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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Leicester City showed they mean business on Wednesday night as Brendan Rodgers named effectively a full-strength side for their Carabao Cup tie against Newcastle United.
Only two changes were made with captain Wes Morgan being given his first start of the season whilst Harvey Barnes was rewarded for thumping home their winner versus Sheffield United at the weekend.
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The game was stretched to penalties after Yoshinori Muto’s close-range strike cancelled out James Maddison’s deflected free-kick before the Foxes won via Jamie Vardy’s spot-kick after some heroics from goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.
Rodgers’ decision to produce a strong squad in the Carabao Cup goes to show that, even if he doesn’t realise it, he is learning from the mistakes made under ex-boss Claude Puel.
On the Chalkboard
Last season, the Foxes had a genuine chance to win some silverware if they had actually tried to contend in the cup competitions.
They rotated against Manchester City last season and were ultimately knocked out in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup for the second successive season.
The Northern Irish manager has expressed his desire to do well in the domestic tournaments, which is a far different attitude to that last season.
Puel eventually lost his job so that’s not a route Rodgers will want to go down himself.
His moves in the transfer market have been impressive whilst on the pitch he has Leicester playing a good enough style of football, which sees them sit fourth in the table already.
Yet the League Cup wasn’t the only competition Puel rotated in. Against Newport County in the FA Cup, they were on the end of a giant-killing after the Frenchman made changes to his XI.
Based on his selection and quotes this week, Rodgers isn’t in danger of repeating his predecessor’s failure.
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