Brendan Rodgers joked he “probably got lucky” after he masterminded another away win over one of the Premier League’s leading tacticians.
Brendan Rodgers said “Because I’m a British manager, I probably got lucky. The players were tactically very good in the game. It’s the type of performance you need to be a team like Leeds. They have shown what a really good attacking team they are. But as I said before the game, you also know there will be space and if you have quality, you can create chances. Defensively, we were very good in blocking the spaces and getting tight. The goal we conceded was poor, but in some ways it will help us going forward as we had to show that resilience. They were outstanding. We’re missing top international players. Luke Thomas was outstanding playing against Costa, who’s really dynamic but he controlled him really well. And then Wesley, he usually played on the outside of back three for Saint-Etienne but we had to move him in one and he showed his maturity.”
Leicester City have now defeated Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, and Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds on the road at an aggregate score of 10-3. The latest win, secured at Elland Road thanks to goals from Harvey Barnes, Jamie Vardy and a brace from Youri Tielemans, puts City second in the Premier League table, just a point behind Liverpool in a repeat of the early top-two from last season. Rodgers said that because he’s British, he and City may not get the credit they deserve for the tactics they put in place in those three big wins.
Because of five defensive injuries, to Jonny Evans, Caglar Soyuncu, Daniel Amartey, Ricardo Pereira, and Timothy Castagne, City had to field a second-string back five, with James Justin, Wesley Fofana, and Christian Fuchs as the middle trio, and Marc Albrighton and Luke Thomas as wing-backs. Despite having two teenagers and a 22-year-old in the backline, City showed their maturity.
