Leicester City have made a solid start to their Premier League campaign but they cannot be mentioned in the same breath as Liverpool and Manchester City when discussing title credentials, manager Brendan Rodgers said on Wednesday.
Leicester are third in the table after nine games โ eight points adrift of leaders Liverpool and two behind City. The two teams above them are the only sides to win more points since Rodgers was appointed in March.
The Foxes beat remarkable odds to win the league title in the 2015-16 season but Rodgers said he was not getting overly excited about the possibility of a repeat this season.
โI think everyone recognises that Liverpool and Manchester City are the two top teams,โ Rodgers told reporters ahead of Fridayโs match at Southampton. โThereโs a group in behind those.
โWeโre nine games in, weโve made a very good start and since weโve worked together in February, the players have accumulated a lot of points and performed very well. Weโre at the beginning of where we want to go to and itโs a very long season.โ
Rodgers said midfielder James Maddison will be fit for the game after recovering from an ankle injury that prevented him from playing the full 90 minutes in last weekendโs 2-1 home win over Burnley.
โHeโs been fine, heโs been good in training up until now,โ Rodgers told reporters. โIt was a case where he didnโt do much in the couple of weeks after the Tottenham game and leading into Liverpool he hadnโt done a great deal.
โHe lasted the game (against Burnley) very well. He wasnโt right up to the match fitness, but he got a good period in the game in. He came off and he will be fit and ready for Friday.โ
Leicester take on a Southampton side who sit 17th with eight points from nine games, outside the relegation zone due to a healthier goal difference.
Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuettl, who guided RB Leipzig to a second-place finish in the Bundesliga in 2016-17, helped the Premier League side avoid relegation last season but they are yet to win a game at home in the current campaign.
โHe (Hasenhuettl) came in and made an impact,โ Rodgers said. โThey like to be aggressive in the press at home and theyโve got some talented players.
โI also saw Ralphโs teams at RB Leipzig and theyโre dangerous to play against.โ
REUTERS
