The Leicester City manager discusses his team’s 1-0 loss to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, with Kevin De Bruyne’s superb second-half free-kick the difference at the King Power Stadium.
Brendan Rodgers praised Leicester City fans for their patience and support after their team nearly equalized against Manchester City.
After their game plan paid off, Rodgers felt his team was “unfortunate” not to get a point against the title favorites. Their deep set-up meant they gave the visitors few chances, only conceding an inch-perfect free-kick to Kevin De Bruyne, and they created a few chances to equalize after pushing for a goal late on.
After the game, Rodgers was grateful that supporters did not show their frustration at the defense-first approach, and he insisted it was the logical way to play against Pep Guardiola’s side. Earlier in the season, Rodgers had explained to supporters that nerves in the crowd can make players anxious on the pitch.
“I thought the crowd was great today, and they had to be,” the manager said. We usually like to impose our game on the opposition, especially at home, but they saw what we were doing and recognized Man City’s quality, so they couldn’t be too frustrated when we were in that deeper position.
“They saw the changes in the game and then really pushed the team through.” We could have won with a little more finesse and clinical edge in the final third.
“They really supported the team, which is crucial.” The players have shown resilience in recent weeks, which is what fans want to see. Combine that with our football, and we might be able to compete team.”
After bringing Patson Daka and Kelechi Iheanacho into the game with around 20 minutes to play, City had the better of the match late on. After the diligence they showed in the first 70 minutes, Rodgers felt his side merited something from the game.
“I think the players deserve a lot of credit,” he said. “They carried out the gameplan we wanted. You have to stay in the game. It’s not normally how we play, but we were playing against arguably the best team in the world so you have to deny them space.
“We defended well in those situations.” They had a lot of the ball, and their idea for shifting you is fantastic. But the players handled it admirably; they didn’t have many chances.
“As the game progressed, we gained more confidence and began to break through their pressure.” We might have had something by the end. The crowd gathered, everything is present, and we were unlucky not to get something.
“They are the best team in the world. If you give them too much space, they punish you. You have to use logic and common sense when you’re playing against them. We managed and restricted them.
“When it was the moment to change the game, we did that, and the players carried it out really well. We talk about the game being one of the inches. A couple of inches and Kevin’s shot hits the outside of the post, and a couple of inches and Youri’s goes in. That’s the difference.”
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