Matchday With The Manager – Hodgson's Career & Finishing The Season On A High

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Matchday With The Manager – Hodgson's Career & Finishing The Season On A High

Leicester City want to take their own game and impose it on Watford at Vicarage Road on Sunday, according to manager Brendan Rodgers.

2022-05-15T06:00:00.000Z

by Sam Stevens

Published

15 May, 2022

Matchday With The Manager – Hodgson's Career & Finishing The Season On A High

Leicester City want to take their own game and impose it on Watford at Vicarage Road on Sunday, according to manager Brendan Rodgers.

Sam Stevens

2022-05-15T06:00:00.000Z

Matchday With The Manager – Hodgson's Career & Finishing The Season On A High

Leicester City want to take their own game and impose it on Watford at Vicarage Road on Sunday, according to manager Brendan Rodgers.

Sam Stevens

2022-05-15T06:00:00.000Z

Matchday With The Manager – Hodgson's Career & Finishing The Season On A High

Leicester City want to take their own game and impose it on Watford at Vicarage Road on Sunday, according to manager Brendan Rodgers.

Sam Stevens

2022-05-15T06:00:00.000Z

Matchday With The Manager – Hodgson's Career & Finishing The Season On A High

Leicester City want to take their own game and impose it on Watford at Vicarage Road on Sunday, according to manager Brendan Rodgers.

Sam Stevens

2022-05-15T06:00:00.000Z

The conclusion of the 2021/22 campaign, involving a total of 58 matches across all competitions, is now in sight for the Foxes. An antepenultimate Premier League fixture takes them to Hertfordshire on Sunday, before tackling Chelsea (A) and Southampton (H) next week.

It's been a season which has tested City to their limits at times, with a run to the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa Conference League one of the highlights, but Rodgers remains focused on ensuring a positive end. The Northern Irishman wants to see another high-level performance from Leicester on Sunday.

His side go into the clash with Roy Hodgson's men on the back of a 3-0 victory over Norwich City at King Power Stadium on Wednesday, with Jamie Vardy hitting a brace, while James Maddison also netted against his former club.

"We played well, in particular in the second half," Rodgers told the media on Friday. "The tempo and the rhythm and speed of our game was much better. We ended up playing really well. Winning can always make people happy and it gives people confidence. The guys did really well in the second half.

"We’re used to having things to play for at this stage of the season, but we really want to finish strongly. We really want to put a marker down for next season. That’s the same idea going into this next game.

"We played well in the last game, we got the result and the performance, and now we want to continue with that. We’ll do everything we can to get another three points."

Vardy is now on 150 league goals for the Club. While 20 of those came over two seasons in the Sky Bet Championship, the 35-year-old continues to prove himself as one of the most lethal strikes in the Premier League. Ten years on from his arrival at Leicester, Rodgers commended his professionalism.

"I’ve spoken to him a number of times of it and the difficulties around his first year, coming out of non-league football, where he was a star," Rodgers said. "Nigel [Pearson] and the recruitment team here saw something in him at the time and not many were going to take the gamble at the time.

"They deserve a huge amount of credit for bringing him in. He suffered a bit in those early stages, the professionalism, the adaptation to life as a professional, but once he got the hang of it, he’s been amazing ever since. He’s a true legend of the Club who still has many more games to go if he can just get a little bit of luck with injuries and keep this level of hunger and energy.

"That’s so important because there does come a point in the career of an older player where they just don’t have that hunger and energy anymore, especially when they’ve been doing it for so long. Thankfully for him, at this moment in his life, he’s very keen to prove a point. The other night, he was outstanding."

Maddison's sweetly-struck half-volley capped off a positive evening against Norwich on Wednesday and further swelled the England midfielder's 2021/22 stats tallies for goals. Rodgers tipped his cap to City's No.10, praising the consistent nature of his performances over recent months.

"He's been our most efficient player all season, James," the 49-year-old added. "He’s scored 15 goals and got nine assists. I saw some highlights of the game the other night when they were talking about Kevin De Bruyne scoring 18 goals as a midfield player. With all due respect, he’s playing in a top team.

"James has had to work for every goal. He’s not on penalties. He’s been absolutely outstanding over these last couple of months.

"Yes, he had a period in the season where we talked through his game and the levels he needed to get to in terms of intensity, but you can see when he does that, the level he elevates his game to. That gives confidence to the team.

"He’s been excellent and he’s maybe one goal away from his best-ever… I think he had 16 goals when he was at Norwich. To do it in the Premier League as a midfield player, sometimes out wide, he’s consistently showed he’s one of the top players at this level. I’m really pleased for him.

"The other night, he worked ever so hard. When he’s on the ball, you can see how he creates and the magic he has with the ball at his feet when he’s in that final third. Look at the number of times he pressed the game, how many times he was back double pressing, getting back… he kept going right to the very end. He’s a fantastic player, but I think everyone knows that."

Watford manager Hodgson, on the other hand, is set to leave Vicarage Road in the summer, to be replaced by Forest Green Rovers' Rob Edwards. While unable to prevent the Hornets from slipping into the second tier, Rodgers had nothing but glowing praise for the 74-year-old former Malmö, Inter Milan, Blackburn Rovers, Udinese, Fulham, Liverpool and England manager.

"He's such a reference and role model for us all," the Foxes manager explained. "He’s been managing for 46 years, 20 teams, four national teams, 1,200-odd games… it’s remarkable really. For a manager to have that hunger and desire to keep doing it, he’s proven over many years that he’s a top-level coach.

"I’ve always enjoyed our conversations, I’ve always learned from him. To see him still have that enthusiasm and love for the game, for him to still be involved in the game, he clearly loves it. He’s had an amazing career. When you start out as a manager, it’s about your career.

"If you look at Roy’s career, it’s been phenomenal."

After working at Watford during the 2008/09 season, Rodgers has been saddened to see the Hornets suffer relegation this term. He's got no doubts at all, however, that his former club will be a tough opponent for Leicester at Vicarage Road over the penultimate weekend of the 2021/22 campaign.

"Watford is a team whose results I’ll always look for having been a former manager there," the ex-Liverpool and Celtic manager said. "Obviously, it’s always disappointing when one of your former teams goes down because it’s a brilliant club with great supporters.

"I’ve actually felt for the supporters and the players over these last few years. Sometimes you’re up and then back down again, but as a football club, it’s been a hard season for them. They’ve had some really good managers in there over the last couple of seasons.

"With Roy coming in, obviously they hoped, with a little bit of luck, that his experience could see them through. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be. Roy and Ray [Lewington] are really experienced guys who’ve had brilliant careers in the game and they’ll want to go out in the best way they possibly can.

"For us, we travel there wanting to bring our game, like we did in the second half [vs. Norwich]. If we can do that, hopefully we can have a good day, but no matter what team you’re playing against, no matter what the situation is, there’s always moments in the game that are going to be tough for you."

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