's training performances in October and has barely used him this season. It's a less than ideal situation, when you consider Leicester's defensive struggles and the fact that Soyuncu was once regarded as one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League.
Rodgers has had clear issues with £20m-rated Soumare too. His Leicester career seemed to be over, only for his manager to reintroduce him to the side in the autumn, before flip-flopping again. The Frenchman now hasn't started since December.
Dennis Praet has experienced similar issues, as has Kelechi Iheanacho more than once in his time at the King Power Stadium.
Rodgers also fell out with Vestergaard after the Dane questioned why he wasn't starting. Though in this case the former Southampton man's performances did probably warrant a spell in the reserves…
Even still, it's clear that Rodgers has been unable to keep a harmonious squad this season. This has manifested in a lack of spirit and disjointed displays on the pitch.
Leicester fans have lost count at the amount of times the Foxes have squandered the lead this term – they have dropped more points than any other team from winning positions (22).