Mueez Ajao
– Under-pressure Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers said he would respect any decision made about his future by the club’s owners after his side’s season hit a new low with a 6-2 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Saturday.
– Leicester had opened the scoring through Youri Tielemans penalty and were still very much in the game as they trailed 3-2 with a little under 20 minutes left on the clock.
– But a stunning, quick-fire hat-trick by Son Heung-Min off the bench left Leicester reeling after their sixth successive league defeat.
Also Read: Son scores hat-trick off the bench as Spurs batter Leicester
– They are currently bottom of the table with one point from their opening seven games, and they have already conceded 22 goals.
– As the Premier League takes a two-week break for the international window, Rodgers is the favourite to become the next manager to be shown the door.
– Asked if he was feeling the pressure, Rodgers, who took over in February 2019 and guided Leicester to consecutive fifth-placed finishes before, told Sky Sports: “It increases the pressure on me very much so. I come in every day and do my work. I totally understand the frustration of supporters. I can’t hide from that. It’s my responsibility.
– “Whatever happens I’ll have a huge amount of respect for them [the owners] because they’ve given me great support. I understand the game. The scoreline didn’t reflect the game but the bottom line is it’s a heavy defeat.
– “Whatever happens to me at Leicester whether I stay and fight on, I’ll always respect them.”
– Rodgers had raised eyebrows when he appeared to criticise the owners over Leicester’s lack of strengthening in the summer transfer window.
– The result at Tottenham was harsh on Leicester, who were matching their high-flying hosts for long periods with James Maddison’s goal sending them in level on 2-2 at half-time.
– They almost made it 3-3 as well when Patson Daka had a header brilliantly saved by Hugo Lloris.
– “For 73 minutes it was a good game and we were arguably the better side with the chances we created. We got punished for mistakes,” Rodgers said.
– “I asked the players to play with courage and be brave, and they were that. We conceded early in the second half for 3-2 and Hugo Lloris makes a great save for 3-3.
– “Then we lose the ball and they break away. At 4-2 it becomes open and that’s about managing the game and the scoreline. The scoreline looks worse than the game was.
– “I feel for the players. They didn’t deserve that.”
– Despite his perilous position, Rodgers sounded a defiant note, saying he was still confident he could turn it around.
– “It’s a challenge I will relish,” Rodgers said. “Now we can only look forward.”
"I can't hide from that"
Brendan Rodgers accepts he is under a lot of pressure in his role after another heavy defeat for Leicester. pic.twitter.com/wP1fsCKr7j
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 17, 2022
