Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
BRENDAN BID A NO BRAINER
LEICESTER boss Brendan Rodgers insists he is not even thinking about rivals Manchester United in the chase for a Champions League spot.
The Foxes’ 4-1 defeat to struggling Bournemouth at the weekend was followed by news that fifth place will no longer be enough to earn a Champions League spot, after Manchester City’s UEFA reprieve.
Leicester face United at home in the last game of the season in what could potentially be a winner-takes-all match for a place with Europe’s elite.
Rodgers (above), whose side host Sheffield United tonight, said: “We always look forward and we will always be hunting. There will be twists and turns, but you can’t worry about where you will finish.
“We’re going to fight, but the message is, ‘Don’t overthink it’.
“If you had said to me at the start of the season that with three games to go we would be fighting for the Champions League, we would have bitten your hand off.”
DEAN SMITH admits Jack Grealish is obsessed with his stats and is ready to ram them back at critic Graeme Souness after finding his “rhythm”.
The Villa captain looked back to his best against Crystal Palace for the club’s first win in 11 games.
It was a welcome return to form for the £70million Manchester United target, who is the most fouled player in the Premier League. But that stat sparked criticism from TV pundit Souness who said the playmaker is potentially holding on to the ball too long and missing the bigger picture.
Grealish responded by tweeting “Can’t please everybody” (above) alongside the stat showing he is second to only Kevin De Bruyne in chances created. And Smith knows Villa need Grealish to shine tonight at Everton as they battle the drop.
Smith said: “Does he get stung by criticism? Probably, I think everybody does. If you get criticised, you want to prove people wrong. Hopefully he’s doing that. He has been striving to put in good performances. He probably hasn’t got to the levels he would have liked to in the first six games.
“I can assure you it has not been for the want of trying. But he certainly got there against Crystal Palace.
“When you get a player like Jack Grealish in rhythm it is a quality we certainly require at Aston Villa.”
As well as earning the free-kick for Villa’s opener against Palace, Grealish won possession back nine times – a post-restart high for him. He is now looking to add to his seven Premier League goals and six assists this season.
Smith added: “Jack will be the first one who tells you everything about his stats. He knows more than even our analysts.
“And he speaks to the coaches about what he can do better. That is all you want, a player who asks questions and pushes us as coaches to make them better.”