Share

Rodgers focused on football

Cape Town - Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers insists he is not interested in managerial feuds, and prefers to focus solely on his side's football.

The Reds will on Tuesday evening come up against Chelsea and manager Jose Mourinho, the man who gave Rodgers a youth-team job in his first spell at Stamford Bridge in 2004.

Mourinho has since gotten the better of his counterpart in the two teams' last three meetings, leading to claims that Rodgers has a personal vendetta against the Portuguese tactician.

However, ahead of this week's Capital One Cup semi-final first leg at Anfield, the Ulsterman insists that could not be further from the truth.
"As a manager the big part of it is the players you have, that is the reality. Of course you can make an impact and make them better but if you come into a group of super-experienced players who have won consistently, you are going to have a better chance to win trophies - it's not rocket science," Football411 quotes him as saying.

"I have never really seen it as a direct match-up against the other manager because there are so many things that can dictate that. For me it is just about winning the game, regardless of the manager."

Rodgers went on to admit he has not stayed in regular contact with Mourinho, but insists his respect for the former Real Madrid boss has never waned.

"There's probably not as much contact but the respect hasn't left," he said. "The opportunity to work with him during that period of three-and-a-half years was invaluable for me but in some way I hope I helped him as well because there was a lot of communication.

"I have a huge respect for a wonderful man and coach but in time you are so engrossed in your own work you don't communicate as much and ultimately you could be a rival but the respect hasn't dropped."
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1473 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2251 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE