We Got Punished, Says Rodgers

- Leicester City were beaten 1-0 by Legia Warsaw in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday
- Manager Brendan Rodgers says City need to be more aggressive in their defending
- He also points to the next outing for his side at Crystal Palace in the Premier League

Mahir Emreli's first-half strike was the difference at Stadion Wojska Polskiego in City's second Group C fixture, although the visitors did create several opportunities to at least secure a point in the Polish capital.

Nonetheless, frustration was the overriding emotion for Rodgers at full-time.

"We’re frustrated," the Northern Irishman told LCFC TV. "We were too passive in the first half and not aggressive enough in our defending.

"We gave away a cheap goal so we pointed that out at half-time. We still had opportunities. We had two really good opportunities in the first half. In the second half, we were more dominant and we should have taken something from the game.

"I always believe in the group. I always believe we can get to positions and get the goal. We arrived into some really good areas. Maybe we needed that little bit of luck, but that didn’t come our way.

"We can work on the first half. It’s a mentality. We need to be more active in the game from the first whistle. When I came into here, there was an issue about starting games and that was something that we’ve rectified. We’re too passive and, at times, we get punished for that."

Rodgers was pleased by the manner in which his players stood up to the unique challenges which presented themselves during the game as Leicester had to battle a ferocious atmosphere as well as a determined Legia outfit in Warsaw. 

"It was a great atmosphere," he added. "It’s what European football is about. I’ve said to the players before that we belong here. We deserved to be here. We’ve got a real feeling of belonging here and now we’ve got to go and show our strength and mentality.

"For the Club and for the team, it’s very new to this level. I’m disappointed for the supporters who have travelled a long way to be here and it would have been great to give them a result. But we thank them for coming.

"There’s still a long way to go in the group with many more opportunities and the objective is to qualify and we’ve still got time to do that."

Leicester are next in Premier League action on Sunday when they travel to Crystal Palace hoping to secure a positive result ahead of the international break.

"It’s a big game for us at the weekend," Rodgers continued. "We’ll get back and recover tomorrow, put some preparation into the team and then we’ll be fresh and ready to go on Sunday."