Brendan Rodgers' ARROGANCE has cost Leicester this season - but he's still earned a shot at a big club

Rodgers succeeded the dour Claude Puel in February 2019. The Premier League looked very different then. Maurizio Sarri was chewing fags in the Chelsea dugout, Mauricio Pochettino was still at Tottenham and Huddersfield Town were still hanging around.

When he took over, Leicester looked rudderless, as close to the relegation zone as they were to seventh place. The players were tired of Puel's safety-first tactics and man management, and badly needed an injection of energy.

Rodgers provided that in spades, guiding them to within seven points of the European places by the time the season drew to a close.

The following campaign was when things really got going, though. Buoyed by the permanent arrival of Youri Tielemans, the guile of Maddison, a rock-solid defence and a revitalised Jamie Vardy, Leicester stormed into Champions League contention during the first half of the season, infamously thrashing Southampton 9-0 en route to a mid-campaign points tally of 39 - good enough for second place behind a dominant Liverpool.

Although they would heartbreakingly fall out of the top four on the final day of the season, Rodgers had Leicester playing the best football of their modern era, and there was more success to come.

The following campaign, despite the added strain of playing on Thursday nights, Leicester were again in with a shout of qualifying for the Champions League on the final day of the season. Although they fell short for a second time, the blow was softened significantly by them lifting the FA Cup - a trophy that had eluded the Foxes since their formation in 1884.

In a world where the 'Big Six' dwarf the rest of the league for spending power, Rodgers' achievements were nothing less than miraculous.

One of the key themes of Rodgers' monstrous first two full seasons at the helm was his ability to improve players and react to the departures of key personnel.

The summer before Leicester's fifth-placed finish, the club sold Harry Maguire to Manchester United for a world-record fee. Maguire was a near ever-present prior to his departure, but Rodgers solved the problem perfectly, promoting Caglar Soyuncu - back then, a bit-part player - to the first team.

By the end of that season, Maguire was struggling while Soyuncu was inducted into the PFA Team of the Year.

The following summer, Ben Chilwell was flogged to Chelsea. Again, Rodgers handled the solution, with James Justin performing superbly before suffering a heartbreaking injury. Some of the Chilwell money was also invested into Wesley Fofana, who soon emerged as one of the very best young defenders in world football under Rodgers' guidance.

More generally, a host of players have thrived partly thanks to his leadership. As mentioned, Vardy enjoyed an Indian summer in the last few years along with - to a lesser extent - Jonny Evans. Maddison also developed from precocious talent into creative fulcrum, Ricardo Pereira had an astounding run of form that saw him linked with a host of elite clubs, while Harvey Barnes and Justin became full England internationals during Rodgers' time at the King Power Stadium.

In an era where eeking the most out of your playing resources is as important as it's ever been for clubs operating with financial constraints, the former Leicester boss squeezed every morsel of ability from his side during those two seasons.

After lifting the FA Cup, it felt like things could only get better for Rodgers and Leicester. But the summer of 2021 marked a significant change of approach in the transfer market.

Every year since their miraculous title win, they had sold one major asset and used the funds to re-invest in the squad. First it was N'Golo Kante, then Danny Drinkwater, followed by Riyad Mahrez, Maguire and Chilwell.

It was widely expected that Tielemans would be next on the conveyor belt, with Arsenal and Liverpool strongly linked with the Belgian. Instead, the midfielder stayed, and over £60 million was invested in Patson Daka, Boubakary Soumare and Jannik Vestergaard. Ryan Bertrand was also brought in on a free - but all four signings have been unmitigated disasters.

In hindsight, that transfer window was a huge missed opportunity for Leicester. After several seasons together, things have gotten increasingly stale, both in terms of results and performances.

Europa Conference League semi-final aside, the 2021-22 season was underwhelming and Rodgers was desperate to shake up the squad. He did not get his wish, with Leicester making just one first-team signing all summer - Wout Faes, brought in from Reims on transfer deadline day.

This lack of activity was compounded by the departures of Fofana and captain Kasper Schmeichel, and since that disappointing window, Leicester's key players have regressed at an accelerated rate.

Vardy has slowed down considerably, Tielemans has not been the same since his prospective move away fell apart and the drop off in Soyuncu's performances have been alarming.

They are not the only players who look like shadows of their former selves either. Wilfred Ndidi consistently led the Premier League for interceptions and tackles during the first half of Rodgers' reign, but fitness problems and shaky form has made him increasingly error-prone in a vital position for Rodgers' possession-based style.

Evans barely plays these days too, thanks to a string of niggling knocks, indicative of the fitness problems that have plagued Rodgers in recent years.

However, while he can feel unlucky about the injuries and aggrieved that the recruitment did not work out - even though he was heavily involved in the latter - his decision making this season must be questioned.

Even when things were at their best, Rodgers' handling of the squad has always been a point of contention with some Leicester fans. This season, that discontent has been as strong as ever.

His inability to get the best out of Soyuncu has been a concern. Rodgers publicly questioned the Turkey international's training performances in October and has barely used him this season. It's a less than ideal situation, when you consider Leicester's defensive struggles and the fact that Soyuncu was once regarded as one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League.

Rodgers has had clear issues with £20m-rated Soumare too. His Leicester career seemed to be over, only for his manager to reintroduce him to the side in the autumn, before flip-flopping again. The Frenchman now hasn't started since December.

Dennis Praet has experienced similar issues, as has Kelechi Iheanacho more than once in his time at the King Power Stadium.

Rodgers also fell out with Vestergaard after the Dane questioned why he wasn't starting. Though in this case the former Southampton man's performances did probably warrant a spell in the reserves...

Even still, it's clear that Rodgers has been unable to keep a harmonious squad this season. This has manifested in a lack of spirit and disjointed displays on the pitch.

Leicester fans have lost count at the amount of times the Foxes have squandered the lead this term - they have dropped more points than any other team from winning positions (22).

Nothing has done more to sever the connection between Rodgers and the board than his bizarre, perhaps even arrogant press conferences this year.

In the early stages of the season, he never missed an opportunity to complain that his side was in need of refresh, and matters came to a head when his side lost 1-0 to Manchester United on transfer deadline day.

"With the greatest of respect, we haven't had the help in the market that this team needed. So it's a case of pushing on when the window changes this evening," he told BT Sport after the game.

It was an ill-judged comment, considering that the board had invested heavily in the club's infrastructure since Rodgers' arrival - in the form of a state-of-the-art training facility and stadium upgrades - and spending in the summer would have reportedly put them in danger of breaching financial rules.

This set the tone for a season of risky public comments, with Rodgers scarcely taking responsibility for his side's shortcomings. This, combined with a string of dire home performances, have meant the atmosphere has been hostile at the King Power Stadium for some time.

So, what is next?

It's clear that Rodgers' enthusiasm for the Leicester job waned as soon as they hit the financial glass ceiling that prevents any club from sustaining a challenge for the Premier League top four.

Before then, he achieved some quite staggering results and he will no doubt be backing himself for a job at one of the 'Big Six' or an elite European club should a suitable one become available.

Is he cut out for the elite game, though?

What is a worry is his teams' seeming inability to handle high-pressure situations. Case in point, Leicester's failure to get over the line and qualify for the Champions League in successive seasons and Liverpool's infamous Premier League title failure.

Rodgers also has losing a European semi-final on his CV, while his side's inability to hold onto a lead over the past two seasons speaks of a mental fragility he seems to imprint on his squads.

Despite all this, he still departs Leicester with the third-highest win percentage for a manager who has spent over five games at the helm, and an FA Cup winners' medal to boot.

Tottenham could surely do a lot worse than turning to him in the summer, depending on where other free agents Mauricio Pochettino and Julian Nagelsmann land. There is also the Chelsea link, and Rodgers ability to guide young players to the top of their games may even see his name discussed by Todd Boehly and Co when they consider their replacement for Graham Potter.

Rodgers may favour a few months out, however. It's been a testing campaign and in truth, he lost his managerial mojo some time ago.