Brendan Rodgers critics are fooled – he exceeded expectations at Leicester

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This makes some of the criticism Rodgers and Leicester have endured this season hard to understand. I was walking home from a game two weeks ago, listening to a radio, and heard the cliché complaint about managers who endured a tough time that Rodgers “took the team as far as he can.” could “.

My question is: where exactly is Leicester supposed to be right now? Has one historic season created the illusion that should be the norm?

The high fan expectations are understandable, but they also have to be realistic. Leicester’s title-winning squad included N’Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez, players who were signed by Chelsea and Manchester City soon after. Rodgers has had no player to compare, and when a prospect like Ben Chilwell breaks through, or Harry Maguire emerges as England international, he too is drawn to a bigger club.

Besides Youri Tielemans, who would make a top four team? Jamie Vardy would have done it in his prime. The rest of the squad is made up of excellent Premier League players and youngsters with potential. No neutral can seriously examine his depth and say Leicester should be in the Champions League.

The prevailing narrative in 2020 and 2021 that Leicester blew him up in the final stages is unfair. In 38 games, they finished better than expected at the start of each season.

The trouble for modern coaches, especially those who start running after being appointed, is that only an upward trajectory is tolerated. This helps to shorten the lifespan of a manager in a club. Fans and managers alike believe the most effective and cost-effective way to refresh the training ground is to change coaches rather than recruit new players.

Marcelo Bielsa is going through a similar experience at Leeds United, questioning his ridiculous position given what he has done at the club and the obvious mitigating factors of key player injuries which have caused a drop this season.

You can imagine a situation at West Ham next season or the season beyond where star players like Declan Rice move up, current levels drop a bit, or competitors like Aston Villa emerge. Moyes will fight a similar wave of excessive expectations. If Steven Gerrard ever leads Villa to fifth place, it could be the pinnacle, not the basis for finishing in the first four 12 months later.

It should be perfectly reasonable in all of these clubs that there are ups and downs. A less successful season after one or two exceptional seasons is not proof that a coach has lost his mojo and needs to be replaced. In Rodgers’ case, the injuries of Wesley Fofana and James Justin were particularly unfortunate.

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