Rodgers looks to halt Reds on Anfield return
LONDON: Liverpool’s perfect start to the Premier League season is under threat from an in-form Leicester led by a manager with a point to prove at Anfield in Brendan Rodgers. The European champions have a five-point lead at the top of the table over Manchester City, but Leicester are the closest challengers to the top two.
Rodgers returns to Anfield for the first time since he was sacked by the Reds in 2015. The Northern Irishman has since rebuilt his reputation, winning seven trophies in two-and-a-half seasons at Celtic before making the move back to the Premier League with the Foxes in February.
Since Rodgers replaced Claude Puel, Leicester have the thirdbest record in the league behind relentless Liverpool and defending champions City.
A 5-0 thrashing of Newcastle last weekend saw Rodgers’s men open up a two-point lead on the chasing pack in third and they have shown their ability to test the traditional top six with a 1-1 draw at Chelsea and 2-1 victory over Tottenham already this season. However, Rodgers knows ending Liverpool’s unbeaten run at home in the Premier League since April 2017 is a much tougher challenge. “We just want to continue with our performance level. Liverpool are on an incredible run, they are great opponents to test and challenge the quality of our team,” said Rodgers.
“We’re bringing a real positive mindset into our games, no matter who the opponent is.”
POCHETTINO DEFIANT
Tottenham Hotspur coach Mauricio Pochettino dismissed speculation about his future at the club on Friday and said he hoped to spend many more years in North London.
Spurs were hammered 7-2 at home by Bayern Munich in Tuesday’s Champions League clash but Pochettino said the defeat would force him and his players to work harder and recover “their best feeling,” hopefully in Saturday’s Premier League game at Brighton & Hove Albion.
“On Monday I was the best and after Tuesday I am the worst,” he told reporters. “That is the reality when you lose and you cannot defend yourself.
“In five-and-a-half years I think in every single press conference we are talking about my future. I hope... I am going to spend five years more here at least.
“Football is a game to enjoy and when you don’t win it is difficult to enjoy but you can’t create a drama,” Pochettino added. “And we are not going to create a drama.”