Leicester City and Chelsea were the only two teams to have not registered a new signing ahead of the 2022/23 season. That was until the West London side announced the signing of Raheem Sterling on Wednesday, leaving nothing to spare the former’s blushes.
After back-to-back seasons in the fight for Champions League qualification and winning silverware in the form of the club’s first FA Cup followed by a Community Shield, a hangover of sorts wasn’t pre-determined but could be foreseen in Brendan Rodgers’ tenure at Leicester City.
Considering the fine margins in which their team missed out on the top four in both the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons, the overwhelming feeling among fans was one of falling short of their targets.
There is no doubting that at a point in both campaigns the goalposts shifted for Rodgers. On either occasion, a dip in the latter stages saw his side undo the foundations laid previously.
Leicester spent 325 and 242 days respectively in the top four during the 19/20 and 20/21 seasons, the two displaying an eery similarity.
A hangover, transitional season, or total failure. Irrespective of the label attached, the Foxes fell short in 2021/22.
2019/20: Leicester spent 325 days in the top four but finish fifth in the Premier League
— William Hill (@WilliamHill) May 23, 2021
2020/21: Leicester spent 242 days in the top four but finish fifth in the Premier League
It's happened again... 😬 pic.twitter.com/bZo8bb3C9b
Injuries a lazy explanation for Leicester City’s demise?
Injuries have been a concurrent issue for Rodgers in the three years since his arrival, but the severity of the problem appears to have risen.
Periods of ill-fitness are to be expected for squads, especially considering the hectic domestic schedule notwithstanding European commitments, however, the hope is they’ll be spread across a range of positions.
Therefore, the backup brigade is called upon which then brings into question purely the manner in which the team has been prepared ahead of the campaign.
Rodgers experienced a phenomenon such as the above in his previous two full seasons, but in the most recent the focus of his absentees was just that: focused.
The reason Leicester’s absentees proved so costly was a double blow. Firstly, the specific players side-lined and secondly the specific positions they occupied.