Free-falling Leicester are in desperate trouble and are firmly in the relegation battle
Free-falling Leicester haven’t won a point from a losing position this season and have lost eight of their last 10… with key man James Maddison out injured, they are in desperate trouble and are firmly in the relegation battle
- Leicester were beaten 2-0 by Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Saturday
- With eight losses from their 10 games, they are just two points off the drop
- Leicester are now in desperate trouble and are firmly in the relegation battle
- Brendan Rodgers’s side used to look like the main challengers to the Big Six
Nineteen games in and Brendan Rodgers admitted his Leicester side are in serious danger, just two points clear of the relegation zone.
Twelve defeats in those 19 games — more than any other side in the league — and without a point since November, things look bleak for the Foxes.
Seconds after Steve Cooper had spoken glowingly and passionately about the project at Nottingham Forest and his ‘obsession and paranoia’ with improving day by day, Rodgers spoke frankly about the state of affairs at Leicester.
Leicester have lost eight of their last 10 games and are now in desperate danger of relegation
They suffered another damaging defeat on Saturday, losing 2-0 to rivals Nottingham Forest
He revealed that in the aftermath of this defeat to their local rivals, he told his players not to pretend they were not in a relegation battle. Because right now, they are. ‘There’s still so many games to go and if we can get the players back available that give an extra dimension to the team then, of course, we can push on again. But at the moment, with what we’ve got, it’s a real challenge,’ admitted Rodgers.
A run of wins before the World Cup improved spirits but the defeats of the past few weeks — they have lost eight of their last 10 with James Maddison out injured — means things must change and fast. After Forest took the lead early in the second half, Leicester never came close to scoring. The worrying thing? They remain the only club in the top flight yet to get anything from a losing position. It is a damning indication of both a lack of quality and fight.
In the summer, seven players will be out of contract — Youri Tielemans, Daniel Amartey, Ryan Bertrand, Jonny Evans, Papy Mendy, Ayoze Perez and Caglar Soyuncu. Maddison’s contract expires the following summer.
Brendan Rodgers’s side used to be the main challengers to the Big Six but are now struggling
The absence of star midfielder James Maddison means they are firmly in the relegation battle
Since Rodgers’ arrival in February 2019, Leicester have a net spend of just £3million compared to the likes of Aston Villa, West Ham and Newcastle, where the figure is around the £300m mark. This is a squad desperately in need of reinforcement, yet they have only added Wout Faes in the last two windows.
For long, Leicester under Northern Irishman Rodgers were seen as the most obvious challengers to the Big Six. There were consecutive fifth-placed finishes in their quest for the Champions League, FA Cup success in 2021 and a run to the semi-finals of the UEFA Conference League last year. Now they have a relegation scrap to deal with in the months ahead.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST (4-3-1-2): Henderson 6, Aurier 6, Worrall 6, McKenna 6, Lodi 6, Yates 5 (Colback 46min, 6), Freuler 6, Mangala 6 (O’Brien 70, 5), Scarpa 5 (Surridge 55, 6), Gibbs-White 7, JOHNSON 8 (Williams 86). Scorer: Johnson 56, 84. Booked: Johnson. Manager: Steve Cooper 7.
LEICESTER (4-2-3-1): Ward 5, Castagne 5, Amartey 5, Faes 5, Thomas 5 (Brunt 68, 5), Ndidi 5, Mendy 5 (Praet 68, 5), Albrighton 6 (Iheanacho 68, 5), Tielemans 6, Barnes 5, Vardy 5. Booked: Tielemans, Amartey. Manager: Brendan Rodgers 5.
Referee: Paul Tierney 6. Attendance: 29,301.
