Rodgers’ side prime example of why closed shop must not become reality Fire Leicester to final
Five years ago Leicester City smashed the window of the “closed shop” by winning the Premier League, giving everybody a chance to dream. That fairy tale under Claudio Ranieri inspired us all, from clubs in the lower leagues to local communities and supporters, proving that underdog spirit and careful management can match vast financial power.
This season, under Brendan Rodgers, Leicester have now reached their first FA Cup final since 1969, while they also remain in contention for a place in next season’s Champions League.
Rodgers speaks regularly of his intention to “disrupt the hierarchy” and gatecrash the private members’ party of the traditional “Big Six”, and here was another evening to savour.
Perhaps more than any club in the
Premier League in recent times, Leicester are the prime example of why the plot to break away is a power-mad, crazed idea.
Leicester have been champions of England more recently than three of the Big Six, in Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, so you can imagine how news of this latest proposal was received as it broke before yesterday’s semi-final.
When the Premier League is discussed worldwide, Leicester are held up as evidence to why our game is so unpredictable, after achieving a sporting miracle with the title win in 2015-16. How that triumph must have got up the noses of the big beasts of English football.
Rodgers has turned putting noses out of joint into an art form since his appointment and will now face another of the spineless plotters, Chelsea, in the final next month.
This was another notable achievement for the Northern Irishman, coming at a time when cynics were predicting another late-season wobble for his team.
The victory over Southampton also comes weeks after what he confessed was the lowest moment of his tenure in the East Midlands, when James Maddison, Ayoze Perez and Hamza Choudhury breached Covid19 regulations by attending a party.
Perez was given an instant opportunity for redemption by starting
here, with Maddison also appearing midway through the second half as a substitute, but it was Kelechi Iheanacho who continued his own remarkable story with the only goal of a game which never took off.
Iheanacho is one of many players reborn under the intuitive management of Rodgers and the first goal conceded by Southampton in the competition this season was a costly one. Their FA Cup run has enabled manager Ralph Hasenhuttl to avoid more scrutiny over recent results: their wimpish display at West Bromwich Albion last Monday was their 11th defeat in 14 league matches.
Hasenhuttl now has to finish the season strongly after a nightmarish 2021 which has Southampton bottom of the form table. They never looked capable of reaching their first showpiece final in 18 years.
Leicester’s own season is very much alive and the prospect of winning this competition for the first time is tantalisingly in their grasp. They continue to be the soul of the Premier League, the beating heart, completing a transformation from underdogs to pedigree performers.
Thankfully, they are keeping it exciting and unpredictable. More than anyone in English football outside the established elite over the last five years, they underline why the European super league must never become a reality.