If you said to Leicester City at the start of this season that they would finish fifth and win the FA Cup, they almost certainly would have taken it. And yet, there should be a sense that there is something inherently lacking in that team.
They entered this afternoon's final round of Premier League fixtures as outsiders to finish in the top four, needing to defeat Spurs and hope other results go their way elsewhere.
Things looked to be going their way for a while, taking the lead against Spurs on two separate occasions. That was also helped by events at Villa Park where Chelsea had fallen into a 2-0 deficit.
However, Leicester would be unable to hold their lead. After a remarkable own goal from Kasper Schmeichel, two late strikes from Gareth Bale condemned them to a 4-2 defeat. Chelsea would retain their spot in the top four despite the loss to Aston Villa.
This could only happen to a Brendan Rodgers team on the final day of the season. #LEITOT pic.twitter.com/hPMuNXJDJN
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) May 23, 2021
This is the second campaign in-a-row that Leicester have experienced a similar collapse.
Last season, they spent months in second or third position, only to win two of their final nine fixtures and drop out of the top four.
Their collapse this years was equally dramatic, losing five of their final nine games to finish fifth once more.
In all, Leicester City have spent more time in the top four than any other Premier League club over the last two seasons. They only dropped out of it for the first time earlier this week.
"Leicester City are punching above their weight."#LCFC have been in the top four for 567 days since the start of last season. Can they make it count today?
📺 Watch Final Score on the BBC Sport app and Red Button 👉 https://t.co/nA2sUucgRE #bbcfootball pic.twitter.com/mBKQNbq2XX— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) May 23, 2021
While you could well argue that Leicester were punching above their weight to be in that position, questions must be asked about their mentality having capitulated in this manner in two consecutive campaigns.
Brendan Rodgers has struggled to get his team over the line during the final stretches of seasons before, most notably at Liverpool. While he has done an excellent job at Leicester, they cannot be pleased to have missed out Champions League football once again.
No team has spent more time in the top four than Leicester City over the last two seasons. They're now going to miss out on Champions League qualification on both occasions.
Wouldn't other teams get much harsher criticism for that? #LEITOT— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) May 23, 2021
Rodgers' position will not be under threat, but serious questions should be asked how he and his players let this slip yet again.
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