I will fight on, vows embattled Leicester boss

BRENDAN RODGERS insisted he would battle on as Leicester boss but is facing increasing scrutiny after the club’s worst start to a season since 1983. Leicester’s 5-2 thrashing at Brighton was their fifth league defeat in a row, a sequence that resulted in the sacking of Claudio Ranieri when it last happened in February 2017. Rodgers was booed by some travelling Foxes supporters at full-time. The Foxes face Aston Villa at home on Saturday before travelling to Tottenham the following weekend, prior to the international break — but there was little in the abject display at the Amex that suggested they were about to turn a corner. Asked whether he still had the backing of Leicester’s ownership, Rodgers said: ‘I’ve never asked for it in all my time here. I’ve never wanted it. I’ll continue to do my work and come in and study and do as much as I can.

‘I’ve never turned work down. I’ve always come in early and finished late at night and I’ll continue to do that.

‘The challenge, we have to embrace it, I’m certainly not going to shirk it. It’s been really difficult but we just need to get that laser focus on the team.’

The seeds for Leicester’s dire start were sown during a difficult summer when they signed only one outfield player, Wout Faes. The Belgian defender was brought in to replace Wesley Fofana, who joined Chelsea for £75million, but was not available here as his documentation had not arrived in time. Rodgers has repeatedly made his frustration about Leicester’s lack of activity in the market clear, with the club keen to ensure they stay within UEFA Financial Fair Play regulations in the coming months.

Although the transfer window closed only four days ago, Rodgers hinted again that the most effective solution to Leicester’s problems is to sign new players.

He said: ‘I’ve never lost any belief in what I do but the summer was a challenge for us. Ultimately I’m responsible for the results and results at this moment in time haven’t been good enough.

‘For us, it’s like a jigsaw. We’ve got pieces missing. It’s a constant challenge to try to fill the gaps where the pieces are missing. That’s the reality.

‘It won’t stop us fighting to get the best results we can. Football can change very quickly and if we get one result, that will bring a lot of confidence into the players.’

Brighton boss Graham Potter was delighted with his team’s display yet frustrated the scoreline was not even more impressive. Alexis Mac Allister’s glorious strike early in the second half was ruled out because two team-mates were offside — though it took VAR nearly five minutes to reach the decision.

Potter said: ‘It’s disappointing for him as he’ll probably never strike a better ball, as well as for the fans. The downside of VAR is that you take away the joy of scoring as it always has to be checked. ‘Maybe you see the right decision but…ugh, ok. Thankfully it was still a good outcome for us.’