Manager wants to avoid a repeat of the 2015 FA Cup semi-final when his much-fancied
Liverpool side lost to Aston Villa
The praise is nice. The
Premier League points tally is impressive. So, too, that record 9-0 victory over Southampton, which came amid a club record run of consecutive top-flight wins. But, ultimately, football is not so different to primary school and what Brendan Rodgers and Leicester really want is something big and shiny to show for their progress – a trophy, which could lead to others. Their first chance to win one is this season’s Carabao Cup, which is why Wednesday’s semi-final first leg against Aston Villa is so important.
Rodgers knows his team are heavily fancied to beat Villa, not least because they thrashed Dean Smith’s side 4-1 at Villa Park a month ago. He also knows that has little relevance. Nothing is fated. Villa reinforced that message to him a long time ago: Rodgers has prevailed in his past 30 domestic cup ties, a run straddling periods in charge of Liverpool, Celtic and now Leicester. But Villa were the last opponents to knock out one of his teams, when they shocked Liverpool by winning 2-1 in the 2015 FA Cup semi-final.