Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers has hit back at critics of Jose Mourinho, accusing them of showing ‘a lack of respect' to the man once referred to the Portuguese.
Mourinho will sit in the opposite dugout to former coaching colleague Brendan Rodgers, as Leicester travel to London aiming to keep their Champions League hopes alive.
Tottenham, on the other hand, have missed out on Champions League qualification for the first time since 2015, despite Mourinho taking over from Pochettino mid-season and guiding his team from 14th to 7th in the Premier League.
The former Celtic boss admits he learned his trade from Mourinho while Rodgers worked as a youth coach at Chelsea when the London club won two successive Premier League titles.
“Jose’s an outstanding manager. He’s still got many years left. Up until now, he’s been hugely successful," said Rodgers.
“Football evolves and changes. You still have room for different types of it and Jose is a master of getting his teams organised, making them difficult to beat and winning football matches.
“There’s different ways, different philosophies, different identities. There’s no right or wrong but he’s proven over many years that he’s successful.
“He will be looking to bring success to Tottenham, for sure. Sometimes, people now listen to the last word and are looking for other things. But Jose’s longevity, what he’s done and continues to do deserve a huge amount of respect and I’m sure they will be back up there.
“That will be the expectation at the club. Last season they were in the Champions League final. They have created an expectancy there.”
Leicester bounced back from a 4-1 defeat at Bournemouth to record only a second post-lockdown win against Sheffield United on Thursday, but Rodgers knows with only two games left, a win over Spurs is vital for a top-four league finish.
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