The notion that Brendan Rodgers would be a refreshing change from Claude Puel at Leicester City is laughable on at least one level. After all, just last Thursday Rodgers trumpeted Celtic’s elimination from the Europa League by Valencia as “one of the proudest moments I’ve had as a coach or a manager … we were so superior in the game … our shape was absolutely brilliant”.

Rodgers, who in the buildup to the 1-0 defeat had dismissed suggestions he needed to adapt his overly intricate approach to improve results against top European sides, praised vindication in defeat. His team, he said, had played well only to be undone by misfortune and the odd individual error. Sound familiar? Puel spent most of the past year saying similar things, albeit with a less cheery demeanour. After the 4-1 home walloping on Saturday by Crystal Palace, Leicester could bear no more such talk from the Frenchman.

The thing is, Puel often had a point, just as Rodgers did on Thursday. The difference is that Rodgers has more credibility at Celtic thanks to his domestic success and a more obvious bond with his environment, whereas Puel’s record in Britain consists of stints at Southampton and Leicester during which he seldom appeared to be at one with his surrounds, seemingly on the brink of dismissal even in the moment when his team looked close to formidable.

Puel arrived at Leicester on a difficult mission: to move away from the counterattacking team who sensationally won the title in 2016 and gradually introduce younger and more nifty players at the expense of the dwindling or departed champions. It was always going to take time and risk making dissenters of influential players who would not react kindly to being told they or their ways are too old. Puel’s style of man-management does not appear to have smoothed that process. And too often he seemed to embrace transition out of dogma rather than necessity – such as when he fielded experimental teams in cup ties that fans dearly wanted to win. The manager was out of tune there. A successor might be more savvy on that front. But still Puel’s replacement will occasionally feel obliged to omit, say, the 32-year-old Jamie Vardy, just as Puel did and just as Rodgers famously did to Steven Gerrard with Liverpool in a Champions League match at Real Madrid.

Vardy has been in iffy form this season and publicly admitted to being uncomfortable with the way the manager wanted to play. Kasper Schmeichel and others also had misgivings. The methodical possession‑based game that Puel advocated was often decried as too slow and predictable, and not just by fans. After one of the highlights of Puel’s reign, December’s exhilarating 2-1 win over Manchester City, Harry Maguire hinted that it was made possible by an all-too-rare instruction to go “toe-to-toe” with opponents. “Hopefully we can learn from that, I feel that’s when were at our best,” said Maguire.

With more time Leicester might have learned to play regularly with such precision and at such a tempo, but Puel could not convince enough people at the club that they were heading that way. He always seemed to have problems getting his message through.

Some young players made exciting progress under him, notably Ben Chilwell, James Maddison and recently Harvey Barnes. Perhaps Rodgers, another manager who is good at rearing young talents, will relish building on those gains. But other young players did not make the strides as hoped under Puel, such as Demarai Gray, Hamza Choudhury and even Kelechi Iheanacho, who has been a flop since joining in 2017.

Leicester have got too many transfers wrong (Riyad Mahrez out, Rachid Ghezzal in) since their title win and, unless the club hang on to the recently arrived loanee midfielder Youri Tielemans beyond this summer, then Puel’s replacement will need to add a new spine to a promising team.

Still, Puel had enough good players to do better than he did. One telling sign of a persistent disconnect between Puel and his team was the regularity with which Leicester started matches badly. Even against Palace, when they actually bucked that trend, they contrived to concede the first goal of the game, the 19th time that has happened in 27 matches this season. In the end, Leicester decided Puel had been given enough chances to make amends. He leaves behind some good work, a promising team and significant room for improvement.