Some of the Brendan Rodgers pre Everton Press Conference
Rodgers on Houllier
It’s an awfully sad day for everyone in football. We had this connection which was Liverpool and you understand the unique pressures of there, it was like we had known each other a lot longer. He was able to support and help me in my time there. He revolutionised the whole place and made the training ground into a real modern facility. A really sad day for those that knew him.
Slavia Prague
From the football side, any team that gets to that point is a good side. They’re unbeaten in the league, they beat Sevilla a couple of years ago.
They’ll be tough. They will have confidence and quality. We can watch them closely over the next couple of months.
Soyuncu fit
Cags is not quite ready yet. He’s training well but he’s just getting confidence back. Hopefully within the next few weeks he will be back.
We will do what we have done throughout the season. The players who have been fit and available have been fantastic.
We’ll try to find a solution to get through the game.
Injuries
James should be fine. Timothy we’ll wait on to see if we get the go ahead. If not tomorrow, it will be Tottenham.
Ricardo is still a couple of weeks away.
Coping with busy schedule
We identified before a ball was kicked that there was going to be a range of challenges, and we knew we would have to trust everyone in the squad.
The players have responded brilliantly. They knew we will pick the right team to get the result and if they are outside of that, they are professional and ready. They have created that environment.
Everton
“They have a fantastic team of players. They started very well and then had injuries that knocked their consistency but they arrive into this game on the back of their best result of the season. They were very strong against Chelsea. It is so tight. There are lots of games, the gaps between games aren’t so big. You just have to get on with that.
In favour of concussion subs
Very much so. On the back of Jimenez and Luiz at the time. It makes sense and is logical. They shouldn’t be rushed to get back on the pitch.
The protocols you’ve seen in other sports will work well.
Changing formations
We changed it three times. That’s the type of players I have and want to work. It wasn’t working in that first 15 minutes, so we changed it,
and then again at half-time to solidify it. The players are bright and weren’t spooked by that.
Albrighton, Justin, Maddison
Marc’s a senior player here now and has been brilliant since the first day. He’s a got fantastic attitude. He’s been a great asset for me. James Justin is a boy who has jumped straight from League One but who is so reliable. I can play him in a number of positions. James Maddison has been unfortunate that he suffered injuries at the start of the season. When he gets back to his level, he’s one of the best in the Premier League.
Busy festive schedule
We’re excited by them. We want to go into each game with a real positive outlook. We’ll pick an aggressive team to win the game and we’ll look at that for Everton. We’ll give everything and then move onto the weekend. We’ve been used to playing a lot of games. The games over the Christmas period, playing Saturday and Monday, will test everyone.
Tight title race until the end
I think so. I think it will be tight, with the nature of the league this season because of the compactness of the games and the quality of the teams. I think it will be tight between the pack. But there’s still a long way to go. The teams in Europe have now got a period without that and might be a tad fresher.
It’s nice to be up and around it.
Teams underestimated
I don’t think people will make the mistake about anyone. Anything is possible, Leicester showed that. It’s one of the greatest sporting stories. The odds have dramatically been cut down on every team, so it’s not quite the same. It’s been great to see Southampton, West Ham and ourselves up there.
We’ve got to be up there as long as we can.
Vardy not valued highly enough by wider football community
I think there is a genuine respect for his qualities. He’s not on the international front anymore and whether he deserved more chances there, that’s up for debate. He’s a sensational striker whose numbers are incredible. If you think of his journey. He’s in his mid-twenties before he became a professional. Because of his path, maybe he doesn’t get highlighted as much.
Five subs
At the beginning of the season, I felt to keep it the same because that’s how it’s always been. But as the season’s gone on, and needing to support the players welfare more, I am for that. It allows you to involve more players. From my perspective, it would work well.
Tightness at the top healthy for the league
I think it shows you how competitive the league is. When you look at Southampton, if you look at the team they have, it shouldn’t be a surprise. Ryan Bertrand is a Champions League winner, lots of international, Danny Ings up front and he is one of the best strikers around. The job for us teams outside the bigger clubs is to sustain that over the course of the season. It’s our job to try to hang in there.
Ancelotti said you're a counter-attacking team. Is that right
I hope we have a little bit of everything. What we have shown this season which is fantastic from a coaching perspective, we have won games in different ways. We’ve won on the counter, we’ve won in a mid-block. If you look at Liverpool, they will press, they will sit, they will break out. A really good side has balance, they can play in the different phases. If you watch us over the season, we can break out with speed, but also play when the game is tight.
Schmeichel
He’s vital. You wouldn’t swap him for any other keeper. You see the hunger he has not to concede. He’s up for every game. He makes big saves. He makes a huge contribution. You’ve got Vards up the other end scoring, which is brilliant, but Kasper is just as important. He’s a wonderful leader. He knows the standard and knows the level of what it takes to be successful.
