Brendan Rodgers has turned around Leicester City’s fortunes.
The Northern Irishman joined Leicester City on February 26th, and since then, the Foxes have reeled off four wins from five matches. Leicester City are not just winning, they are playing some of the best football they have played since their Premier League title winning season of 2015-16.
Leicester City have gone from a team of misfiring Premier League players to one with in-form squad members. Striker Jamie Vardy has scored five goals in his last five games. The Englishman has 13 league goals this season with only eight coming under Puel’s leadership.
James Maddison has also returned to form since Rodgers arrived. Maddison was regularly in and out of Puel’s team. Under Rodgers, Maddison has re-discovered his best form. The attacking midfielder has two assists and a goal in five matches and there is a chance he could receive a re-call to the England squad for the next set of international fixtures.
Leicester City do have a difficult fixture list to end the season. Huddersfield, Newcastle, West Ham, Arsenal, Manchester City, and Chelsea are all to come. The Foxes can still achieve a Europa League place, but they need to finish seventh and Manchester City must win the FA Cup. They need a lot to happen and not all of it is in their own hands.
The team’s goalscoring has improve greatly under Rodgers. Leicester City have tallied 10 goals in five matches. Goals were hard to come by prior to Rodgers’ arrival as the Foxes had scored just 32 times in the league. Leicester are currently 10th in goals scored this season (42) and have posted a –1-goal difference.
Prior to Puel’s sacking, Leicester City had gone seven games without a win in all competitions. From January 6th to February 23rd, the Foxes failed to win a game in the FA Cup and Premier League. Leicester City scored just eight goals during that winless run of matches.
Leicester City are just three points off of seventh place. There is a lot to play for this term still, although their midseason form may ultimately be the reason for falling short of Europa League qualification.
The club has been through a lot this season including the death of owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha following a home match. Rodgers’ is building a strong foundation for the club’s future. If this season ends with the Foxes coming up just short of Europe, then next season should see them push for a top six place.