NOTHING TO PLAY FOR? FINISHING IN EIGHTH AND £13 MILLION!

RODGERS ON WHAT WOULD MAKE FOR A GOOD SEASON

EIGHTH place and a European semi-final would represent a really good season for Leicester City, manager Brendan Rodgers has insisted as the club seek to shake off the sense it’s been a disappointing campaign.

City have two games in four days to finish the season, starting at Chelsea on Thursday, and they could yet finish anywhere between eighth and 14th.

Not only could that final position make a difference to the mood of the team going into the summer, it will have a financial impact too, with a difference of more than £13 million between the two extremes in merit payments.

After back-to-back fifth-placed finishes in the past two seasons, Rodgers understands that expectations have been raised and that City will be judged against those. However, he firmly believes a final flourish this week means the campaign can be reflected upon positively.

“Where the team has been at for these past few years, they’ve set a really high level in terms of performance and what they’ve achieved and of course you will be held against that,” he said at his press conference on Tuesday.

“We also have to contextualise the season, around players who haven’t been available and everything else.

“For us to finish eighth, when everyone is talking about what a disappointing season we’ve had, it shows where this team has been elevated to. Some may say, is that judgement fair when you consider the challenges we’re up against, clubs and budgets and everything else? But the reality is that’s where the team has gone.

“It’s very clear the areas we need to improve in, so if we can finish in the top 10 having got to a European semi-final, with all the difficulties and challenges, that’s another really good season for Leicester City and gives us a great base for the summer to go and strengthen, get some work done on training and get ready for a really positive season next year.”

Currently in ninth, two wins for City is extremely likely to get eighth given the goal difference between them and Wolves. Provided the West Midlands side fail to beat title-chasing Liverpool on the final day, City only need four points from their final two games to clinch eighth. Three points against either Chelsea or Southampton should be enough to keep them in the top half.