The story of Leicester's revival under Brendan Rodgers on his first anniversary
It is an hour after Leicester City’s 4-1 home defeat by Crystal Palace. Seven defeats in nine matches for Claude Puel, Jamie Vardy has punched a dressing-room door in a rage, and the wheels are in motion for the club to make their move for Brendan Rodgers.
Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, the Leicester vice-chairman, has watched the Palace humiliation in Thailand. Puel is sacked the following morning and negotiations are soon under way with Celtic.
Two days later Rodgers is appointed as manager, after compensation of just under £9 million is agreed, and the transformation under one of English football’s finest coaches has been remarkable.
On Wednesday, Rodgers will complete his first year in charge with Leicester third in the Premier League and seemingly on course to bring European nights back to the King Power Stadium.
The impact has been significant, and Rodgers has raised standards and expectations to such a level that Leicester are now viewed as legitimate challengers for the top four.
They have occupied the space between the elite and the “best of the rest” for longer than anyone, and when their opportunity came in the 2015/16 season they emphatically took it. While they may never repeat that glorious title win, Rodgers’s mission was to make seasons like this one the norm, and he has achieved that well ahead of schedule.
“When I came in towards the end of February, the feeling around everything – the team and [the death of] Khun Vichai [Srivaddhanaprabha, the owner] – was hard for everyone,” he said.
“What we’ve tried to do is create an environment where we can use Khun Vichai’s legacy to propel the club forward in a positive way.
“There’s still a long way to go, because we want to be able to arrive in that top six and sustain it. But the beauty of Leicester is that there is realism around.”
Rodgers’s move from Celtic was controversial, and the rancour remains in Glasgow, yet the past 12 months vindicate his decision to return to the Premier League.
Leicester are ambitious, with generous and realistic owners, and have a squad the envy of clubs even in the top six. Rodgers was appointed partly because of his top-flight experience with Liverpool and Swansea City, but also his track record in improving young players: the likes of Wilfred Ndidi, James Maddison, Ben Chilwell, Caglar Soyuncu and Harvey Barnes have flourished under him in the past year.
The experienced members of Leicester’s squad have also improved dramatically under Rodgers – it is easy to forget how marginalised Vardy was under Puel, but today he is the league’s joint top scorer, with 17 goals, despite having netted only one in his past 12 games.
Jonny Evans should also be nailed on as the partner to Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk for the team of the year. The sale of Harry Maguire to Manchester United over the summer has barely registered, with Evans performing consistently and his defensive partner, Soyuncu, emerging as a key player.
“Brendan’s got a really positive attitude and his experiences of being at Celtic and Liverpool give us confidence,” Evans said. “He’s able to relay those experiences and he can back it all up because we’ve seen it with our own eyes. He gives us clarity and makes it simple.”
Wes Morgan, the Leicester captain, highlights Rodgers’s man-management skills as crucial. Players out of the team are set individual targets by the coaching staff to retain their place, and told how they can improve. Every first-team squad member is made to feel a part of it, so there are no divisions in a tight-knit group.
Rodgers utilises the “periodisation” method of training, with the emphasis on short, high-intensity sessions.
Evans said: “I experienced this type of training under Louis van Gaal at Manchester United and you can see the players thrive on it.
“Brendan wants us to play a high-pressing game and we need to replicate that in training. He wants us to start games fast.”
And what about recruitment? It has been the envy of rival clubs for many years, predating Rodgers’s arrival, and the operation remains a closely guarded secret. Targets are usually scouted at least 12 months before signing. Leicester broke their transfer record in July with the £32 million capture of Youri Tielemans from Monaco.
Last month, Leicester were initially confident of signing Merih Demiral, the Juventus defender, but he suffered a serious knee injury in the game against Roma on January 12.
Ryan Bennett was eventually signed on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers on deadline day to, a) add defensive cover, and, b) allow Croatia international Filip Benkovic to join Bristol City on loan to enhance his development, in another clear sign of joined-up thinking.
Rodgers’s future recruitment plans will be boosted by the new £100 million training ground, which Leicester hope will be one of the best in the world.
The base is scheduled to open for pre-season and Rodgers, plus other key members of staff, were consulted on its development. Coincidentally, the opening of the new training ground will also mark the 10th year of King Power’s ownership and Aiyawatt, who is now chairman, remains a shrewd, sensible and hugely driven figure at the helm.
So what next? Rodgers is on course to secure a top-four finish, yet Leicester are struggling to match the heights of earlier in the season, having gained just 12 points from their past 11 games.
Leicester will also reflect on their performances in the Carabao Cup semi-final against Aston Villa with a sense of disappointment. Rodgers was justifiably aggrieved with a bewildering decision by the video assistant referee in the second leg at Villa Park, when Leicester were denied a penalty, but he arguably escaped more serious scrutiny over the displays in both games.
Yet this is still a position Leicester would have gladly taken in the summer. Champions League football next season is a genuine prospect and it is worth noting that Leicester had only six more points after 27 games in the title season.
Rodgers has adjusted the narrative in 12 months, so that Leicester are thinking big. He signs off his programme notes with the slogan “Everything Is Possible” and that is a mindset driving Leicester towards a bright future.
