Matchday With The Manager: The 'Top Six', Castagne & Schmeichel

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Matchday With The Manager: The 'Top Six', Castagne & Schmeichel

Leicester City will approach Sunday's clash at Manchester City with an ambitious mindset, says manager Brendan Rodgers.

2020-09-27T06:00:00.000Z

Matchday With The Manager: The 'Top Six', Castagne & Schmeichel

Leicester City will approach Sunday's clash at Manchester City with an ambitious mindset, says manager Brendan Rodgers.

2020-09-27T06:00:00.000Z

Matchday With The Manager: The 'Top Six', Castagne & Schmeichel

Leicester City will approach Sunday's clash at Manchester City with an ambitious mindset, says manager Brendan Rodgers.

2020-09-27T06:00:00.000Z

Matchday With The Manager: The 'Top Six', Castagne & Schmeichel

Leicester City will approach Sunday's clash at Manchester City with an ambitious mindset, says manager Brendan Rodgers.

2020-09-27T06:00:00.000Z

Matchday With The Manager: The 'Top Six', Castagne & Schmeichel

Leicester City will approach Sunday's clash at Manchester City with an ambitious mindset, says manager Brendan Rodgers.

2020-09-27T06:00:00.000Z

Following the Club's second-best Premier League finish last season, the Foxes have started 2020/21 with two successive top-flight victories, over West Bromwich Albion and Burnley.

However, Sunday's trip to Etihad Stadium will see Leicester come up against Pep Guardiola's Citizens, winners of the Premier League in two of the last three campaigns.

Rodgers hopes to see the Foxes compete with the league's most reputable clubs once again this season while also faring better in individual matches against the traditional 'top six' teams in England.

Speaking on Friday, the Northern Irishman elaborated on his belief that Leicester have earned the right to be discussed in the same breath as such sides due to the nature of their performances over previous seasons.

"Our ambition is to win every game," the 47-year-old said. "We obviously drew a couple of the games (against the 'top six') and went close in one or two of the games.

"The league, especially where we are, is about beating the teams you ‘should’ beat and looking to challenge the teams that are in that supposed top six.

"Last year, we beat Arsenal and Tottenham and went close against teams like Chelsea on a couple of occasions. That’s gone now, but can we go and challenge in these games?

"They’re obviously very important games and games that we want to win, but with all due respect, Manchester City, Liverpool, some of these teams; in terms of budget and where they’re at as clubs, they’re at a totally different level to ourselves. That’s the reality.

"We’ve put ourselves in contention to be compared to these teams because of the level the players have played at. We fell just short of that [UEFA Champions League] qualification last year.

"It’s certainly not these games which will define where we finish, however our ambition is still to go in and be competitive and look to gain as many victories as we can."

Leicester's ambitions have been boosted by the summer arrivals of Cengiz Ünder and Timothy Castagne, the latter of whom has impressed many among the Blue Army this month.

Rodgers revealed that the Belgium international is a player he has monitored for several years, including during his time at Scottish champions Celtic, and he is excited to see him develop.

"He was a player I was aware of," he explained. "If you think about what we’re trying to build here, my teams have, in the main, always been very athletic, as well as technically good.

"When you’re trying to build that, you’re looking for that profile of player. Timothy was one that I was aware of three years ago and I’ve obviously monitored him ever since.

"If you look at his credentials, he was playing for Atalanta, who have had European experience. He’s also starting for the Belgian national team, who are the no.1 ranked team in the world.

"If you marry that into having a good awareness of the player, then of course you do your background checks on him as well, and you find that his profile is pretty much suited to this level.

"He’s great running without the ball, he really breaks those lines, he gets into forward positions and he can do it repetitively, so his speed and endurance is very, very strong."

With matches continuing to be played behind closed doors, supporters have enjoyed an added insight into the on-field chemistry which exists within the Foxes squad.

One of the most vocal members of Rodgers' squad is title-winning goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and the Leicester manager is delighted to be able to call upon his leadership during games.

"He’s a great character, Kasper," he said. "He’s a top-class goalkeeper. He can talk about the game because he sees the game, he sees what’s developing on the field.

"He’s very passionate about his football. He trains so hard every day. He takes that ambition into the game. There’s different ways to lead on the field, of course.

"Some do it through example and their actions and others through talking and some do both. I always say to the players: ‘You’re not defending if you’re not talking.’

"Especially in defensive moments, you see him barking out instructions, giving out advice, organising people, and that’s great to have that authority on the field for your team.

"You can hear those talkers in the game, those communicators, much clearer now. He’s absolutely wonderful, he’s got a great spirit and a great mentality. He has a lot of passion in the game."

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