Brendan Rodgers an ‘elite manager’ but Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds ‘NOT that good’ says Simon Jordan, who weighs in on British managers debate after comments by Leicester boss

Leicester’s 4-1 thrashing of Leeds on Monday night was slightly overshadowed by comments made by Brendan Rodgers after the match.

The Foxes secured their fourth Premier League away victory in as many games this season and are currently second in the table.

Leicester have made a great start to the season with only Liverpool ahead of them in the table
Getty – Pool

Two goals from Youri Tielemans as well as strikes from Harvey Barnes and Jamie Vardy capped off a wonderful evening for the Foxes.

Leicester have become a side that can compete against the top teams under Rodgers, but the ex-Liverpool and Celtic boss suggested he may not get the credit he deserves for good results due to his nationality.

He told reporters after the match: “Because I’m a British manager, we probably got lucky.

“That is the way it works for British managers in these games.”

Leicester have thrashed the likes of Leeds and Manchester City away from home this season, but Rodgers isn’t feeling the love
Getty Images – Getty

The comments raise an interesting debate about British managers in the Premier League, with ten coaches currently in charge of top-flight clubs from the UK.

And talkSPORT host Simon Jordan believes Rodgers is mistaken in his suggestion that British managers are discriminated against these days.

Jordan said: “The notion that there’s some kind of witch hunt against English managers… no one wants an English manager to occupy jobs in the top six more than I suspect the British press and I.

“But it isn’t just a case of people picking managers from abroad because they’re victimising British managers because for a period of time our British managers haven’t been good enough.

“Brendan Rodgers doesn’t fall into that category, he falls into an elite category.”


Rodgers’ opposite number on Monday, Marcelo Bielsa, is given huge amounts of credit for the work he’s done at Leeds and at other clubs during his 30-year managerial career.

Bielsa is one of the most respected managers in the game, with the likes of Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino waxing lyrical about him.

But Jordan doesn’t buy into all the hype about the Argentine and insists he wasn’t surprised by Leicester’s margin of victory.

He added: “We speak about Bielsa at Leeds because Leeds are this huge club who have been in the doldrums for 16 years – Bielsa’s come in and woken them all up.

Jordan suggested Bielsa isn’t as good as a lot of his peers think
AFP

“I’m not a Bielsa acolyte, I think he’s a great coach. I don’t bow at the temple of Bielsa like all the other managers seem to do like Pep Guardiola or Mauricio Pochettino or whoever else it is currently eulogising this guy.

“I don’t see that result as a surprise. Why is that a surprise?

“Elland Road is not a fortress because no fans are there, Leeds are a promoted side and Leicester are an established bona fide top six Premier League contending side.

“Brendan Rodgers is an elite manager, why would that result be a surprise to people? Leeds ain’t that good!”