Leicester's trip to Nottingham is a key moment for Brendan Rodgers
Leicester’s weekend trip to Nottingham Forest marks a decisive moment in the club’s season and Brendan Rodgers future just 12 months on from their FA Cup hammering at the City Ground as the Foxes look to turn their season around
- Leicester travel to face Nottingham Forest looking to turn their season around
- Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers’ position has come under scrutiny all season
- Leicester return to the City Ground almost 12 months on from cup thrashing
- While Steve Cooper’s side look to build on recent League Cup success
- Forest would leapfrog Leicester in the league table with victory on Saturday
Brendan Rodgers wanted Leicester’s FA Cup thrashing at Nottingham Forest to be a watershed for the club yet nearly 12 months later, his side make the trip to their local rivals surrounded by similar doubts.
When Leicester were beaten 4-1 on February 6 by a team then in the Championship, Rodgers did not mince words. He wanted that fixture to be a line in the sand both for the team and the club.
‘Yeah, hunger,’ he said at the time. ‘It’s a lack of hunger. It was an embarrassing performance. I feel for the supporters.
Brendan Rodgers (right) has seen his position as Leicester boss scrutinised for large parts of the season
Rodger has struggled to find consistency with his squad of underperforming stars this season
‘That’s why a lot of these players are not top players — because they can’t sustain it. There are a lot of these players, between now and the end of the season, who need to prove they are still worthy of being here, because we’ve seen it now for a little while.
‘There are players here who may have achieved everything they can. It’s something we’ll have to look at between now and the end of the season.
‘They bolstered their legend as a player. They won the FA Cup, and that might be it. But it’s not for me and not what I want to achieve here. Too many think they’re top players but they’re a long way off it.’
The most interesting aspect about those words a year on is that Leicester have barely changed at all. Of the 20 players on duty that day, only three – Kasper Schmeichel, Hamza Choudhury and Ademola Lookman – are not part of the squad this season.
Leicester return to the City Ground almost one year on from there FA Cup hammering at the ground
Leicester’s cup defeat last year was meant to be a defining moment in Rodgers’ Leicester tenure
Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper has begun to get his newly-promoted side firing
Leicester have been one of English football’s feelgood stories of the last decade. Despite resources that are dwarfed by those of the elite, they won the Premier League in 2016 and the FA Cup five years later, while also reaching a European semi-final last term and finishing fifth in both Rodgers’ first two full seasons in charge.
They have owners who genuinely care for the club, the supporters and the city, they have built a spectacular training ground and there are plans to expand King Power Stadium. When better times return, the club is equipped to ride the wave.
Now, though, there are difficult days to negotiate. Leicester are only two points above the relegation zone. Wout Faes’ arrival from French club Reims last summer initially galvanised the squad and Rodgers would hope that signings in this month would have the same effect.
Leicester’s limited movement in the summer transfer window saw Wout Faes (left) arrive as one of few signings
Leicester are in hot form after qualifying for the League cup semi-final with victory over Wolves on Wednesday
Leicester midfielder Youri Tielmans is letting his contract at the club run down with it set to expire at the end of the season
But they would not solve everything: Leicester are in a delicate financial position and have a number of players, led by midfielder Youri Tielemans, whose contracts expire at the end of the season. Maddison has only one more season on his deal after this one.
Leicester finished last term well and despite a dreadful start to this campaign, they recovered before the World Cup break. Yet with a number of key players injured, including attacking inspiration Maddison, the Foxes are wobbling again and have lost their last three in the league.
Rodgers wanted six new outfield signings last summer but only one – centre-back Faes – arrived. The £75million received from Chelsea for Wesley Fofana will provide some wriggle room and this window and Leicester are working on deals for Fiorentina winger Nicolas Gonzalez and FC Copenhagen left-back Victor Kristiansen, while Rodgers would also like a centre-back.
Rodgers (right) is under pressure to start getting results and has called for new signings
Rodgers admitted it is a ‘natural cycle’ for players to leave the club in the modern game
‘I just think it’s a natural cycle,’ said Rodgers ahead of Saturday’s trip to Forest. ‘I saw something the other day that Arsenal had won the FA Cup the year before us (2020) and that only two members of the starting XI are there this season.
‘So it’s natural for every team and every player that there is a need for competition, freshness and for new ideas. Especially if you have a manager that’s going to be at a club for a period of time, you have to refresh the squad.
‘You have to retain that hunger and desire to improve. That is something that is absolutely necessary to compete at the very highest level. I think we’ve shown in enough games since that (the Cup defeat at Forest) that it is there but you have to be consistent with it.
Rodgers has seen his Leicester side hampered through injuries throughout the season
‘It’s unfortunate for us since we came back we’ve lost some key players and with a squad that’s maybe not the deepest, it affects us. But we have to somehow try to find ways to win games without those guys, and for that you need those attributes of course.’
Just as it did last February, it feels as though this Forest game represents a decisive moment for Leicester. The outcome on Saturday may shape a number of plans in the months ahead.
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