Matchday With The Manager: Opponents Brentford & Moving Forward

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Matchday With The Manager: Opponents Brentford & Moving Forward

Brendan Rodgers has spoken of his utmost respect for the work of Sunday's Emirates FA Cup opponents, Brentford, who are establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the second tier.

2021-01-24T07:00:00.000Z

by Sam Jones

Published

24 Jan, 2021

Matchday With The Manager: Opponents Brentford & Moving Forward

Brendan Rodgers has spoken of his utmost respect for the work of Sunday's Emirates FA Cup opponents, Brentford, who are establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the second tier.

Sam Jones

2021-01-24T07:00:00.000Z

Matchday With The Manager: Opponents Brentford & Moving Forward

Brendan Rodgers has spoken of his utmost respect for the work of Sunday's Emirates FA Cup opponents, Brentford, who are establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the second tier.

Sam Jones

2021-01-24T07:00:00.000Z

Matchday With The Manager: Opponents Brentford & Moving Forward

Brendan Rodgers has spoken of his utmost respect for the work of Sunday's Emirates FA Cup opponents, Brentford, who are establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the second tier.

Sam Jones

2021-01-24T07:00:00.000Z

Matchday With The Manager: Opponents Brentford & Moving Forward

Brendan Rodgers has spoken of his utmost respect for the work of Sunday's Emirates FA Cup opponents, Brentford, who are establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the second tier.

Sam Jones

2021-01-24T07:00:00.000Z

The Sky Bet Championship side have already embarked on one impressive cup run this season, knocking out four Premier League clubs on the way to reaching the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.

Rodgers is keen to avoid becoming another scalp for the west London club and, with that in mind, as well as a desire for Leicester City to reach the latter stages of this competition, Sunday's fixture at Brentford Community Stadium will not be taken lightly.

Meeting in the fourth round for the second time in as many seasons, Rodgers was effusive in his praise for Thomas Frank and the promotion-chasing Bees when speaking to the media via Zoom on Friday afternoon.

"I’ve really enjoyed watching Brentford, they remind me very much of my Swansea City team that went from the Championship into the Premier League 10 or so years ago," Rodgers recalled.

"They have that same idea, playing 4-3-3, the system is very much set. I’ve enjoyed analysing how they work. We don’t maybe see them so much because we're analysing our own opposition.

"Having looked at them from last year, they play fantastic football, they have real trust in their game and how they play. They build the game from behind, the positioning on the field is very good and they look to get numbers into the box to score goals.

"When we saw the draw we knew it was going to be a tough game for us and that's why we’ll always put out a team to respect the competition and obviously the opponent. They have a good idea, they are very, very well coached, you can see that, so [they are] an excellent team."

For the Foxes, progress in the FA Cup is very much on the agenda and despite also juggling Premier League commitments and the upcoming knockout stages of the UEFA Europa League, Rodgers is adamant that no focus will be lost while preparing for this weekend's tie.

"We enter every competition to win it, I think every team will look to do that and we're exactly the same," the Northern Irishman continued. "I’ve got a group of young players that I’m thrilled to be working with, seeing their development, seeing their progress, seeing their confidence.

"And of course with that there, we want to go on and achieve things. We know we're not the only team that want to do that, there are plenty of competitors, but I’m very happy with the mentality and the mindset.

"We've nearly worked together for a couple of years and our mindset is very much about winning, but also developing and I can see both of those in this team and we’re very hungry to succeed.

"It's one that we want to do well in. My experience is that whatever country you are in, whatever league you are in, it's always a fight and you have to earn the right to win any title.

"Whether it's a cup competition or a league title, for us, that's the growing mindset that we're trying to develop here within our squad. It's that we're here to compete and be competitive and, for that, you have to be confident in your desire and hunger if you want to be a winner.

"Not everyone can win but certainly we want to and we want to go there with a strong team and we'll be there to win and get to the next round."

Another message Rodgers was keen to stress is the continued development of his young team, who he urged to maintain the upward trajectory they have been on since he took over as manager of the Football Club in February 2019.

The 47-year-old added: "I’m very satisfied with our work and how we have been progressing. I look at the team and I see them as tactically very good, as organised in the game, that's always the start point for any team.

"The foundation is good, a good structure and we're defensively strong, then from that, that's your base to go and attack well. If I look at the energy, I look at the quality, I look at the organisation, all of that is further than where we were a year ago.

"And that’s just timing, that ability to work more together and analyse where we can be better. I also think it's the confidence of the players, young players who are understanding their roles better.

"They have more clarity in how they are playing the game and when you have that, you do play the game better and I'm fortunate I have players who want to improve and develop. They're getting their football nouse as they grow and in a few years time they are going to be playing at a really high level consistently."

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