We lacked that hunger and physicality which is something that's concern, reveals Brendan Rodgers

02/07/2022

In light of their 4-1 loss, Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers has admitted their lack of hunger and physicality against Nottingham Forest. The Championship side thrashed the Premier League side 4-1 in their fourth-round FA Cup tie, scoring thrice inside the opening 32 minutes of the game.

After Arsenal lost to Nottingham Forest, many expected reigning FA Cup winners Leicester City to have an easy path into the next round but things didn’t quite go according to plan. The Foxes have been on a poor run of form off late, with just four wins in their last 17 games before the clash and Forest took full advantage of that. They sped off to a 3-0 lead inside the opening 32 minutes before adding a fourth in the second half.

While Leicester City did pull one back just after half-time, the Foxes looked well off the pace and struggled to cause real problems to the Championship side. It saw Brendan Rodgers admit that his side lacked that hunger to win alongside their mistakes and the stability they needed in defense. The Leicester boss also added that Forest deserved to win the game as they showed “a greater desire”.

"We made mistakes and the mistakes then affect the confidence through the team. You go two quick goals behind and you're chasing the game then. For me, it's something that I've seen for a little period now. These players, some of them have done very well, but we lacked that hunger and physicality, which was never the case and is something that's a concern,” Rodgers said, reported Sky Sports.

"We lacked stability at the back, gave away poor goals and the two quick goals rocked us. In a game of this importance - particularly a derby game, away from home - you need to have authority and you need to have physicality, and we lacked that in abundance.

"They deserved to win - scored the goals, showed a greater desire and that's the disappointment."