'Spirit is still very strong' at Leicester City states Brendan Rodgers

Brendan Rodgers addresses the media ahead of the Premier League clash with Chelsea at the King Power Stadium.

'Spirit is still very strong' at Leicester City states Brendan Rodgers
Photo: Getty/ Plumb Images
cbratu
By Cristian Bratu

Despite the late Carabao Cup heartbreak for the FoxesLeicester City boss Brendan Rodgers reassured the media that spirits are still high within the club ahead of the Premier League fixture against Chelsea.

Trezeguet's 93rd minute winner secured a place in the cup final for Aston Villa at the expense of the East Midlands side, who felt hard done by due to a contentious VAR decision that denied them a penalty.

The focus now shifts to the Premier League and a game that could really shape the final league standings against top-four rivals Chelsea.

'You have to get on with it'

Sitting in his pre-match press conference, Rodgers was questioned about the overall feeling in the Leicester camp after missing out on a first final in 20 years.

He responded: "We’ve spoken about it a lot. Every team is unified when you’re winning.

"They’re going to have bumps along the way, but we have to use it as a motivating factor as we’re still in another cup competition. I’ve seen them today and the spirit is still very strong.

"No matter how low it is (emotionally and physically) you have to get on with it."

Speaking further, Rodgers added: "It builds resilience. You’ve got to have the lows and the highs because that gives you the extra determination.

"I don’t think we played that badly, but when you don’t go through, it hurts."

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'The clearest handball you will see'

The VAR decision has become a big topic of discussion as Marvelous Nakamba was adjudged not to have handled the ball in the box with intent.

"When I looked backed on the game, it didn’t seem that it was looked at for a long period of time," said Rodgers. "It was probably the clearest handball you will see.

"We haven’t been given an explanation, but clearly that one should have been a penalty.

"We’ll definitely ask the question because it’s nice to have the clarity. We don’t really have an excuse now."