Matchday With The Manager – Striving For Consistency & Facing Gerrard

Brendan Rodgers says work is underway both in training and during matches to enable Leicester City to improve their consistency and extend their three-game unbeaten run as December's fixture schedule condenses this week.

2021-12-05T07:00:00.000Z

Brendan Rodgers says work is underway both in training and during matches to enable Leicester City to improve their consistency and extend their three-game unbeaten run as December's fixture schedule condenses this week.

2021-12-05T07:00:00.000Z

Matchday With The Manager – Striving For Consistency & Facing Gerrard

Brendan Rodgers says work is underway both in training and during matches to enable Leicester City to improve their consistency and extend their three-game unbeaten run as December's fixture schedule condenses this week.

2021-12-05T07:00:00.000Z

Matchday With The Manager – Striving For Consistency & Facing Gerrard

Brendan Rodgers says work is underway both in training and during matches to enable Leicester City to improve their consistency and extend their three-game unbeaten run as December's fixture schedule condenses this week.

2021-12-05T07:00:00.000Z

Matchday With The Manager – Striving For Consistency & Facing Gerrard

Brendan Rodgers says work is underway both in training and during matches to enable Leicester City to improve their consistency and extend their three-game unbeaten run as December's fixture schedule condenses this week.

2021-12-05T07:00:00.000Z

Over the next eight days, the Foxes first travel to Aston Villa, before tackling Napoli in Italy in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, and welcoming Newcastle United to Filbert Way next Sunday. There will still be another five fixtures to contest in December after that three-game run, too.

The 2-2 comeback draw at Southampton last Wednesday followed successes over Legia Warsaw and Watford as Leicester look to both climb the Premier League standings and ensure their place in the knockout stages of European football. Rodgers, though, is taking it one game at a time.

"It’s [about] consistency," the Northern Irishman said. "In the second half (vs. Southampton), we showed quality, spirit and intensity in our game. We looked a really good side and we should have won it in the second half. We’re getting punished for mistakes and, obviously, we didn’t start the game so well.

"If you go behind in the Premier League, it can always be very, very difficult. That’s something we have to analyse and look at and be ready to improve in our next game. It's developing that mindset.

"At the moment, it's difficult to train for a period of time with intensity. It's playing and then recovering and then we're going again. We have eight games now before the end of the month. It's constant analysis, focusing on the next games. This is where the analytical team are very important for us because you can't train for any length of time.

"You're having to look with players, both individually and as groups, at certain aspects of their unit within the team. If you look at our last few games, it was two very good performances against Legia and Watford. Then it was a really good second-half performance [at Southampton].

"If we can cut out mistakes and gain the confidence from that, that's where consistency will start to come. We've shown over these last few games, we're getting into the right areas. Our attacking play is very, very good, but you need to collectively solidify that. That's something we're keen to do."

Sunday's visit to Villa Park will see Rodgers once again lock horns with his former Liverpool captain, Steven Gerrard, in the opposite dugout. The pair have gone head-to-head in Scotland, but this will be their first meeting in the Premier League and Rodgers was full of praise for the player-turned-manager.

"When we were there together, Steven was brilliant for me, as a captain," he continued. "He was a very inspirational captain and he was towards the latter stage of his career. Since the first day I was there, I’ve always said he was brilliant.

"He was very supportive and obviously had the respect of all the players and everybody at the club for what he’d done, but he never rested on that. He was an incredible professional and very focused on his game and making improvements.

"Of course, in the few years we were together, we adjusted his game from what it’d been for most of his career. Even though he was one of the icons of the league, he was very keen to embrace that change.

"For a young manager going into Liverpool, he was outstanding. It doesn’t surprise me that he’s made that step into management. Obviously, we don’t have so much contact now of course, we’re busy and you get on with our own lives, but I can see that mindset in his coaching and management career.

"He’s started off really well and it’ll be good to see him at the weekend."

Gerrard has won two and lost one of his three games in charge of Villa, ending a five-game losing streak under predecessor Dean Smith. Like Leicester, Villa will have aspirations to compete in Europe over the coming years, and Rodgers discussed what clubs need to do to break into that bracket.

"It's over time," the 48-year-old said. "I’ve always said that Dean did an outstanding job at Aston Villa and was unfortunate to have lost his job. I’m pretty sure he’ll make a similar impact at Norwich. Steven’s come in and, obviously, you’re wanting to stop the rot of that run of games they were losing.

"He did that in the first couple of games. They looked defensively solid, they’ve got some dangerous players, and they’ve had a few good results. Manchester City was always a big challenge. That’s the other level in the Premier League.

"He’s got them structured well, defensively solid, and they will look to build on that. I’m sure Aston Villa, with their great history in Europe, will want to be up challenging for European places. It’s all about time, patience and common sense. I’m pretty sure, in time, that’s where they will get to.

"That’s the challenge for clubs like ourselves. It’s very difficult if you look at Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City and the level they’re at in terms of squad depth. But there’s a lot of other teams below that who can challenge and disrupt that. That’s what we’ve tried to do in the last few years.

"Without being consistently brilliant this season, we’re there or there abouts. We’re hoping, as the season goes on, we can find that consistency and that mentality to challenge yet again. That’s the plan."

Although both Leicester and Villa can point to more immediate rivals, Sunday's encounter is nevertheless a clash between two Midlands sides with very similar ambitions. Rodgers expects the atmosphere at Villa Park to fit the occasion at a venue which is renowned as an atmospheric setting for football.

"They’ll be very committed, they’ll work hard," he explained. "Steven’s a winner, he’ll want to win games, and he’ll look to develop that into his team. They’ll look to play with intensity and speed and look to have that good organisation in the team.

"He was a winner as a player and he’ll want to be able to take that into his teams wherever he is. I’m pretty sure he’ll be wanting to do that with Aston Villa. It's a Midlands derby game, so it’s a game we’ll be ready for and right up for. The atmosphere’s always great at Aston Villa.

"It’s a big pitch to go and play on and I’ve always enjoyed going there with teams. Aston Villa-Leicester is a derby game and it’ll be an intense game I’m sure."

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