Rodgers sees positive in Leicester’s 1-2 loss to Watford

Brendan Rodgers saw enough from his Leicester side to be positive about the future, despite his first game in charge ending in a 2-1 defeat to Watford.

Rodgers, back in the Premier League for the first time since losing his job at Liverpool in October 2015, looked to be opening his Foxes tenure with a point after Jamie Vardy cancelled out Troy Deeney’s fifth-minute opener.

But Andre Gray ruined his day when he struck an injury-time winner at Vicarage Road.

The match got off to a poor start but after Vardy’s 76th-minute leveller, Leicester looked the more likely side until Gray’s intervention.

“I have got a good idea from watching the team in terms of that the needs are for the summer,” he said.

“It’s a case of coming in and working with the players we have. They are a fantastic group of players, who have a great spirit and are very keen to learn.

“I said to them despite the result we have had a really good week’s training, they have taken on board the areas we spoke about.

“I know we can improve, there are things we need to get better at, but there is a lot of potential in there. I am looking forward to another week’s training before my first home game.”
Vardy impresses new boss Rodgers

Vardy’s leveller was a classic goal for the former England striker as he found space in between the two centre-halves before racing on to Youri Tielemans’ through ball and finishing coolly.

He later had to go off feeling the effects of a first-half collision with Ben Foster, but Rodgers believes the 32-year-old is someone he can build his team around.

Rodgers added: “He’s a player I’ve always loved, we’ve seen in the last number of years, he’s a born goalscorer, but he is perfect for us in the intensity in which he presses and his running ability.

“He showed what he is great at, the pass by Youri, great speed and a wonderful finish, so it is just about getting players in and around him, so he is not on his own and we did that in the second half.