Brendan Rodgers insists he never feared losing the Leicester City dressing room after he publicly called out his players following their embarrassing FA Cup defeat to Nottingham Forest.
The Leicester boss accused some of his squad of lacking hunger and admitted some of them ‘may have achieved everything they can’.
There were concerns that Rodgers’ decision to go public with his criticism could backfire among a group of players that he has already told he wants to overhaul in the summer.
Brendan Rodgers insists he never feared losing the Leicester City dressing room
‘I never had a fear of that,’ said Rodgers ahead of his side’s clash with West Ham.
‘Only because the players know I give them everything. From the first day I walked in here, most of these players, or a lot of them, will have signed new contracts. Their games have improved, the conditions of their lives have improved and, without being arrogant, we think we have developed the players to improve.
‘But we have to keep wanting to climb the mountains. To do that, you have to be hungry and have to be willing to prove a point. If that drops, then they know I will tell them. So I didn’t have a fear of that.
‘Maybe in the modern game where people will feel the need to always protect. You are accountable as a player. The manager is overall accountable: he picks the team, he picks the tactics so, whatever the result, the responsibility falls with the manager.
‘But I have got an honest group of players that I can tell and they know I will always look out for them and try to develop them to their best. But I think you have to be harsh to be clear sometimes. I think we have seen a reaction [in 2-0 defeat against Liverpool].’
Rodgers publicly called out his players following their FA Cup defeat to Nottingham Forest
Rodgers, though, is coming under pressure from supporters following a dismal run of five wins in 18 games, during which the club has crashed out of the Europa League in the group stages, lost a Carabao Cup quarter-final to Liverpool on penalties after leading 3-1 and seen their FA Cup defence end with an shambolic 4-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest.
The side he led to back-to-back fifth-placed finishes are now closer to the relegation, albeit with games in hand, than they are to the top seven.
The Northern Irishman believes he saw a response from his players against Liverpool, despite their defeat, during which he left recognised centre-backs Caglar Soyuncu and Jannik Vestergaard on the bench and instead selected midfielders Wilfred Ndidi and Daniel Amartey in the heart of defence.
Rodgers hopes he will see even more of a reaction in front of a home crowd on Sunday afternoon, one that will not be shy in expressing their frustration if Leicester’s players fail to show the hunger.
One player Rodgers believes has shown the attitude he wants is Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
One player who Rodgers believes has shown the attitude he wants from all of his squad is local youngster Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The 23-year-old only made his first Premier League start in December but has already developed into one of the club’s most reliable performers.
‘His performances over the last few months are from a player who is proving a point, who is hungry to show that he’s a player,’ said Rodgers.
‘This group of players is what I took over three-odd years ago and we have to ensure that that is there within our squad.
‘Because we don’t have the budgets of these top teams who can bring in all these top players.
‘We have to be fighting and running and working and then have that quality and that’s allowed us to succeed to a certain level.’