MY ACCOUNT
Leicester have made a habit of punching above their weight in recent years — but the Foxes are yet to fire in 2022-23.
Following a summer severely lacking in transfer activity, Brendan Rodgers’ side have taken just a solitary point from their opening two Premier League outings.
With rumours continuing to swirl regarding the departures of several key players, we take a closer look at what is going on at the King Power Stadium ahead of Saturday’s clash with Southampton.
Solid campaign
Despite being widely billed as underachievers last term, Leicester still ended up securing a fifth straight top-10 finish.
In reality, that was an impressive feat for a squad ravaged by injuries in the face of an extremely intense schedule.
On top of their 38 Premier League contests, the Foxes faced 14 continental clashes across the Europa League and Europa Conference League, as well as five domestic cup games and the Community Shield.
Only Liverpool and Chelsea played more matches than the East Midlands outfit — two sides with significantly more depth at their disposal.
Rodgers also found his options further restricted by a busy treatment room.
Wesley Fofana missed a large chunk of the season, as did James Justin, while stars such as Jamie Vardy, Jonny Evans, Timothy Castagne, Harvey Barnes and Caglar Soyuncu all endured long spells on the sidelines.
Quiet summer
For clubs competing at the top of English football, failing to strengthen a squad further during periods of success generally leads to long-term decline.
Therefore, alarm bells were set ringing when Rodgers informed reporters last month no further incomings were expected at the King Power this summer.
And although stopper Alex Smithies joined on a free transfer last week, others are not expected to follow unless funds become available via player sales.
While the Northern Irish boss has made no secret of his desire to bring fresh bodies in, he has handled the situation with a level head.
Rodgers, 49, said: “The club has given me so much since I’ve been here and I’ve got huge respect for [chairman] Khun Top, his family and the board.
“I’m no less ambitious than any other manager, especially where we’ve taken the club over the last couple of years. Of course, I want the club to continue to progress and improve.
“But there’s also a patience element to it, which unfortunately in modern life can be difficult. The club is managed really well, there’s a reason for that — because behind the scenes the people know maybe at times when to put the brakes on.
“Maybe this is what they have to do at this moment.”
Transfer concerns
As the window enters its final fortnight, it feels inevitable that some high-profile exits are on the horizon.
Fofana continues to be strongly linked with Chelsea, while Youri Tielemans is attracting the attention of Arsenal and James Maddison is on multiple radars.
Yet over recent years, the Foxes have shown themselves to be proficient in the market and are shrewdly holding on to their prized assets until receiving what they feel is an acceptable offer.
History also tells us that if they do accept a bid for one of that big-name trio, a well-researched alternative will already be already lined up so that the club can act quickly.
The real question, though, is whether they can attract ready-made replacements or will have to settle for rough diamonds.
Rodgers and his coaches have worked with Fofana, Tielemans and Maddison over extended periods to get them where they are today — starting that process again could impact short-term results.
Quick fixes
Away from the transfer market, there are a couple of areas where Rodgers can eke out some instant improvement from his side.
Firstly, the Foxes had an abysmal record of defending set-pieces last term with only Everton conceding more than their 20 goals.
Rodgers will have been irked to see his side breached tamely from a corner at the Emirates and getting on top of that issue seems an urgent priority.
At the opposite end of the field, the ex-Liverpool boss may also want to find a way of forcing Kelechi Iheanacho into his starting line-up.
Nigerian international Iheanacho notched 17 direct goal contributions in 43 appearances last term across all competitions and once again impressed when teeing up Maddison from the bench last Saturday.
In a team that looks in need of freshening up, his willing running and precision in tight areas looks too good an option to use so sparingly.
Better than it looks
Taking just one point from their opening two matches is a disappointing return — but it remains far too early for Leicester fans to panic.
After all, the starting line-ups named against Brentford and Arsenal contained several of those aforementioned names who spent large spells out injured last term.
It will take time for the likes of Justin and Castagne to get back to their fluent best but they have not become poor players overnight.
Giving up a two-goal lead in the 2-2 draw against the Bees will have stung but the result and performance suddenly looked more credible once Thomas Frank’s side had stuffed Manchester United 4-0 a week later.
Meanwhile, going to a confident Arsenal for their opening home fixture always looked a stiff ask yet they remained competitive until the dying stages of their 4-2 loss, with a first-half penalty also reversed via VAR.
Patience is the name of the game at Leicester — they could prove to be this season’s slow burner.
