SO, WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT BIT ABOUT STARTING QUICKLY?
RODGERS FUMING OVER CITY’S SLUGGISH FIRST 20 MINUTES THAT HANDED ARSENAL WIN
LEICESTER City did “the exact opposite” of what Brendan Rodgers told them as a poor first 20 minutes proved costly against Arsenal, writes Jordan Blackwell.
City’s five-match unbeaten run came to an end with Gabriel and Emile Smith Rowe striking for the Gunners in a period where Rodgers’ side lacked aggression, organisation, urgency and drive.
That slow start means City now have the worst record in the Premier League for the first half-hour of home games, with no goals scored and four conceded.
City improved after the break, but found Arsenal keeper Aaron Ramsdale in top form.
“It was exactly the opposite of what we said before the game,” Rodgers said. “It’s an early start, we need to start quick, get the crowd onside, and we did exactly the opposite. You’ve got to really start with aggression. But we get pinned back too early into our shape for some reason.
“You have to be on it every single game, you can’t be giving teams a two-goal start. The second half I can have no complaints, I thought we were excellent, aggressive and created opportunities. If we had drawn 2-2, there couldn’t have been a complaint. Our spirit wasn’t broken, we kept fighting. The first 20 minutes cost us.”
The first goal City conceded came from a corner, with Brighton also netting from a set-piece in the midweek cup tie.
Rodgers admits it is something that needs to be addressed but said it was only a recent problem, despite City having the third-worst record in the division for defending set-pieces last season.
He said: “If you analyse the Premier League, there’s a lot of set-pieces going in from the front post area. It’s not just us, it’s other teams, but from our perspective, we can be much better. Certainly we need to improve
on it.”