KASPER: FOX CUBS NEED TO UNLEASH HELL
Schmeichel calls on Leicester to be ruthless in Rome BUT TEASY DOES IT FOR JOSE
JAMES NURSEY
BY
JOSE MOURINHO will put the kettle on and make Brendan Rodgers a cuppa this evening.
The Leicester boss tracked down a rare £500 bottle of Mourinho’s favourite Barca Velha wine when Roma visited last week.
Rodgers gave the gift as the sides battled to a 1-1 draw in the Europa Conference League semi-final first-leg.
Mourinho (right with Rodgers) joked that his rival would be “crying” at the price and pledged to drink it after tonight’s return.
The Foxes boss explained he wanted to thank Mourinho for helping him at the start of his career at Chelsea when the Special One was in charge from 2004-2007 and promoted him from the club’s academy.
Rodgers has only asked for a simple cup of tea in return at the Stadio Olimpico.
Mourinho said: “I bought him a very nice gift. But because he wants tea, I will keep the gift for me and give him tea. That’s no problem.”
Leicester are set to face a sell-out crowd in Italy’s capital and Mourinho has called upon the home fans to play their part in their bid to reach the final in Tirana on May 25.
He added: “We want to reach the final and give it our absolute best. We will have 70,000 spectators. It doesn’t mean much in itself.
“If we have 70,000 spectators who want to participate in the game that is what we are looking for. We want the fans not to come to the stadium to look but to play.
They really can make the difference.”
Mourinho’s fifth-placed side are without Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who limped off injured at the King Power.
He is full of respect for Leicester’s determination to win but says nothing they do will ever top the 5,000-1 title triumph in 2016.
Mourinho said: “Being champions with Leicester means more than three titles with Chelsea or with Manchester United. They should be happy they won that very special title.
“But of course they want to win, it is the only way they can have European competition next season.”
BY DAVE ARMITAGE
KASPER SCHMEICHEL says Leicester’s young Foxes need to become gladiators in the home of the Colosseum.
Leicester hope to get the thumbs-up for their first European final when they step out into the 70,000-seat Stadio Olimpico this evening.
They tackle Jose Mourinho’s Roma with the semi-final delicately poised at 1-1 from the first leg at the King Power.
At stake is a place in the Europa Conference League final and Schmeichel says it will be no place for shrinking violets.
The Denmark international keeper, urging Leicester to show their killer instinct and get the job done, said: “We’re playing a quality side in an iconic stadium but we have to ignore that and focus on the game.
“The way we played in the first leg gives us confidence but we need to be ruthless because they had two chances in the first game and scored one. We have to eliminate that and tighten up in those moments.
“We have to limit them and be clinical when we get our chances.
“Can we enjoy it? You only enjoy it if you win, simple as that. The message is to win. Enjoyment comes naturally after that.” Schmeichel (above) dismissed the critics eager to rubbish the merits of the new tournament, saying: “It’s a European trophy. Every one is important.
“Every competition you can win is important. I don’t play football to finish fourth, fifth or sixth.
“It’s all about winning trophies. That’s what fans and players look back on, those moments when you got to lift trophies.
“The way we played in the first leg was very good and the only regret is not scoring more. We controlled the game and it’s all set up nicely now.”
Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers has told old pal Mourinho he’s definitely up for the cuppa.
Rodgers dug deep into his pocket to buy Mourinho a mega-expensive bottle of his favourite Portuguese
wine after the last week’s game at the King Power.
Mourinho, who was mentor to Rodgers when the two were at Chelsea, couldn’t hide his delight with the generous gift, saying: “I don’t know how he found it but I know he would have found it expensive!”
But Rodgers said there’ll be no wining from him if the gesture is not reciprocated.
Rodgers smiled: “I’m not a big drinker so I guess a nice cup of tea would be good. He doesn’t need to reciprocate, it was just a mark of respect and acknowledgement for what he had done for me
as a young coach.”