Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers hailed the way his side dealt with Goodison Park’s “hostile” atmosphere in their 2-0 win over Everton that saw them climb out of the Premier League’s relegation zone and leapfrog their hosts in the table on goal difference. After six draws and two defeats on his previous Premier League visits, the former Liverpool boss finally picked up his first ever three points on the other side of Stanley Park and was delighted with the Foxes’ display.
Rodgers said: “It was a fantastic performance. I think when you come to Goodison, you know you’re going to be in for a game.
“The crowd really get behind the team and support the team so I was really pleased with how we defended and our concentration as we didn’t give away too many opportunities. Then we had confidence and composure on the ball in an environment, which I said, can be tough, we played with a really calmness and quality.
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“I was frustrated in the first half when we broke into so many good positions but couldn’t find the right pass, either through quality or a key slip in a moment but over the course of the game, the players were very good.”
The Ulsterman added: “I think for us, when we were down towards the bottom, I said to the players ‘we stay calm and let’s work our way through and see if we can get towards mid-table by the break’, that was our aim. There’s still a long, long way to go in the season but to sit and look at it for six weeks isn’t nice but it’s something that’s there and there’s loads of games when everyone comes back.
“For us, I’m just so happy for the players and the supporters, they’ve had some tough results this season but they’ve come here tonight and they know you’ve got to turn up at Goodison because it’s a hostile environment and you’ve got to be strong, you’ve got to be resilient and you’ve got to have the courage to play and I think they’ll be proud of their team heading back down the motorway.”
Rodgers was also full of praise for playmaker James Maddison. Despite the 25-year-old only being capped once for England so far, back in 2019, there has been a clamour for him to win a late call-up to Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad. He said: “This boy has been like this for 18 months. We’re playing here in the most-competitive league in the world and his level of performance, firstly without the ball, he’s a player that has improved in that aspect of his game, that’s what every coach wants to see, the gifted players work and press, that’s what the top level is about.
“If you’re talking technical level and tactical idea and efficiency, he’s right up there, he’s one of the best players in this league, absolutely no question. We’re talking in this league which is full of world-class superstars and he is a superstar – what a player.”
Rodgers also tackled accusations that Maddison was seen as a ‘flash’ individual and said: “This is a game where people will create a narrative and they’ll spin stories to create a story around a certain player and that’s what’s been created with him. He’s a young guy that has played in lower leagues and has come into the highest level.
“He might have his Louis Vuitton bags and whatever else stuff but he loves football. He made some mistakes that he would admit as well but for me, the joy I have, working with him every day, I couldn’t buy that.
“Seeing him every morning in the restaurant, talking football and having breakfast and out on the field, you’d pay to watch him train, he’s so good. I’m very lucky in that I don’t have to pay to watch him play football in the biggest stadiums.
“This boy is built for a World Cup. This boy can go into a 150,000 stadium and it doesn’t matter. He’ll take the ball, he’ll pass the ball, he’ll be creative. That’s his stage.
“Everyone has seen it and that’s why I keep getting asked the questions on him. He’s one of the best players in the Premier League, who happens to be English.
“There are other incredible talents about but just look at his numbers and look what he produces in games. He’s such a brilliant guy who has matured, don’t get me wrong – I left him out of the FA Cup final because of certain aspects of his game I didn’t like – but he’s always responded so he has a resilience, he has a toughness and he’s a top, top player.”
In terms of his own position, the 49-year-old, whose team climbed from 18th to 13th with this result, claims he was never going to panic. He said: “It’s all individual. The connection we have with the club, the owners and the board is very strong.
“With the greatest respect, they understood the difficulties of the summer and they’ve always had a trust in me. They expect me, with what I’ve done at the club, to move the team away from trouble.
“If results weren’t good enough and they hadn’t seen progress then you can be out of work but my focus was lasered into the team to get us back to a level, with the confidence and composure so they can get winning games again.”
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