((STREAMING!)) Streaming: Eintracht Frankfurt - Nottm Forest Live 05.08.2023
They still have prized assets such as James Maddison, James Justin and Wilfred Ndidi, while the likes of Harvey Barnes and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall have emerged as quality first-term contributors. But Leicester are also still relying on Jonny Evans and Jamie Vardy, who are both in their mid-30s. Evans has been a regular in the defence that has leaked a record number of goals, while Vardy is yet to find the net this season. Rodgers also has a large number of first-team players whose contracts expire at the end of the season. While he is still including Tielemans and Daniel Amartey on matchdays, Ayoze Perez, Ryan Bertrand, Caglar Soyuncu and Nampalys Mendy appear surplus to requirements, highlighting why Rodgers was so keen to bring new faces into his Leicester squad.
Premier League tableLeicester fixtures | ResultsNottingham Forest fixtures | Results'You need to refresh to avoid decline' Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers admitted his side's poor results are his responsibility and that he would respect any decision the owners made over his future after the defeat to Tottenham this month Rodgers' public warning to his Leicester players following that defeat at Forest may have seemed surprising, given he was criticising a squad that had finished fifth in the Premier League in the previous two seasons and had won the FA Cup for the first time in their history.
Leicester's lousy start to 2022/23 campaign Leicester 2-2 Brentford - Premier League, August 7 Arsenal 4-2 Leicester - Premier League, August 13 Leicester 1-2 Southampton - Premier League, August 20 Stockport 0-0 Leicester (1-3 on pens) - Carabao Cup, August 23 Chelsea 2-1 Leicester - Premier League, August 27 Leicester 0-1 Man Utd - Premier League, September 1 Brighton 5-2 Leicester - Premier League, September 4 Tottenham 6-2 Leicester - Premier League, September 17 Following that hugely underwhelming transfer window, the storm clouds that Rodgers could see lurking have most definitely arrived over the King Power Stadium, with Leicester going into Monday's meeting with Forest on the back of a 5-2 defeat at Brighton and a 6-2 thrashing at Tottenham.
Perhaps that's one of the reasons why Rodgers was so keen to "freshen up" his squad in the summer, and the fact he was unable to do so has contributed to their continued troubles. The idea of reinvigorating a squad - even one that is presently successful - in an effort to sustain that success is common among managers. Speaking to The Coaches' Voice earlier this year, Rene Meulensteen - a long-term member of Sir Alex Ferguson's staff at Manchester United - said of his legendary boss: "When you look at the reasons why he was so successful, I think more than anything it was his ability to refresh things at just the right time.
"When you build a team, you go through different processes - a building process, then a performance process and then you go into decline. "To be able to avoid that decline, you need to be able to refresh so you can extend the performance process for as long as possible. " Rodgers followed this process, building a squad that came within touching distance of the Champions League on two occasions and experienced glory in the FA Cup, but has been unable to stave off the decline. It's not as though Leicester's squad is shorn of quality.
Leicester vs Nottingham Forest: How East Midlands rivals' differing routes led them both to relegation worriesPerhaps Brendan Rodgers could see the storm clouds on the horizon. In the wake of a 4-1 FA Cup hammering at Nottingham Forest - then in the Championship - back in February, the Leicester manager was furious.
But the Foxes had failed to meet those standards in the 2021/22 season, with their cup exit coming on the back of a Europa League campaign that had been ended at the group stage and with Rodgers' side lying a disappointing 12th in the Premier League. Leicester did rally to finish eighth last season, while they also reached the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League, but Rodgers' words made it clear he felt the time was right to shake up his squad. Unfortunately for him, financial constraints meant Leicester were the league's lowest spenders over the summer, with the manager only able to bring in two players - reserve goalkeeper Alex Smithies and defender Wout Faes - while 12 were allowed to depart, including key members of the first team in Kasper Schmeichel and Wesley Fofana. Rodgers said he respected the owners' frugal approach to the window but admitted "it's a really challenging situation not being able to freshen up this team", adding "it's clear to see" when asked if his squad had been weakened over the summer.
But that momentum has firmly ground to a halt upon their promotion, despite a summer that saw them sign enough players to fill a first-team squad thanks to a spend of more than £150m. Cooper's side now find themselves 19th in the table, only kept off bottom spot by Leicester. The East Midlands rivals face off on Monday Night Football, live on Sky Sports, for the first time since that cup clash in February and for the first time in the top flight this millennium. A lot has happened at both the King Power Stadium and the City Ground since then but, having taken very different routes to get there, both Leicester and Forest now find themselves in similar positions - battling to escape the relegation zone under managers feeling the heat.
FREE TO WATCH: Highlights of Tottenham against Leicester. Tielemans: It's tough at Leicester | 'I don't regret staying'Rodgers: I'll respect owners' decision | Redknapp 'fears' for Leicester bossBut those fears have not come to pass and Rodgers remains in charge of Leicester - a decision that may be influenced by the club's financial position. Regardless, Rodgers still has the same issues to resolve - primarily Leicester's defence. The 22 goals they have conceded is the most by any club in Premier League history at this stage of a season. Rodgers' side also rank joint-last for goals conceded from set plays - a theme that dates back to last season.
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