Premier League English

If Leicester can sack Ranieri then Rodgers is already a dead man walking

The Foxes have notably taken the least points from winning positions so far this season, having squandered a sixth-minute lead to lose by four goals to the team that has rescued the most points from behind.

Yet somehow this seems to be old hat as Brendan Rodgers and his players are inevitably being entirely undone by the giant set-piece target burrowed into their collective forehead, conceding from assorted corners taken both short and long.

Antonio Conte seen joyously celebrating with utmost glee was perfectly understandable while Heung-min Son steadfastly refused to smile during any stage of his hat-trick was odd.

This could easily have been a replay of any good old encounter between Tottenham and Leicester in modern history with their games this century having registered scorelines of 4-2, 4-3, 4-4, 5-4, 6-1 and now 6-2.

Saturday’s soiree between these two teams actually revealed nothing new, with the facts being perfunctory – Kane is phenomenal, for one. Son is the slayer who needed a confidence booster in the form of either a rest on the bench or an adrenaline shot in the arm, both of which he got in this outing. Wilfred Ndidi’s imposter is not very convincing. Of course, there’s also the statement that Tottenham are indeed excellent if but slightly flawed on occasions. And, admittedly, Leicester are broken and in need of a massive fix.

Each statement of absolute fact was merely confirmed over the course of Saturday evening. And now to these we can comfortably add another: Brendan Rodgers is a done deal. Or at least should be.

There’s no way he can conceivably come back from this. The bridge is collapsing with the sheer volume of water forcing it under. The Northern Irishman could haplessly in his defense point forlornly to two fifth-placed finishes, an FA Cup and a European semi-final but let’s not conveniently forget that to the club that had so coldly sacked the manager who delivered a miracle in the past, all this will ultimately account for little.

Leicester was unfazed in the least bit when they parted company with their earlier savior Claudio Ranieri in 2017 because it was the right thing to do. The decision and the act were both harsh and heartless, without a doubt but it could still hardly be overlooked that the Italian had overseen a run of one win in nine and six consecutive goalless Premier League games to leave the club foraging for crumbs in 17th place.

Rodgers now has celebrated eight goals in his own fate-sealing six-game run of defeats, but the owners might have a few questions about the conspicuous 20 shipped out in that time while the gaffer proclaims his self-defense with complaints about a lack of backing in the recent transfer window.

All this will cut no ice with those who made the decision to cut the cloth according to their needs when trying to “protect the club’s long-term interests” – something which relegation to the Championship, which could be a reality if the club doesn’t pull up their pants in time, would probably not serve all that well.

Granted that the manager could most likely proffer some legitimate complaints about the stale and sterile nature of his squad but this was something he had already known long in advance.

The Foxes have now been reduced to a one-point-in-seven-games squad. Yet what is even more insufferable is seeing your manager say he just wants shinier toys to play with – surely something that is not conducive to off-pitch harmony or on-pitch competence. It all points to an irretrievable disconnect in both the sheer degree and the variety of individual errors.

Rodgers should be well aware that the main onus of responsibility will fall at his door and nowhere else. It did so seven years ago at Liverpool, when he was sacked heading into an international break.

It would genuinely be shocking if Leicester do not follow suit.