EPL: Brendan Rodgers explains why he substituted Iheanacho in Leicester 4-1 loss to Bournemouth

Leicester City manager, Brendan Rodgers, has explained why he substituted Kelechi Iheanacho at halftime leading to their 4-1 loss to Bournemouth on Sunday.

He said Iheanacho’s substitution which was pivotal in the defeat, was a tactical one.


Leicester headed to the break leading Bournemouth 1-0 after several missed opportunities to kill off the game.

The Foxes came into the second half without Iheanacho who played a big part in Jamie Vardy’s opener.

Iheanacho was withdrawn at half-time at the Vitality Stadium, with Rodgers tweaking his system to bring on Dennis Praet.

Leicester had controlled the first half, but Rodgers said he felt the need to swap a striker for a midfielder to provide more defensive security.


The manager’s plan did not work, as his team ended up conceding four in the second half in a meltdown that may define the season.

“(Iheanacho) wasn’t having one of his better games,” Rodgers said in his post-match press conference.

“The issue for us defensively was on the side of the pitch, because there was a lot of space for Wilf and Youri to cover,” he said.