This archive report was first published on 24 December 2019.
December 24, 2019, marked a significant day for Leicester City as they prepared to face Premier League leaders Liverpool at home. The Foxes were 10 points adrift of their opponents, having suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Manchester City in their previous match.
Despite this setback, Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers remained optimistic about his team's chances, citing their resilience as a key factor in their success. In an interview, Rodgers stated, "We have a fantastic resilience and we've shown that in a number of months but when you lose a game it's always difficult."
He added, "It's my job as the leader to ensure it doesn't get the players too down. We're a humble group, we want to be better and we understand part of that development is you are going to lose games."
Leicester's recent form had been impressive, with the team winning their next eight games after a disputed late penalty against Liverpool at Anfield. Rodgers acknowledged the challenge ahead, saying, "That'll happen, it's a case of reflecting on it. We always believe in the process but when there's a bump in the road we never get too down about it."
He emphasized the importance of bringing a strong performance to the game, stating, "We're thinking about bringing a performance to the game which can get us three points. Our objectives are very much the same, we want to continue developing as a team and we still have a lot more to do to get to the level we want to be."
Meanwhile, Rodgers played down suggestions that Liverpool would be tired after their recent victory in the Club World Cup final, saying, "It is a fantastic achievement, it's a great status to have so very well done to them."
He added, "We're at home, we want to bring our true game -- we know it's going to be difficult but it'll be a great test for us."
