Brendan Rodgers

The Season So Far: Promising Early Signs In Unbeaten August

Starting in August, LCFC.com provides a month-by-month breakdown of Leicester City's 2019/20 season during the Premier League's first-ever winter break.
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Brendan Rodgers' maiden full season in charge of the Football Club began, as it usually does, amid lavish sunshine on the opening day at King Power Stadium.

Wolverhampton Wanderers, who qualified for the UEFA Europa League on their first season back in the top flight since 2012, were the visitors.

The pre-match conversation centred around what many expected would be another battle between the Midlands rivals for European qualification.

Issue 1 of CITY Matchday Magazine, meanwhile, included an exclusive interview with Khun Top, who had recently been formally announced as Leicester City's new Chairman.

He spoke of City's state-of-the-art new training facility in north Leicestershire, due to open this summer, and building upon the wonderful legacy left behind by his father, Khun Vichai.

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Khun Top

"These developments were all part of my father’s dream for Leicester City," he said. "It’s a dream that belongs to all of us now and it will be my honour to lead the Club as we pursue that dream together.”

Three days prior, the Foxes had completed the Deadline Day signing of midfielder Dennis Praet, who joined Belgian team-mate Youri Tielemans in Rodgers' squad.

It was the final piece of summer business which also saw Leicester procure the services of full-back James Justin and forward Ayoze Pérez.

The league's major title challengers got off to fliers as Liverpool beat Norwich 4-1 at Anfield, before Manchester City ran out 5-0 victors at West Ham United.

In contrast, there were no goals to speak of on Filbert Way, as Nuno Espírito Santo's visitors, whose European qualification campaign began in July, frustrated their hosts.

Jamie Vardy went close to converting a neat cross from Tielemans in the first half, while Leander Dendoncker's strike was chalked off by VAR, due to Willy Boly's handball in the build-up.

"The players gave everything," Rodgers told LCFC TV at full-time. "They were very focused in the game and tactically, we dealt with their shape well. It was always going to be a tight game."

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VAR intervenes at King Power Stadium

City thought they were behind on Filbert Way, until VAR intervened.

Next up, Frank Lampard's first home match as Chelsea manager, against the Foxes. The Blues icon had recently swapped Derby for west London, but was yet to win in his new post.

That wait would have to continue. Leicester arrived, looking pretty in pink in their new adidas away shirt, among the most popular the Club has ever produced since replica kits have been sold.

A transfer embargo had limited Lampard's ability to adapt his squad, but his solution was to integrate youth in positions where experience still remained in his first team squad.

One of the main beneficiaries of that was midfielder Mason Mount, who capitalised on an uncharacteristic error from Wilfred Ndidi to give Chelsea an early lead at Stamford Bridge.

Typically, Ndidi, a supreme tackler and a vital cog in City's system, responded defiantly, crashing in to nod James Maddison's precise corner beyond Kepa Arrizabalaga to make it 1-1 in the capital.

Not content with holding Lampard's men, Leicester pressed forward, with the introduction of Praet from the bench one of several contributing factors behind an increased attacking threat late on.

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Wilfred Ndidi

Ndidi wheels away, closely followed by his Foxes colleagues, after netting an equaliser at Chelsea.

Maddison blazed over from close range, Vardy arrowed wide from a tight angle and Kepa saved from Tielemans as Chelsea escaped with a point, despite actually enjoying the better of the first half.

The disappointment was a sign of the ambition in Rodgers' squad. "It could have been more," wrote Vardy on his official Twitter page. "[We'll] keep on fighting," said Ricardo Pereira.

There was another emerging story, meanwhile. The form of Çağlar Söyüncü in defence. Following the departure Harry Maguire, the Turkey international started City's opening two fixtures.

The former SC Freiburg centre-back, signed a summer earlier, showed incredible composure on the ball, a fearsome turn of pace and a steely determination to win possession. 

He was there again, alongside the imperious Jonny Evans, for the trip to Bramall Lane to face Chris Wilder's newly-promoted Sheffield United in Leicester's third outing of the season.

During his pre-match press conference, Rodgers implored his side to consider the Blades a serious threat, pointing to their breathtaking form in the Sky Bet Championship.

Wilder had guided United from League 1 to the Premier League and approached the fixture with four points won in his side's opening two games, following a 1-0 home success over Crystal Palace.

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Harvey Barnes

A barnstormer from Harvey Barnes wins it at Bramall Lane.

It did not escape the locals' attention that Vardy, City's all-time top Premier League goalscorer, was a former youth product at bitter rivals Sheffield Wednesday and they greeted him in kind.

However, Vardy did what Vardy so often does, and relished his role as the pantomime villain, latching onto Maddison's stylish through ball to lash it past Dean Henderson. The celebration was as you'd expect.

Oli McBurnie, a summer signing in south Yorkshire, duly levelled the scores for the home side, but the match would be settled by a thunderbolt of quality from Academy graduate Harvey Barnes.

Late on, Christian Fuchs, deputising for the injured Ben Chilwell, looped a cross into the Blades' penalty area. Söyüncü's header landed to Barnes, who belted it first time into the top corner.

That strike would settle an enthralling clash, while also seeing Barnes scoop both the Leicester City and Premier League Goal of the Month awards in August. Leicester, meanwhile, sat third in the table.

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Kasper Schmeichel

Penalty specialist Kasper Schmeichel strikes again in the North East.

City's next outing in the first month of 2019/20, on the other hand, involved the Foxes heading north to contest a Carabao Cup Second Round tie at Newcastle United, managed by Steve Bruce.

Rodgers bucked a trend typical of Premier League managers by making only two changes to his starting line-up with Barnes and Club captain Wes Morgan coming into the starting XI at St. James' Park.

However, the Foxes found the Magpies tough to break down and, despite Maddison's deflected free-kick giving them the lead, they had to endure penalties, after Yoshinori Muto levelled matters.

Fuchs, Maddison – the scorer of a Panenka penalty – Tielemans and Vardy were on target from 12 yards, while two crucial saves from Kasper Schmeichel sent his side through to the third round.

The goals started to flow with more regularity on the final day of August. AFC Bournemouth were the visitors to King Power Stadium as the Foxes hit full stride on another baking hot afternoon.

Vardy was the architect of their success, netting his first two home goals of the season, and laying it up for Tielemans to open his account as Leicester maintained their position in the top four.

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Jamie Vardy

Off the mark at home in 2019/20, Jamie Vardy's brace sinks Bournemouth.

The former Fleetwood Town striker's first was a classic Vardy moment. Chilwell lofted the ball forward and, without a moment's thought, the Foxes striker clipped it over the onrushing Aaron Ramsdale.

Callum Wilson briefly restored equality on the scoresheet for the Cherries, although Rodgers' men headed into the tunnel at half-time ahead as Tielemans found the net, via the post, from close range.

With just under 20 minutes remaining, Maddison recovered the ball off Chris Mepham and it fell fortuitously to Tielemans – with the Belgian’s instinctive pass finding Vardy, who slotted in for 3-1.

The manager later said: "We’re a great team, we want more and we want to do better, so there’s areas of the game that we need to improve on of course but the players have absolutely given everything."

It meant Leicester headed into September - a month which included facing Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Luton Town and Newcastle again - still unbeaten, impressing many with their style of play.

An encouraging start would continue to develop into a sincerely encouraging campaign for the Foxes, one which will be remembered for staggering, record-breaking victories and continued progress. 

Leicester City Crest

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