Watford boss Claudio Ranieri shrugged off their FA Cup defeat to Leicester City.
The Golden Boys were knocked out by the Foxes after losing 4-1 at the King Power Stadium in an encounter that included first-team debuts for academy youngsters James Morris, Shaq Forde and Kamil Conteh.
João Pedro got on the scoresheet for the Golden Boys before the break but was unable to inspire a fightback as the current holders of the cup progressed to the next round.
“The performance was good but my priority was to save some players because for us the rest of the season is very important," Ranieri said.
“I can say good luck to Leicester. Of course, during the match, we tried to do something good. We scored a goal at 2-1 and we had two or three chances where maybe we have to shoot sometimes.
“We know we had to play against last year's winners. We gave rest to some players and gave others a chance, but our movements weren't always the best because it is a team that haven't played together.
“At the end, Leicester scored the goals and we didn't. For me it was good because, first of all, I have no injured players and that is very important. I gave a rest to [Emmanuel] Dennis, [Joshua] King and the others, which for me was important.
“My focus is now only on the next three matches [against Newcastle, Burnley and Norwich]. Now we have to be solid, compact and try to do our best, as we do every match."
Need a VPN? Or seeking to switch? Then support Tribal Football by clicking here to sign up with our official partners NordVPN. Not only will you receive the best VPN experience, but also great discounts by signing up via Tribal Football. Thanks for your support!