Rodgers Praises City’s Tactical Intelligence

- Brendan Rodgers credits Leicester City for their adaptability during pre-season
- The Foxes won 2-1 at Stoke City on Saturday, while another City side drew 2-2 at Rotherham
- Marc Albrighton and Youri TIelemans were on target at bet365 Stadium

Alongside a 2-2 draw at Rotherham United, the Foxes emerged as winners at bet365 Stadium after Youri Tielemans found the net with six minutes remaining.

Rodgers implemented a new system against the Potters and applauded his side for the way they embraced the Northern Irishman’s tactics.

“I’m very pleased with the performance today,” Rodgers said following the win at Stoke. “It was difficult, of course, at times, in terms of the intensity and the tempo.

“The stadium was only a quarter full, but I was really, really pleased from a fitness perspective, which was the main idea. Lots of the players got through their first 90 minutes, so I’m happy with that.

“From a tactical perspective, we played a different system and I was so pleased with that element of the game, how the players adapted to that. I thought they were very, very good.

“It’s a system where you can have no ego when you play it. You have to run, you have to work and you have to create space and have lots of movement and they did that.

“That really pleased me and mentally, they were much more concentrated in the second half, I felt.

“They were cleaner with their passing and quicker with their passing and we created opportunities throughout the game, so it was a really good exercise against lots of players that are experienced in the Premier League. It was good all round.”

Rodgers says he wants his Foxes to be comfortable with operating in a number of playing systems, but insists City’s style of play will not change.

He added: “It’s a system I’ve used a lot through my coaching career. When I first came in, we primarily played 4-3-3 through to the end of the season, but like my teams to play different systems.

“The style will always remain the same, but the systems change. To play that well in that first game playing in that system, I was really pleased because Stoke are a team that play that and understand that system very well. It was a really good exercise for us.”