Brendan Rodgers
Brendan Rodgers told his Leicester City players not to be too consumed by Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of the 4-2 victory against Manchester United.
Brendan Rodgers said: “The awareness to your defenders is you’ve got to be concentrated all the way through. There’s a moment right at the end where it looked like he was getting in. Cristiano’s game has changed over the last number of years, from being a dribbler to being this incredible goal scorer where most of his goals come from inside the box, so that’s how it’s going to be for him at times in the game. You’ve got to worry about more than him, because you’ve got Bruno Fernandes on the back of scoring in midweek, Cristiano with a hat-trick, Mason you see his goal, what a strike and what a young player he is, then you’ve got guys like Jadon Sancho and Marcus to come into the game. They have huge talent, overall as a team you have to be so synchronized in your press to try and stop the ball getting to them. When they do arrive in there, which they will do at times, you have to be so concentrated and thankfully we’ve done a good job of that.”
Ronaldo might have drawn a blank in the East Midlands but Rodgers remains impressed with his quality and, just as importantly, his approach to the game.
Brendan Rodgers said: “He’s a remarkable role model for all players. What an advocate for every player, young and old, how to look after yourself, how to devote your life to your career, to have that hunger, that ambition, that drive, that willpower to win and succeed. He’s a player that will always be a danger and you see it from his numbers already, he scores goals.”
The Foxes shackled Ronaldo at the King Power Stadium, with the 36-year-old cutting a frustrated figure as he remained on the periphery of the game. Rodgers paid tribute to Ronaldo after the game, hailing him as an example to follow for every young player, but revealed his side had to focus on stopping more than just the centre forward. Leicester attempted to nullify United’s vaunted attack with a control midfield display and Rodgers was effusive about the aggression and pressing in his team’s play in the remarkable victory. But when it comes to Ronaldo, the Leicester boss knew staying switched on was going to be vital for his team against a player who has a very different approach to his first spell in the Premier League.
