Rodgers: Keep Up Our Performance Level
- Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers previews Saturday's clash with Southampton (3pm kick-off)
- The Northern Irishman says the Saints will be pose a 'really, really tough' challenge
- Rodgers also praises the work done by Ralph Hasenhüttl as Southampton manager in recent weeks
- The Blue Army can tune in for free on LCFC Radio from 12pm on Saturday
The Foxes are currently second in the Premier League, following successive victories over West Ham United and Newcastle United, before a double-header of home cup ties.
A 2-0 win over Wigan Athletic in the Emirates FA Cup was followed by a 1-1 draw in the first leg of City's Carabao Cup Semi-Final tie against Aston Villa.
Leicester's third home game in a row, but their first in the Premier League since Boxing Day, sees Ralph Hasenhüttl's Saints visit Filbert Way for a 3pm kick-off on Saturday.
Speaking to the national media on Friday, Rodgers praised Hasenhüttl for inspiring an upturn in form, including four wins in five, following a 9-0 loss to Leicester in October.
"I told the players a few weeks ago that I felt that our two games that were coming up, Newcastle and Southampton, could be our toughest games for the remainder of the season," he said.
"That's because of the nature of our results that we’ve had against them. In the Newcastle game, we dealt with that very, very well, and now we go into playing Southampton.
"I texted Ralph [Hasenhüttl] after our game because unless you’ve been a manager, you don’t really understand the feeling of another manager, especially in that situation.
"How he’s bounced back and been able to galvanise the group again… on current form, in the last eight games or so, they’re up there in the top four in terms of form.
"That shows you that it’s going to be a really, really tough game for us. Of course, we played very, very well there and now it’s a chance again for us to show our quality.
"We want to show our stamina in the game and to keep up our level of performance which, over the season, has been fantastic."
By going back to basics, reverting to 4-4-2 in some instances and dedicating themselves to their work, Rodgers believes Southampton are back to their best.
"You take a deep breath and you go back to your basics," he added. "You can see that’s what they’ve done.
"They’ve gone back to his original plan of playing 4-4-2, being aggressive and at the very, very least in a game, working hard.
"They’ve got some players that I’ve worked with before. Stuart Armstrong, you’ve maybe not seen so much of him, but Stuart for me was absolutely top-class at Celtic.
"He’s got a threat on goal, he’s got good energy… Ryan Bertrand, I know very well. Ryan’s tough, he’s strong and he’s got quality, and they’ve got other really good players.
"Shane Long… fantastic, he’s been a really great servant for Southampton, so these players can cause you a problem.
"The recovery has been outstanding and a huge credit to the manager. He’s galvanised the team and now they’re playing very well and we know it will be a tough game."