Rodgers' first game in charge ended in a 2-1 loss
Sunday 3 March 2019 14:48, UK
Leicester were beaten 2-1 by Watford at Vicarage Road as Brendan Rodgers lost his first game in charge.
Jamie Vardy seemed to have rescued a point for the visitors when he cancelled out Troy Deeney's early opener, but substitute Andre Gray scored in stoppage time to seal the win for Watford.
The defeat showed the areas of improvement for Rodgers - although the performance was not without positives...
Rodgers' reign got off to the worst possible start as Leicester immediately found themselves on the back foot. Watford almost scored after three minutes, with Adrian Mariappa and Gerard Deulofeu going close following a Jose Holebas free-kick, and the breakthrough arrived soon afterwards.
It came from another set-piece. This time, it was a sumptuous delivery from the opposite flank by Deulofeu, with Deeney getting the better of Wes Morgan to flick his header beyond Kasper Schmeichel from inside Leicester's six-yard box.
"I actually thought that Leicester starter really poorly - I think it was three or four minutes before they crossed the halfway line," said David Moyes in the Sky Sports studio. "They handed the initiative to the home team early on," added Graeme Souness.
It was not the first time Leicester have started slowly this season. In fact, it was the 12th goal they have conceded in the opening 15 minutes of a game. It is three more than any other Premier League side and represents 30 per cent of their total.
Stamping out the slow starts should be a priority for the new man in charge, but Gray's winner was a reminder that complacency is an issue late in games, too. Leicester have now lost three Premier League games this season to goals scored after the 90th minute. It's down to Rodgers to strengthen their mentality.
Rodgers outlined his plans to build his side around Vardy before the game, comparing the 32-year-old to Luis Suarez and saying he would be "absolutely central" to his plans, but despite his goal, clinically taken from Youri Tielemans' through ball, it seems Rodgers has plenty of work to do to get the best out of him.
Because up until that moment, in the 75th minute, Vardy had barely had a kick, with Leicester struggling to provide him with any service. The statistics showed he only had 10 touches before the goal, and by the time he left the field with an injury in the closing stages, that total stood at 15. It was the lowest of any player who started the game and one of his lowest all season.
The goal was a reminder of just how clinical Vardy can be - he showed his intelligence to move back into an onside position before timing his run perfectly and clipping a cool finish over the advancing Ben Foster - but if Rodgers really wants to make him central to his plans, he needs to find a way of getting the ball to him more regularly.
Rodgers made only a single change to Leicester's starting line-up but it was a significant one, with Morgan coming in and Demarai Gray dropping out. The extra central defender allowed Leicester to use three at the back for the first time since their 3-1 loss to Arsenal in October and only the second time all season.
Rodgers' logic was easy to understand. Ben Chilwell and Ricardo Pereira are two of Leicester's most effective attacking outlets. By pushing them forward from full-back to wing-back, he was able to play to their strengths. They bombed forward effectively throughout, delivering a combined total of 11 crosses between them - many of which caused Watford real problems.
The formation change helped Leicester defensively, too. Rodgers' men conceded two soft goals, but apart from Watford's early flurry of chances and the late winner, Leicester confined them to few opportunities.
In fact, the visitors faced just six shots over the course of the entire game - their joint-lowest total of the season in the Premier League and a considerable drop on the average of 11.4 per game they faced during Claude Puel's time in charge.
Harry Maguire, Morgan and Jonny Evans were able to keep Watford's forwards quiet for long periods, and they were helped by Wilfred Ndidi in front of them. The Nigerian completed 12 ball recoveries in total - twice as many as any of his Leicester team-mates.
Ultimately, Leicester's complacency cost them dearly, but Rodgers will at least have seen enough to believe the new formation can provide a platform for improvement in the months ahead.
