- Leicester City drew 0-0 with Aston Villa at King Power Stadium on Saturday
- Foxes manager Brendan Rodgers paid tribute to the players' energy levels at full-time
- City had competed in four matches since Villa's last outing
- A semi-finals first leg tie against Roma in the UEFA Europa Conference League is next up
The Foxes played out a goalless stalemate with Steven Gerrard's Villa outfit at King Power Stadium ahead of Thursday's UEFA Europa Conference League Semi-Final first leg against Roma on Filbert Way. Since Villa's last game, City have played Crystal Palace at home before three away games against PSV Eindhoven, Newcastle United and Everton.
"I pay a huge testament to the players because I think, since Aston Villa last played, we’ve played four games," the Northern Irishman said. "We started the game with great energy, we worked the ball into really good spaces.
"I’ve said it in the last few games and it still applies, maybe because of all the games, we’re just lacking that penetration, that little bit of speed in our play in the final third. We’re working the ball really well into those areas. Against a good side that can hurt you, we got into some really good areas.
"In the second half, not so much. I thought we tired in the last 15 minutes or so, but then you’ve got to defend well and the players did that."
A clean sheet was warmly received by the Foxes manager at full-time, who also highlighted the fact that City are now unbeaten in nine games at King Power Stadium.
"Over the course of the season, our home form’s been up there with some of the better teams in the league," Rodgers added.
"That’s picked up and it’s something you have to have. If you can’t score the goals, certainly don’t concede them. Against a team that is especially dangerous from set-pieces, we defended well."
Leicester made four changes for the clash with Villa on Filbert Way, while Jamie Vardy made a long-awaited return from the bench after a month and a half out with a knee injury. With a huge tie against Roma on the horizon, Rodgers also explained some of the omissions from his XI.
"We played a lot of the players who will play in that game," he said. "In midfield, we don’t have great choice. That’s the reality of it. Kiernan [Dewsbury-Hall] and Youri [Tielemans] have done absolutely brilliant playing all the games they’ve had.
"They’ve shown a great energy to come through because we didn’t have a great choice to make changes. Jonny [Evans], with the quick turnaround of games, we needed to make sure. He was a little bit tight so we can’t take any risks if we don’t need to. I thought Çağs (Çağlar Söyüncü) was excellent today.
"Ricardo [Pereira] is working his way back to fitness again so he will be fresh and ready for Thursday.
"The availability has obviously been difficult for [Vardy] this season but he’s back now and can hopefully contribute for us until the end of the season."