Brendan Rodgers believes he is more equipped to handle pressure at Leicester
Rodgers is under mounting pressure at the King Power Stadium
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Your support makes all the difference.Under-fire boss Brendan Rodgers believes he is more equipped to handle the pressure as he battles to save Leicester’s season.
The Foxes manager insists his previous experience will help him deal with the spotlight with Leicester bottom and winless in the Premier League.
Rodgers was sacked by Liverpool in 2015 after three-and-a-half years at Anfield and feels his time on Merseyside leaves him well placed to manage his current situation.
“Experience really helps you. I was a young manager back then at a club where everything is scrutinised,” he said.
“I feel really at home here, that is the reality. The support I have always got, the players have been brilliant for me.
“The circumstances have been difficult this summer but it is a challenge and I want to show that grit and strength that have given me the career I have had.
“I needed that because I wasn’t a top player. We are in a situation where it is not ideal but it is still very early and football changes quickly as you know.”
The 49-year-old is also determined to keep Leicester’s situation in perspective, ahead of Saturday’s trip to Tottenham, but insisted previous achievements count for little.
“That’s absolutely key and that’s something I do have. I do have perspective on it all. I’m not one for old stories. Winning the FA Cup and Community Shield and where we finished, that’s old news.
“My job has been to always look forward, try to improve the squad and improve how we can go on and progress.
“Whenever you win games and change the system you are tactically very good and flexible. When you change the system because you’re not winning games you’re confused.”
Meanwhile, Rodgers believes James Maddison will not be driven by a desire to prove Gareth Southgate wrong after his latest England snub.
The 25-year-old was omitted from the final squad – for Nations League games against Italy and Germany – before the World Cup in November with his hopes of making it to Qatar seemingly over.
Rodgers said: “He’s beyond that (proving Southgate is wrong) now. He has shown his talents in the Premier League, in terms of his numbers, he has shown his workrate. He is making constant progress.
“You always want to prove a point as a player. I don’t think the England thing alone will add that fire to him, he wants to prove it to himself he can be deemed a top player at this level. Then taking that confidence from the hard work into the games.”
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