Brendan Rodgers Discussion Thread

See if it had been we drew with Leipzig and beat Brugge we would all be buzzing to be on 8 points in fact after Dortmund if we had been sitting here on 6 I would have been happy looking at fixtures then.

I have maintained I felt Brugge was an acid test game for us. A club who have been doing what we have been aspiring to do in Europe in recent times.

In some aspects we failed that test last night in that we were poor in our performance but in others I take confidence that we got something out that game. The BMG home 2-0 defeat from 16/17 came to mind at 1-0 down last night from a stupid mistake. Not playing well, but in a stuffy game with few chances, being passed around us a bit, it all felt very similar.

The one thing that wasn’t the same is we found a way to get an equaliser and by the end of the game looked the more likely to win it. To me that is progress, in our last 3 games we have actually finished looking the team more likely to do something or at least comfortable in the game including Atalanta away.

Yes we need to be better on and off the ball when playing technically superior teams and our decision making needs to improve but we literally kicked the ball in our own net last night, played poorly for an hour and still never lost the game.

Reflecting back on it I am disappointed in the performance as I feel we let them settle and play their game. They were technically good and well drilled but much like the Bodo/Glimt game a couple of years back I feel we made them look better than they really were. But I do see signs of progress that we didn’t get beat and as I say finished looking the more likely to win it.

 

It's been a 9/10 season so far, but if I had any criticisms of him so far, it's having favourites and not making subs earlier.

On the latter point, he does make subs around the 60 minute mark and they do usually make a difference, but if we brought Bernardo and Valle on straight away yesterday, I think we go on and win it, there was no real reason to keep Engels and Taylor on after their performance.

Continually playing Engels and Taylor over better players is really poor. It's not doing Engels any favours at all and is keeping a better player in Bernardo on the bench, there was no reason for Taylor to come straight back into the team after Valle's recent performances.

He's been fantastic this season and I do think he'll change it up going forward, he did after Dortmund.

 

Improving how we approach CL/European games is the biggest improvement for me. Was said last year but I honestly didn't really see a huge difference.

This campaign, being able to recover from Dortmund and change of tactics for Atlanta I'd give Rodgers the credit. Wednesday wasn't great but think that was more down to the players than the manager, excepting playing Engels.

Better football, better approach, better squad and tactics - obviously want to go as far as possible but that's a huge leap forwards if we can maintain it across seasons.

 

Brendan Rodgers has turned his attention back to the Scottish Premiership for this weekend’s home match against Ross County.

The Hoops are currently two points clear at the top of the table, having played one game less than nearest challengers, Aberdeen, and the aim is to secure another three points this weekend.

The match comes on the back of a tough midweek UEFA Champions League tie against Club Brugge, and the manager was delighted with the way his team tackled that challenge and battled for a point against a very difficult opponent.

Speaking ahead of Saturday’s game, Brendan Rodgers said: “I think Ross County will be very determined.

“I know Don very well, and he was my first ever signing as a manager when I was manager at Watford, and he did brilliantly for me there.

“So I’ve known him since those days and always been in contact with him and followed him. He worked closely with Malky and now he’s gone out on his own, and I think he’s done a really good job.

“The game that we played up there, I think it could be a similar type of game.

'They were super-organised, they all knew their job and their role, and we had to work very hard at the end to get the result.'

“So I will expect a similar game and they will carry a threat in various moments, but we’re at home and we love playing at home.

"We want to showcase our energy and our attitude in the game and that’s what we’ll look to bring, but it will be a tough game for sure


There are no injury worries ahead of Saturday’s clash with Ross County, and the manager’s starting XI will be selected from a strong squad.

And Brendan Rodgers also addressed some criticism which has come the way of Arne Engels recently.

“The most recent example of that was Paulo Bernardo,” he said. “It was exactly the same, if I remember back – highlighting Paulo and his performances this time last year, and now he can’t be cheered on loud enough when he enters on to the pitch.

'That’s called development. It’s called patience. It’s called time.'

“Arne’s a fantastic young player, otherwise we wouldn’t have brought him here. He doesn’t set the price, he’s come here to a big club to improve his game and I have absolutely no doubt that he will do that.

“I know it won’t be the case but I would hope that people will learn their lesson – the same people that were writing off Paulo Bernardo and Nicolas Kuhn – you have to look and see that development will take time.

“Some will hit the ground running and be fine and adapt perfect, but not everyone is like that and especially a young player, so I’ve been really pleased since he’s come in because I know the future for him – he will improve, he will develop and get better – and I’ve seen it so many times.

“It’s always the pressure when you up here to play, the scrutiny is on you and you’re going to have your critics.

“Sometimes it’s deserved and sometimes it’s not, and a lot of the time you don’t have the last word, but you do have your chance on the pitch to show what you can do.

“But like every player, whether they’re young or old, you’re not immune to it. You know what’s been said but Arne only really needs to worry about his team-mates and ourselves, and his development and coaching, and he’s such a young player with a lot of potential, and that’s why we brought him here.”

 

Ange should give him a call and ask how to play exciting football and keep it tight at the back

 

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers was delighted with a "complete" performance as his team surged to a five-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership by dismantling Ross County at Parkhead.


Rodgers made six changes from the side that drew with Club Brugge in midweek, showcasing his squad depth as each player made a positive impact.

Four out of the five scorers from a devastating five-goal first half were newbies into the starting XI.

Liam Scales opened the scoring with a powerful header from a corner, followed by a deflected goal from the impressive Luke McCowan.

Paulo Bernardo netted the third before captain Callum McGregor ensured it would be a convincing three points for the reigning champions by rifling beyond the Ross County goalkeeper from around 20-yards, marking his sixth league goal of the season.

The first half concluded with a thumping finish from Adam Idah, extending Celtic's unbeaten domestic run to 28 games since March



I thought it was the complete performance," Rodgers told BBC Scotland.

"I said before the game that this was a game where we didn't want to be waiting on the game. We wanted to go and create the possibilities, and I thought we were outstanding in that front.

"What's really pleasing was the pressing mentality, the hunger of the team. Three of our goals in the first half come from transitions. We are in possession, we lose it, and then we get the ball back very quickly and that creates opportunities for us to score.

"In the second half, in all fairness, we could've had the same, but you've got to give credit to Ross County. They defended really well, their keeper made some great saves, we hit the crossbar twice, the post.

"So, for a complete 90 minutes, that was so good on the back end of a really tough Champions League game in midweek. For the players to show that hunger, I was so proud of them."


Rodgers was keen to praise McCowan, who’s had to bide his time for regular minutes since arriving from Dundee on Deadline Day.

"He's really settled in well," the Celtic boss explained. "He's had to be patient. He gets his reward for how hard he works.

"It tells you everything about him that he comes in and for 70-odd minutes he's so good, his pressing, energy and quality.

 

Laughing Brendan Rodgers reckons Santa won't be facing the Celtic boo boys this Christmas - as he hailed the "development" of his side in the last 12 months.

Ross County couldn’t control the relentless Hoops on their own patch as they moved five points clear at the top of the table thanks to goals from Liam Scales, Luke McCowan, Paulo Bernardo, Callum McGregor and Adam Idah - but it could have been more with the Hoops carving out a host of chances to move five points clear of Aberdeen at the top of the Scottish Premiership. But the boss noted that it was only in January this year that that the Parkhead punters jeered the Celtic players after a narrow 1-0 victory over the Staggies with Rangers piling on the title pressure



He told BBC Sportsound: "It's not lost on me that we won here about 12 months ago and got booed off, when we only won 1-0, but that is the standard of performance you need at Celtic. It's not just about the scoreboard. It's about the level of game. So, if you look 12 months on and see the level of performance and the result it tells you that we are moving in the right direction."

Rodgers was then asked "if Santa would be booed this time around" - after Father Christmas took stick at half-time last December during Celtic's 2-0 defeat to Hearts. He laughed: "Hopefully not, hopefully not.


It was a challenging little period for us but the game is all about development, and it's all about improvement. And you see the improvement in this squad and the mentality it takes to play and have the robustness to get win after win

 

Poor santa

Still might boo him for a laugh though