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Tielemans is one of ‘Europe’s top midfielders’, says Rodgers London (AFP) – Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers believes Youri Tielemans has become “one of Europe’s top midfielders”, with the Foxes player reportedly attracting interest from some of the continent’s leading clubs. Both Bayern Munich and Liverpool have been linked with a move for the 24-year-old Belgium international, whose contract with Leicester expires in 2023. Tielemans’ representatives are in talks with the club. The midfielder has been in fine form, scoring spectacular long-range goals in Leicester’s back-to-back Premier League wins over Manchester United and Brentford. “I think he’s progressing well, he’s doing very well,” Rodgers said on Friday. “He came in January 2019 and he has progressed into one of Europe’s top midfielders. He’s only going to get better. An incredible professional.” The former Liverpool boss added: “His mindset is to work at the highest level. He’s progressing and that’s what you want to see in your players…. He’s one of the best professionals I’ve ever worked with. “His job is to create goals and score goals but he’s proven himself to battle physically in the league. He’s really worked on that aspect of his game. “If you look across the board in terms of ideal footballers, being mentally tough, being intelligent, having bravery, having quality, he ticks every one of those boxes. “At 24 years of age, he’s a brilliant player. He is so efficient in games.” Leicester will look to record three successive Premier League wins for the first time since January when they host Arsenal on Saturday. The Foxes are in ninth place, above Arsenal on goal difference. “We’re not playing quite to the level we want or we are capable of but we’re returning to that and it’s a testament to the players’ mentality that we are getting victories,” said Rodgers.

London (AFP) – Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers believes Youri Tielemans has become “one of Europe’s top midfielders”, with the Foxes player reportedly attracting interest from some of the continent’s leading clubs. Both Bayern Munich and Liverpool have been linked with a move for the 24-year-old Belgium international, whose contract with Leicester expires in 2023. Tielemans’ representatives are in talks with the club. The midfielder has been in fine form, scoring spectacular long-range goals in Leicester’s back-to-back Premier League wins over Manchester United and Brentford. “I think he’s progressing well, he’s doing very well,” Rodgers said on Friday. “He came in January 2019 and he has progressed into one of Europe’s top midfielders. He’s only going to get better. An incredible professional.” The former Liverpool boss added: “His mindset is to work at the highest level. He’s progressing and that’s what you want to see in your players…. He’s one of the best professionals I’ve...

Leicester still have ‘work to do’ to finish in top four, says Rodgers London (AFP) – Brendan Rodgers said Leicester still have “work to do” after the FA Cup finalists closed in on a top-four finish in the Premier League with a rare win at Manchester United. A 2-1 victory at Old Trafford on Tuesday lifted Leicester, who have two league games remaining, to third in the table — eight points clear of fifth-placed West Ham. Leicester face top-four rivals and Champions League finalists Chelsea in the FA Cup final on Saturday, seeking to win the trophy for the first time after four defeats in the final. But Rodgers, mindful of last season’s late collapse, which meant they missed out on qualification for the Champions League on the final day of the season, stressed the job was not yet done. “It’s an extremely important win for us,” said the Leicester boss. “It’s huge. We’re at 66 points now, which is what two of the sides that finished in there (the top four) last season got. “It’s a big step but there are still two games to go and the teams are still chasing us, so we still have work to do.” Goals by Luke Thomas and Caglar Soyuncu secured the points, which handed the title to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. However, Rodgers was critical of his side’s performance in the first half. “We played too slow and the speed of our game was poor,” said Rodgers. “We were not precise enough, and when you are like that against a top side, they can hurt you. “Any problems came from us losing possession.” The win at Old Trafford against a much-changed United will have calmed the nerves of the Leicester players, who had won just two of their previous six league games. “We said when we reached the final there was still so much work to do for us in the league and we’ve done some great work to get to this stage,” said Rodgers. “Now we can get back in tomorrow on the back of a fantastic result and get ready to take on the Champions League finalists. “It’s a chance for history at the weekend.”

London (AFP) – Brendan Rodgers said Leicester still have “work to do” after the FA Cup finalists closed in on a top-four finish in the Premier League with a rare win at Manchester United. A 2-1 victory at Old Trafford on Tuesday lifted Leicester, who have two league games remaining, to third in the table — eight points clear of fifth-placed West Ham. Leicester face top-four rivals and Champions League finalists Chelsea in the FA Cup final on Saturday, seeking to win the trophy for the first time after four defeats in the final. But Rodgers, mindful of last season’s late collapse, which meant they missed out on qualification for the Champions League on the final day of the season, stressed the job was not yet done. “It’s an extremely important win for us,” said the Leicester boss. “It’s huge. We’re at 66 points now, which is what two of the sides that finished in there (the top four) last season got. “It’s a big step but there are still two games to go and the teams are still...

Leicester can cope without Vardy, says Rodgers London (AFP) – Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers hopes Jamie Vardy will heal quickly from groin surgery but is confident he has the cover to cope in the absence of his talisman. The England forward has had an operation on a long-standing hernia problem and last week Rodgers said he would be sidelined for “a few weeks”. Leicester are third in the table at the midway point of the Premier League season, just two points behind leaders Manchester United after three straight wins. Vardy had not scored in his previous five matches before his enforced break but Leicester still won three and drew two. The 2016 Premier League champions beat second-tier Brentford 3-1 in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday, without Vardy in the team. “He’s a little bit sore as you’d expect but we hope he’s a quick healer and he’ll be back soon,” said Rodgers. “There is a lot made when Jamie doesn’t play. He’s one of the best in the league but our development as a team is about the collective. “We have scored 53 goals over the course of the season so far. Jamie has 13 and 40 of our goals have come from other people.” Ayoze Perez was chosen up front on Sunday but will face competition from Kelechi Iheanacho. The pair have just five goals between them, but Rodgers felt that was a reflection of having to play second fiddle to Vardy. “We’ve had Jamie in that central role, so we’ve had Ayoze out wide, a position he is comfortable in,” said Rodgers. “He’s been a very important player for us. It might not feel that for people watching but he will play a really pivotal role for us in the second part of the season. “Whether it’s him, or Kelechi, or someone else, the responsibility for goals is with the team.”

London (AFP) – Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers hopes Jamie Vardy will heal quickly from groin surgery but is confident he has the cover to cope in the absence of his talisman. The England forward has had an operation on a long-standing hernia problem and last week Rodgers said he would be sidelined for “a few weeks”. Leicester are third in the table at the midway point of the Premier League season, just two points behind leaders Manchester United after three straight wins. Vardy had not scored in his previous five matches before his enforced break but Leicester still won three and drew two. The 2016 Premier League champions beat second-tier Brentford 3-1 in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday, without Vardy in the team. “He’s a little bit sore as you’d expect but we hope he’s a quick healer and he’ll be back soon,” said Rodgers. “There is a lot made when Jamie doesn’t play. He’s one of the best in the league but our development as a team is about the collective. “We have...

Leicester can upset Premier League established order, says Rodgers London (AFP) – Leicester have the potential to disrupt the dominance of the ‘Big Six’ in the Premier League, says Foxes manager Brendan Rodgers. The Northern Irishman’s side lie third in the table after beating Newcastle 2-1 on Sunday. Leicester — who in 2016 became the only club from outside the ‘Big Six’ to win the league title since 1995 — are a point behind leaders Liverpool, who visit Southampton later on Monday, and second-placed Manchester United. Leicester have played a game more than several of their rivals in a wide-open title race, with just seven points separating Liverpool and United from West Ham in 10th. By comparison, Liverpool held a 27-point advantage over the team in 10th place after 16 games last season, as did Manchester City at a similar stage in the 2017-18 campaign. Rodgers says that while Leicester may be unable to compete financially with the biggest clubs, they can make their presence felt on the pitch. “We want to be a team that, year on year, can get European football,” said Rodgers. “Our job is, can we disrupt the hierarchy? We might not financially – we don’t have the finances to go and get that £70 million ($96 million), £80m, £90m player — but we can in a football way.” Rodgers said his initial goal is to qualify for European football next term. A loss of form at the end of last season cost Leicester a Champions League spot but they are into the knockout stage of the Europa League after topping their group. “My ambition is to get into Europe again and for us to progress,” said Rodgers. “What’s nice is our top players are getting their fitness back and that’s exciting for us in the second part of the season.” England midfielder James Maddison is one of the players who have returned from injury and had an immediate impact, scoring at Newcastle. Maddison and Belgian international Youri Tielemans’s goal helped the Foxes to their seventh win away from home this campaign — the most in the Premier League. “We are playing with intensity and a bit of swagger. Newcastle felt the full force of a top-of-the-table Premier League team,” said Maddison.

London (AFP) – Leicester have the potential to disrupt the dominance of the ‘Big Six’ in the Premier League, says Foxes manager Brendan Rodgers. The Northern Irishman’s side lie third in the table after beating Newcastle 2-1 on Sunday. Leicester — who in 2016 became the only club from outside the ‘Big Six’ to win the league title since 1995 — are a point behind leaders Liverpool, who visit Southampton later on Monday, and second-placed Manchester United. Leicester have played a game more than several of their rivals in a wide-open title race, with just seven points separating Liverpool and United from West Ham in 10th. By comparison, Liverpool held a 27-point advantage over the team in 10th place after 16 games last season, as did Manchester City at a similar stage in the 2017-18 campaign. Rodgers says that while Leicester may be unable to compete financially with the biggest clubs, they can make their presence felt on the pitch. “We want to be a team that, year on year, can get...

Leicester need to ‘reset mentally’ to reach Champions League, says Rodgers London (AFP) – Brendan Rodgers says Leicester need to “reset mentally” to stay in charge of their Champions League destiny after their slump continued with a 2-1 loss at Everton. The Foxes remain third in the Premier League but are fading, claiming just two points from their three games since the Premier League resumed. They were fortunate fourth-placed Chelsea failed to take advantage, also losing on Wednesday, but in-form Manchester United and Wolves are just three points behind with six games to play. “I know we have a very young group, a young squad that is developing, but if you want to consistently compete at the very top end of this table it is a mindset,” said Leicester boss Rodgers. “I think we have shown over the course of the season we have got the talent but there is no doubt that we have to have a reset mentally if we are going to go and achieve what we want to achieve.” Rodgers said his team were still in a “fantastic” position. “We have been terrific for a lot of the season,” he said. “Our level has been high and somehow we need to work our way back to that.” Everton took an early two-goal lead at Goodison Park through Richarlison and Gylfi Sigurdsson, who scored from the penalty spot. Kelechi Iheanacho pulled one back for Leicester after the break but the visitors could not find an equaliser despite applying plenty of pressure. For Everton it was a result that maintained their late charge for a Europa League spot. With seven points from their past three games, Carlo Ancelotti’s side have seventh place in their sights. Everton defender Michael Keane felt beating Leicester was a declaration of intent. “We want to get into Europe and this was a must-win,” said Keane. “I don’t think we showed our full quality on the ball,” he added. “But the game was all about the result and we’ll take that all day.”

London (AFP) – Brendan Rodgers says Leicester need to “reset mentally” to stay in charge of their Champions League destiny after their slump continued with a 2-1 loss at Everton. The Foxes remain third in the Premier League but are fading, claiming just two points from their three games since the Premier League resumed. They were fortunate fourth-placed Chelsea failed to take advantage, also losing on Wednesday, but in-form Manchester United and Wolves are just three points behind with six games to play. “I know we have a very young group, a young squad that is developing, but if you want to consistently compete at the very top end of this table it is a mindset,” said Leicester boss Rodgers. “I think we have shown over the course of the season we have got the talent but there is no doubt that we have to have a reset mentally if we are going to go and achieve what we want to achieve.” Rodgers said his team were still in a “fantastic” position. “We have been terrific for a lot of ...