‘I’m not daft’ – Under-pressure Brendan Rodgers says he has Leicester backing despite poor start

Brendan Rodgers says he has no intention of standing down as Leicester City manager after a poor start to the season, and insists he still has the club’s backing.

The Foxes got off to a disastrous start to their 2022-23 campaign and sit bottom of the Premier League after six rounds.

Rodgers’ side have picked up just one point so far, on the opening day against Brentford, and are currently on a five-match losing streak in the league.

A 5-2 loss to Brighton last weekend increased the pressure on Rodgers, but when he was asked if he has considered his position, he said: “No.”

The Northern Irishman said the club has been ‘very supportive’, but was realistic about how things stand heading into Saturday’s home clash against Aston Villa.

“I am not daft, I understand football, it has not been a great start at all,” Rodgers said.

“But the support shows the level of work we have done here and the appreciation of what we have been through over the course of the summer.

“It is my responsibility to improve the results, there is no question about that, but I have had nothing but support to get that.”

Rodgers, who took charge at the King Power in February 2019, led the Foxes to the FA Cup in 2021 and the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League last season.

But he lost star defender Wesley Fofana to Chelsea in the transfer window this summer, and was handed only two new additions to his squad – goalkeeper Alex Smithies and centre-back Wout Faes.

Despite the difficulties, Rodgers remains confident he can turn things around.

“I love being here, my record here is concrete in terms of what we have done and how performances have been,” he said.

“But it has not been to the level. My career has been built on resilience, which is something you need in this industry. It is how I have arrived where I am.

“The strength is very easy to come by, it is not easy when you are not getting results but it provides the motivation to get things right.”

After the visit of Villa, Leicester travel to Tottenham Hotspur before welcoming Nottingham Forest to the King Power.