Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Sport
Nick Mashiter

Brendan Rodgers sets 40-points target as Leicester’s situation is ‘totally different’ now

PA Archive

Brendan Rodgers admits Leicester can only target 40 points after their summer cutbacks.

The Foxes are bottom and winless in the Premier League ahead of Sunday’s trip to Brighton.

They had to sell Wesley Fofana to Chelsea for £70million before Rodgers could bring in any new recruits, with defender Wout Faes joining from Reims this week.

Chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha wrote in Thursday’s programme ahead of the 1-0 defeat to Manchester United that FFP and Covid were two of the biggest reasons for the Foxes’ position.

They have been unable to significantly strengthen and Rodgers is facing up to the reality of the situation this season, having finished fifth in 2020 and 2021.

He said: “Our objective is to get to 40 points. It’s totally different (from the past).

“I’m preparing to get to 40 points, to get working and everyone going in the same direction. We’re not going to lay down and roll over, we have to find a way now.

“I felt six months ago we needed to improve in the summer. No matter how good you have been it needs regenerating.

Our objective is to get to 40 points. We're not going to lay down and roll over, we have to find a way now
— Brendan Rodgers

“Some players when I came into here, three-and-a-half years ago, at that point were being written off at 32 and 33 years old. We are three-and-a-half years on and not a great deal has changed in terms of the starting XI.

“I knew it would be an issue for us and we haven’t been able to do it.”

In contrast, Brighton have enjoyed a positive start, despite selling Marc Cucurella, Yves Bissouma and Neal Maupay.

Their unbeaten run came to an end after losing 2-1 at Fulham on Tuesday, but Rodgers expects the Seagulls to pose a tough challenge.

“I agree they have made an excellent start,” said the former Liverpool manager. “We’ll go away, recover (from losing to United) and it’ll be a difficult game for us. Other teams know as well once we start to click we can cause problems for them.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.