Brendan Rodgers sat down in the press room at Seagrave Training Ground to discuss the impact of new signings in the 4-2 win over Aston Villa, an injury update of his squad, and the Tottenham clash.
Leicester City picked up their first three points of 2023, with an important win over Aston Villa, with new signing Tetê getting on the scoresheet on an impressive debut.
The Foxes face Tottenham on Saturday, which kickstarts a difficult run of fixtures, with a trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United, and a home fixture against table-toppers Arsenal to come.
But Rodgers’ squad has been boosted by key players returning from injury, and new signings hitting the ground running, giving fans hope that they could have a better second half of the season.
However, Leicester remain in a seven-way relegation battle, with the bottom seven teams separated by six points. But after picking up four points in the last two Premier League games, Leicester look more comfortable and sit at the top of the pile in 14th.
On the impact of January signings
Leicester endured a quiet summer window, much to the frustration of fans, with Wout Faes the only outfield signing.
However, the Foxes did strength in three key areas in the winter transfer window, with Victor Kristiansen coming in to replace the injured James Justin, Tetê filling the right-winger void, and Harry Souttar strengthening Rodgers’ defensive options.
All three signings made their Premier League debuts against Villa, and all three impressed, despite Souttar scoring an own goal.
“Having experienced winning teams, that’s what we needed. The three guys have brought freshness, balance and competition. With players coming back, we’re hoping to push on. It was a fantastic win. We weren’t perfect but we showed lots of quality. We showed resilience to come from behind twice. We deserved to win.
“[On Tetê] You can tell he watches football and has a great knowledge of the game. It’s our job to support any player who comes in, whatever language they speak. He understands the position really well. His appetite to work and run, it made for a great debut. The longer he has with us, that will improve.”
On the fitness of his squad
Leicester have been plagued with injuries since the World Cup break, with James Maddison, Boubakary Soumare, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, and Jonny Evans all struggling with injuries.
But these players are starting to return to the squad with James Maddison making his first Premier League start since November on Saturday.
This will come as a huge boost, with Rodgers having more options to choose from.
“Soumare looked very good, he probably won’t be ready for the weekend. It will be Manchester United for him. He’s come back quickly. He needs to build back fitness. Jonny, he’s worked well, he’s had a couple of niggles, so we’ll assess him.
“[On Ricardo Pereira] He’s looked great, he’ll come into the squad. He played 70 minutes. Him and Ryan Bertrand played. Those two have been out for a long time, they got through the game. He’ll now come into the squad. That’s fantastic news for us.
“Wilfred Ndidi is back in training and hopefully should be fine for the weekend.”
On the fixture with Tottenham
Historically, Leicester have struggled against Tottenham with eight of the last ten matchups won by Tottenham. The most recent home fixture for Leicester was heartbreak, with Spurs scoring two goals in the 94th minute to win 3-2.
This fixture usually brings goals, with 23 goals scored in the last four fixtures between these sides, with the reverse fixture, at the start of the season, ending 6-2.
“We’ve played them before and won before. We understand their strengths. They’re very good on the counter. They have good speed and can make the final pass. Against teams like Spurs, you have to concentrate. We were well in the game for 70 minutes at their place. Then we showed naivety. We showed we can score goals, with a home crowd behind us.
“You need to make sure the resting defence is in the right positions. We gave away too much from set-pieces. Against a team like Tottenham who are very good when they break out, you have to make sure the team is set up well and slow down the counters. You want to go after the game, but you have to be really careful against Tottenham in that aspect. We scored goals and created more chances. If we can close the game, we have a great chance.”
Harry Kane broke the record to become Tottenham's all-time goalscorer, with his goal against Manchester City on Sunday. You would not bet against the striker getting on the scoresheet on Sunday, with Kane scoring 18 goals in 15 Premier League games against Leicester, more than any other Premier League club.
“He has absolutely everything. He’s a world-class player. It’s not just the consistency. He’s been relentless. It’s not by accident. It’s hard work on the training field. He’s got every tool that you would want as a top striker. He scores goals, he links the game, he’s tough, he’s mentally strong. He’s a brilliant player, a great leader.”
On the return of the European Super League
News broke this morning that the controversial European Super League was back with new plans for an 80-team competition with no permanent members.
In April 2021, when it was first launched, clubs faced enormous backlash forcing English clubs to back out and the league to be disbanded.
“To be fair, I’ve been training so I’ve not seen any of that news. The message that will be given will be similar to the last one. European football cannot intrude on domestic football. It was about the merits of the qualification. That would be key in any reform. It’s something I’ve not looked too much into.
“Not really [surprised it come back]. It was clear in this country what the supporters thought of it. But I don’t think it will go away. There is reform in 2024 of the Champions League and various other forms of the game. I don’t expect it to go away. We have to keep a close eye on it. Domestic football, supporters don’t deserve that to be intruded on.”
Leicester face Tottenham at the King Power Stadium on Saturday 11th February at 3pm.