LEICESTER’S agony at missing out on the Champions League has been made worse by the fact they spent the longest-time in the top four this season.
Last week’s defeat at Chelsea saw them drop down to fifth in the Premier League.
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Therefore the Foxes went into their final day showdown with Tottenham knowing they must win to reach Europe’s prestige club competition.
Unfortunately for Brendan Rodgers’ side, despite leading twice, they suffered a 4-2 setback against Spurs.
Even more heartbreakingly for them was the fact that Chelsea went down 2-1 at Aston Villa – meaning a win would have guaranteed them fourth instead of Thomas Tuchel’s men.
Liverpool went on to beat Crystal Palace and clinch third and Champions League qualification.
Now Rodgers and side are facing up to the prospect of another season in the Europa League – just 12 months after slipping out of the top four again on the last day.
It is a bitter pill to swallow for the side that just week earlier were celebrating lifting the FA Cup for the very first time.
And what makes it even more harder to comprehend is the fact that no other team occupied a place in the top for longer than them this term – even champions Manchester City.
Leicester spent a total of 242 days of the 2020/21 campaign in those positions.
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The next best was Manchester United – who finished second in the league – who had a total of 155 days in the top four.
Despite the painful end, Rodgers did remain upbeat afterwards.
He said: “I said to the players before the game we’ve been playing non-stop – except for 21 days – for two years.
“When we started work together we were mid-table and just over two years later we’re challenging the elite and won the FA Cup for the first time in our history and we’re on the right path without the resources [of other teams].
“We need a period to go away and recover and relax a little bit. Premier League management is intense.
“We have work to do to improve the squad and come back early July motivated.”
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