Rodgers: Our Mentality Is Strong
- Leicester City twice came from behind to draw 2-2 at West Ham United on Saturday
- Harvey Barnes scored his first goal for the Club in the 92nd minute at London Stadium
- Manager Brendan Rodgers was pleased with the improvement City made in the second half
- Scoring late in games is 'the mark of good teams', the Northern Irishman told LCFC TV
Michail Antonio’s 37th-minute header put the Hammers ahead at the break before Jamie Vardy levelled it, but Harvey Barnes’ last-gasp strike – the Academy graduate’s maiden goal for the Football Club – was required to secure a point after Lucas Pérez also struck for West Ham.
After watching his young Foxes side come back from behind twice to register their 48th point of the 2018/19 Premier League season, Rodgers told LCFC TV: “It’s a very good point.
“I think it shows that mentality in the squad, which is very important. There’s lots of areas in the game that we can be better in.
“In the first half, we were too passive, but in the second half, we played with a lot more energy and a lot more tempo to our game and we looked a real attacking threat.
“So I was very pleased with the second half and there's lots to get better in with the first half.”
Rodgers says his coaching staff are working to imprint a never-say-die mentality on the squad and, following last month’s late win at Burnley, he was pleased to see that ethos manifest itself again.
“It’s one which we’ve tried to promote with the players, that you’ve got to keep going for 90 minutes, no matter what the score is,” the Northern Irishman added.
“Whether you’re winning 4-0 or losing 2-1 – you’ve got to keep going until the very end.
“That’s always the mark of good teams and again we scored another late goal which shows that fitness and mentality of the team. That’s always important in a good team.
“I think we’re going to get that from time to time – especially with so many young players coming away and playing against a good team.
“They’re a team that’s got a good record at home, but that was much more like us in the second half. We looked at it at half-time, addressed the issues, and it’s good to get that reaction.”