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Brendan Rogers - The Magic Touch That Keeps Leicester In The Hunt

When Leicester City won their famous lone Premier League title in 2016, nothing more was expected of them. I think it's safe to assume that after the sale of Riyad Mahrez to Manchester City and Ngolo Kante to Chelsea, everyone was expecting a swift return to the mid-table. But smart transfers and the continued success of Jamie Vardy as one of the leagues most proficient strikers, has kept Leicester City within touching distance of the top 6. Now, with the addition of Brendan Rogers in early 2019, Leicester City has turned from a northern English city to a legitimate 'Big Six' side, capable of standing toe to toe with Europe's biggest football clubs. 

Rogers was hired from Celtic in February 2019 and was tasked with returning Leicester City back to Europa League contention. He managed the final 10 games of the 2018-2019 season and came away with 5 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses, bringing Leicester back to the top 10 for the first time since their title run 2 years prior. 

The following season saw Rogers deliver on his promise and brought Leicester back to the top 6, with a 5th place finish in 2019/2020 and a Europa League place to boot. This success as a manager is not something that has eluded Rogers but is instead something he has been branded with. In his two-and-a-half-year spell at Celtic, he led the 49-time Scottish Champions to 2 'trebles' and a 69-game unbeaten run - the longest in British football in over 100 years. Let's be honest, a Premier League manager is called a lot of different names throughout their limited lifespan, so for Rogers to be branded a winner isn't a bad result. 

So how is he doing it? Well, Rogers has made two major improvements to the Foxes that have moved them right back to their winning ways and it's a recipe that is so simple, it makes you wonder why not all Premier League managers are doing the same. Alterations in training and increasing player sharpness at the start of games have allowed Leicester City to not only get off to quick starts but then have to ability to maintain this form throughout the 90 minutes. Like I said, simple right? But it's often the simple things that make teams unbeatable, and whilst Leicester has been bogged down with countless first-team injuries, they still maintain the 3rd place spot halfway through the 2020/2021 season. During this time, they have beaten the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and, Liverpool - all of which could be contending for a title come late May. 

It should not go un-noticed what Brendan Rogers is achieving at Leicester City and he should be contending for the Premier League Manager of the Season when the Foxes claim a Champions League spot in May. However, as is the theme in most sports, his achievements will be overshadowed by the statistics produced by Pep Guardiola and his £971 million super squad, who will undoubtedly sweep up both the Premier League trophy and most individual awards by seasons end. Money buys power, no matter what profession you're in, and the Premier League is no different. 




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