MISSING Evans: FA Cup glory would complete set
JONNY EVANS wants to satisfy his appetite for a domestic trophy treble by helping Leicester to FA Cup glory.
The Foxes defender won three Premier League titles, two League Cups, a Champions League and the Club World Cup during his Manchester United days.
But on the home front the FA Cup eludes him – just as it does his club Leicester.
Evans, whose side face Southampton in the second semi-final at Wembley today, said: “I’ve never reached an FA Cup final and it’s something that has eaten away at me over the years.
“The closest I got was with Manchester United in a semi-final which we lost on penalties to Everton.
“I’ve played a few games at Wembley – Community Shield matches, a couple of League Cup finals – but it would definitely be nice to be playing in the FA Cup final.
“To win the FA Cup is something special.
“You are always envious when you watch players over the years winning trophies.
I’ve been fortunate to win League Cup finals but the FA Cup would top that.”
While Leicester’s prize cabinet houses one Premier League trophy and three League Cups, it is without an FA Cup despite four final appearances.
Evans added: “It is one for us to correct.
“Winning a trophy anyone is such a big deal.
“I probably took it for granted when I was younger but having not won a trophy in quite a few years, you appreciate how hard they are to achieve and how much you cherish them over time.”
Evans’ experience in big games is something his younger team-mates will look to this afternoon and he will draw on some of the words his old United boss, Sir Alex Ferguson, would say to his team before big games.
He said: “Sir Alex talked about concentration before most games.
“It was probably one of the biggest messages he gave to us – he wanted everyone so entrenched in the game. He’d for
talk about the ex-captains who had impressed him.
“He spoke about Bryan Robson a lot, how he would go into this competitive zone and he wanted all of us to be like that.
“I was very grateful for that experience and being a part of a team that won things.
“I’m very proud of all those trophies I got but on the other hand, you had players in your team like Ryan Giggs who probably had 12, 13 Premier League titles.”
Evans has a CV most of his team-mates would love to call their own.
He added: “Players respect what you’ve achieved.
“I have tried to take confidence from that and tried to lead by example.”
PREPARATION IS everything for Jan Bednarek – especially when tasked with stopping someone as dangerous as Jamie Vardy.
So while the Leicester striker downs a can of Red Bull to pump himself up for today’s FA Cup semi-final, Southampton defender Bednarek will be sipping his own special brew at Wembley.
The Polish international’s preferred tipple before a clash is a herbal cuppa all the way from South America called Yerba Mate.
He swears by its uplifting effects and has already persuaded Saints skipper James Ward-Prowse to participate in his ritual.
Bednarek said: “It’s a green tea, which hydrates you and wakes you up. You feel more energised and fresher.
“It’s a culture for the South Americans – a part of their lives.
“I just do it with Prowsey.”
Whether that will be enough to maintain a grip on Vardy, 34, is open to debate. Certainly, Bednarek is under no illusions. He has nothing but praise for the retired England man’s ability to plunder goals well into his 30s.
He likens Vardy to Poland and Bayern Munich ace Robert Lewandowski and the evergreen Swede Zlatan Ibrahimovic, still smashing them in at 32 and 39 respectively.
“The difference between a good and a great player is his consistency,” said Bednarek, 25.
“He can do it week in, week out and in every single game can turn the tables with a goal.That’s what Vardy has done and it’s what Lewandowski and Ibrahimovic do.
“We know how Vardy plays but it’s very difficult against him. He’s always running, always pressing, always fighting.
“It’s about defending as a group. We can double up or triple up so he always feels pressure.”
Vardy is only part of the equation for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Saints as they bid to bury the pain of last season’s 9-0 Premier League humiliation by Leicester.
The wounds from that hammering were reopened two months ago when the south coast club lost at Manchester United by the same scoreline.
Bednarek said: “It’s football. It’s part of history. It’s gone. We cannot affect it anymore.
“It’s Leicester but we know we can beat them. We did this straight after that defeat at home.
“We showed we were strong and it was just an accidental defeat.”