Rodgers: Final is in a league of its very own
BOSS LOVES MAGIC OF CUP... EVEN WITH PREM GAMES ON
BRENDAN RoDgERs says sharing the FA Cup Final day limelight with the Premier League will not take any gloss off the occasion.
Leicester City are looking for their first triumph in the competition, after having reached the final four times – 1949, 1961, 1963 and 1969.
Foxes boss Rodgers has happy memories of when the showpiece finale would dominate the whole day.
But there will be three Premier League fixtures too this Saturday – although there is no direct clash with the final at Wembley, where Leicester bid to derail Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea.
Normally, the FA tries to keep the final entirely separate, but because of the backlog caused by Covid, the usual protocols have been overridden.
Asked if he was a cup traditionalist, Rodgers said: “Yes, absolutely. I grew up with the FA Cup Final being the only game on that day – you started with the build-up and followed it through to the end.
“But I suppose the pandemic, and the situation that the FA find themselves in, means there are very few gaps in which they can play.
“We have to accept it, if that’s the case, if there are games to be played.
“I’m sure it’s being done through necessity.
“It won’t take anything away from us or our preparation. We’re looking forward to it.” By the end of this campaign, the busy Foxes will have reached a century of games in just two seasons.
And that does not include international commitments, which will dominate the summer before the clubs return for their usual start in August.
The three-month lay-off before Project Restart did not help, as clubs were unsure when football was going to return and had to keep up players’ fitness levels.
Rodgers (above) is mindful of the workload that stars such as Belgium’s Youri Tielemans and Timothy Castagne will undertake. He says that any summer fitness programmes will take that into consideration.
Rodgers, left reeling after a shock 4-2 league defeat to Newcastle on Friday night, added: “We have to allow players a period of recovery at the end of the season.
“We will be tapering the programme of those with international commitments.
“Hopefully, they’ll have that rest and recovery so that when we do get them back in early July, they’ll be ready to work again.
“It is so important, given these last few years, for them to get in that rest.
“We’ve taken pride in the fact that we are extremely fit.
“Because of the way we play, we need players to be athletic. They are.
“It’s a reflection of their professionalism and the work done by the sports science and medical teams.
“So, yes, we will be looking at it, so that come pre-season, early in July, they’ll be ready to go again.”