KO the Reds in Boxing Day treat
RODGERS IS HOPING TEAM CAN AVOID POST-CHRISTMAS SLUMP THEY SUFFERED LAST SEASON
LEICESTER City head into another huge Boxing Day clash with greater maturity as they look to avoid repeating the postChristmas slump of last season.
It’s a case of deja vu for City as, for the second year running, they take on a Premier League heavyweight at home on December 26 while sat second in the table. Last year, they trailed Liverpool by 10 points and proceeded to lose 4-0 to the eventual champions, with fans disappointed they did not get to watch the Christmas cracker they had hoped for. Again, City trail Liverpool, but this time, the gap is only four points. And instead of the Reds, it’s the Red Devils who will be coming to town. City’s form in the second half of last season was that of a lower mid-table side, and that saw them slip from second to fifth.
But this time around, City manager Brendan Rodgers, left, says his players are much more mature.
“Last season we showed lots of great moments, and moments of big potential,” Rodgers said ahead of this afternoon’s clash with Manchester United. “What we needed to increase our level was time and consistency. With consistency comes maturity, with time comes the maturity.
“This Christmas, compared to last Christmas, it’s a different feeling. There’s a feeling of maturity and development.
“The team is growing the longer we are together. That’s only a good sign, if you want to be continuously improving.
“We’ve finished in the position we’re in just before Christmas but ultimately it’s where you’re going to finish at the end where it counts.
“Part of that maturity is keeping a level head even when the club is at the dizzying heights of the upper end of the table.”
Having had that experience last season, Rodgers is sure his players will cope better this time around.
“There’s a trust in what they’re doing and a belief in what they’re doing, and that comes from working for longer and with more time,” said Rodgers.
“There is a nice, quiet confidence, we are winning games like on Sunday (against Spurs) but we are not getting too carried away.
“Last season was probably the first time in a number of years where the team had been right up there so that feeling was new to a lot of the players and that can lead to some inconsistency.
“We are up there again so we’ve shown over these past 18 months there’s a nice progression, but you’ve also got to keep that humility and keep working well.
“And we know it’s all about where you finish at the end of the season.
“Lots of development has taken place, which is great.
“I see it in the players, I see it in the behaviour in the games, but we know we still have a lot more work to do.”