Matchday With The Manager – Stepping Up To The Challenge

Brendan Rodgers has warned that precise ball retention will be a vital characteristic if Leicester City are to leave Rennes with their name in the hat for the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa Conference League on Thursday evening.

2022-03-17T07:00:00.000Z

Brendan Rodgers has warned that precise ball retention will be a vital characteristic if Leicester City are to leave Rennes with their name in the hat for the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa Conference League on Thursday evening.

2022-03-17T07:00:00.000Z

Matchday With The Manager – Stepping Up To The Challenge

Brendan Rodgers has warned that precise ball retention will be a vital characteristic if Leicester City are to leave Rennes with their name in the hat for the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa Conference League on Thursday evening.

2022-03-17T07:00:00.000Z

Matchday With The Manager – Stepping Up To The Challenge

Brendan Rodgers has warned that precise ball retention will be a vital characteristic if Leicester City are to leave Rennes with their name in the hat for the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa Conference League on Thursday evening.

2022-03-17T07:00:00.000Z

Matchday With The Manager – Stepping Up To The Challenge

Brendan Rodgers has warned that precise ball retention will be a vital characteristic if Leicester City are to leave Rennes with their name in the hat for the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa Conference League on Thursday evening.

2022-03-17T07:00:00.000Z

The Foxes flew out to Brittany in northern France on Wednesday afternoon in possession of a 2-0 aggregate advantage over their Ligue 1 opponents. Bruno Génésio's Les Rennais, though, are the second highest top goalscorers in France and hit four away at Lyon on Sunday night.

Leicester's performance in the first leg has provided a cushion ahead of the tie's final act at Roazhon Park, but Rodgers has no doubts whatsoever about the scale of the task ahead. Over 24 hours before the Club's 17th European knockout fixture, the Northern Irishman addressed the media in Seagrave.

He discussed City's tactical stratagem, his expectations of Rennes, the Club's ambitions in Europe and the atmosphere which will greet them across the English Channel. Rodgers knows defensive solidity will be essential for his side come the 5:45pm GMT kick-off, allowing creative players to shine further upfield.

"It’s the same idea," the former Liverpool and Celtic manager said. "You always go into the game to win the game. We know what we have to defend and they’ve got to make up two goals. They’re a good attacking team so they’ll want to be on the front foot, but it’s no different to most games really.

"Away from home, you know you’re going to have to defend, you’re going to have to be strong at key moments of the game. You have to make sure you’re together and then, as we saw in the first leg, we can cause them a problem when we go forward. That’s our idea.

"Clearly, in their domestic league, they’re doing very well. The result they had at the weekend epitomised what a good side they are. Scoring four goals away at Lyon. It will have also shone the torch on our performance, to keep a clean sheet and win 2-0 at home, that was really good.

"Getting through the tie is our aim and it would get us through to the quarter-finals and then people will say you can be a serious contender. All the teams at this stage and going forward will be good teams. It’s just about playing your game as often as you can to get through and we’ll need to do that away from home."

Rennes' acumen is there for all to see, but Rodgers pointed to the nature of City's performance against them last week as a source of motivation. To suppress the French outfit's threats and two score crucial goals in the home leg should give the players confidence ahead of Thursday's tie.

"We said before the first leg that they are the second highest goalscorers in the French league and they went to Lyon at the weekend and scored four goals away from home," Rodgers added.

"That tells you the level, but it also shows you the level that we were at in the first leg to restrict them to hardly any efforts on goal and still carrying that threat ourselves.

"For us, it’s collectively making the right pressure in the right moments, defending your box when you have to and then collectively defending with real strength in any set-piece moments, being together and taking that responsibility to defend. From that, we know we can score goals as well.

"It's important you continue to play your game. That’s very important in European football, as well domestically, but in particular in Europe, it’s important that you can manage the ball. You’re not careful with it, you’re precise in your passing.

"You’re playing against good teams and if you give the ball away, they can punish you. Certainly, with the intensity of the Premier League, you always want to bring that into the game. I think you’ve seen that in the first leg. It’s the same idea. You have to defend in any game.

"The Premier League is the most challenging league in world football. It’s about bringing that same mentality, being strong, being resilient and playing with the intensity of our football. We know that gets us results.

"It's all the same things you need, but of course, it’s a two-legged game, so it’s also important to play with calmness.

"Especially if you go 1-0 behind, stay calm in the game, keep the structure, keep your composure, keep your patience and play with that intensity that allows you to be creative and then you can be a dangerous team."

Leicester's ambition is to win the Europa Conference League, but aside from stating that aim in general terms, Rodgers' only concentration is on advancing through the stages one at a time. After winning the Emirates FA Cup last term, there is a real hunger among the players to lift more silverware.

"You don’t enter any competition without wanting to win it," the 49-year-old explained. "When we arrived into here and got our head around just missing out in the Europa League, coming into this competition takes the extra focus. From that, we would love to go all the way in it, like any other team.

"The concentration now is just to get through this tie. We’ve got a really good advantage after the first leg, but we know we’re going to have to suffer and endure a little bit in Rennes. We also know, with our quality, we can get through the tie.

"That’s the plan, if we get through that, it gets us into the quarter-finals and we have experience of cups and winning competitions. If we can get through this tie, it’ll give us that extra motivation again to keep going all the way through to the final.

"It's always great for a player, or coaches and managers, to be in stadia that have a great atmosphere. I think that’s what you want. With all due respect, in the Premier League, the atmosphere is also renowned, the passion of the support.

"Going away in the Premier League always prepares you, but it’s always great to go to grounds in other countries and sample the atmosphere. Once the whistle goes, the focus then is on the field and doing your job on the pitch."

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