We Imposed Our Way Of Working, Says Rodgers
- Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers saw encouraging signs at Liverpool on Saturday
- The Foxes were narrowly beaten 2-1 by the European champions at Anfield
- Rodgers says City can take great confidence from the manner of their performance
City’s youthful and vibrant squad went toe-to-toe with the UEFA Champions League holders, who have won all of their Premier League games this season, for long periods at Anfield.
After Sadio Mané opener for the Reds, James Maddison’s second goal of the campaign made it 1-1, before a late penalty in added time from James Milner settled an enthralling clash.
The Foxes are now fourth in the Premier League standings and Rodgers believes their performance shows they are capable of bettering their successive ninth-place finishes this term.
James Maddison vs. Liverpool
James Maddison scored his second goal of the Premier League season versus Liverpool at Anfield.
“We’ve started the season well and we’re trying to grow and develop a way of playing that’s similar to a big team,” the Northern Irishman told the national media on Merseyside.
“Of course, we don’t have the resources and everything else that goes with it, but we can still impose our way of working. The big thing is having personality.
“To show that personality and run Liverpool so close, we were deserving of a point today, so that’s good for us and our progress.
“I said [to the players] we didn’t deserve it and I was proud of their personality. I know as well as anyone the momentum that can carry [Liverpool] with the supporters.
“It’s absolutely amazing, but we were able to get over that and deal with the pressure, come through it and eventually get level in the game.
“In order to develop as a team, you have to be able to cope with that, and I thought we coped well with it, so it was just disappointing that we didn’t take something from the game.”
Rodgers noted that City carried an increased attacking threat following a shift to a diamond formation in the latter moments and believes Leicester could in fact have sealed all three points.
“Our idea in the game was to stay in it and be a threat, but we knew we’d have to defend, so we were in 4-3-3 and our plan in the last 20 minutes was to move to a diamond,” he added.
“We tried to give them other things to think about. For the goal, we worked the ball really well into space and it was great finish by James.
“We felt the confidence and we looked a real threat going forward. You don’t get too many chances when you come here and play against top-class players, but we carried a threat.”
To perform in the manner Leicester did throughout the encounter, meanwhile, can act as a reminder to City’s players of their promising potential, Rodgers believes.
“I felt we deserved a point from the game,” he continued. “When you come to the European champions, you’ve got to be resilient and you’ve got to deal with moments of pressure.
Rodgers Positive Despite Late Defeat
Brendan Rodgers says there are a lot of positives to take following Leicester's 2-1 loss at Anfield.
“You’ve got to show your own qualities and I felt we did that. To come from a goal behind, it looked as the half wore on that we could go on and win the game.
“I was very proud of the team and the personality that we showed because it’s a top-class side that have got so many qualities, so to be competitive shows we’re on the right path.”