Brendan Rodgers proving his quality at Leicester

In his early years as a coach, Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers was seen by many as a very special coach. The Northern Irishman was highly-regarded even before he got his first job as a club boss. At 46-years of age, he is now proving his managerial qualities at Leicester, with the Foxes currently riding high in second place in the Premier League table.

Did a decent job at Liverpool and Celtic

It is easy to forget that Brendan Rodgers came so close to ending Liverpool’s English top-flight title drought in season 2013/14. An end of season collapse saw the Merseysider’s fire Rodgers.

For much of the time on Merseyside, the highly-rated coach did a good job, even of some painted him as a David Brent type figure. His sacking by Liverpool led to question marks about his managerial ability.

However, his time trophy-laden spell with Celtic helped him polish his managerial craft, without being in the crazy public eye of the English media.  The attitude towards Rodgers at Celtic seemed to be ‘its only the SPL’. However, during those three and a bit year’s in Scotland, he developed his man-management and coaching skills.

Rodgers made the right decision by joining Leicester

The move to Leicester was a slight gamble for Rodgers and by the Foxes themselves. Rodgers could have stayed in the comfort of Celtic and the SPL for a good while longer, probably winning title after title. However, his return to English football was inevitable. He may have said that he doesn’t feel like he has anything to prove, but most believe he has something to prove after the latter months of his Liverpool career.

Many Celtic fans asked why he decided to move from their club to a mid-table Premier League team. The answer was ambition. Rodgers wants to manage at the highest level of the game. The SPL is not the highest level of the game.

Neither was managing Leicester on his appointment back in February. However, the move has paid off handsomely for Rodgers. He must have realised that the Foxes squad had a tremendous balance and potential when he took the job. A good squad of players, coupled with good coaching has made Leicester the surprise package of the Premier League this season. Rodgers deserves immense credit for the job he has done so far.

Some have talked about the Leicester Job as a potential stepping stone for Rodgers to a bigger club. However, why would he want to move anywhere else with his team in such a fantastic position? There has been talk of Rodgers moving to Arsenal. Looking at it as a neutral, that would be a backward step considering the current states of the two teams and clubs.

Leicester have a golden opportunity this season

Some had predicted that Leicester would amongst the dark horses for a top-four spot this season. In fact, the Foxes are now amongst the favourites to seal a Champions League spot at odds of 4/7. With a number of the usual top-four suspects struggling to find form, the Foxes look to have a golden opportunity to seal a spot in Europe’s elite competition for next season.

Boss Brendan Rodgers has played a major role in their rise to second-place this season. The campaign so far shows that Rodgers does have the managerial potential that many predicted in his days as a coach. If Leicester seals a top-four finish, no doubt there will be interest from elsewhere. However, with the Foxes in the Champions League, it would be questionable if he would want to move elsewhere.

Can Brendan Rodgers guide Leicester to a top-four spot this season?