Brendan Rodgers Discussion Thread

First of all, can you bring us up date with regards to your Champions League squad and any changes?

I'll tell you on Tuesday. I don't have it to hand, to be honest. I think we've got a few that will come in. I thought it was here in October, to be honest. Yeah, we've got some of our young guys that will be involved, and our guys are coming in but there will be no big shocks.


You've got that game next week, but as you say, it is the Scottish Cup tomorrow, is it easy to keep your focus on that when you've got such a big game coming up?

It's very easy. We're looking forward to the game. We're very much a modern manager. I say, modern manager in the modern game, you really are genuinely thinking about the next game.

You can't look too far ahead. So yeah, we had a great performance in the midweek, and we want to carry that through. A little bit of recovery, and then we're at home. We love playing at home.

So we want to be able to take our game and our values and ideas and ultimately our hard work because that's what it boils down to in the end, all into the game. When we do that, we connect the game really well.


Does this kind of game tomorrow night give you a chance to use your squad to rotate it about when you've got these big games coming up?

Well, I think if you look at all the games I've played, I've virtually done that in every game. It's why we think, why we sit in a good place with the squad, very few injuries.

Sometimes you might not have wanted to, but you have to because of the health of the group, and so that you can arrive in the latter part of the season with as many personnel available as you can. So I'll just continue to do what I've done throughout the season.

Is it good news regarding the Celtic fans being able to attend the match in Munich?

Yeah, it's great. That was a big worry for me when I spoke a couple of weeks ago, and maybe even only last week. So I was concerned that they wouldn't be able to travel because there's such a massive part of this club.

The support that we get and the passion that they have for the game as it drives us and helps us. So to have them there, it's going to be great, and we'll need them.


The cautious notice is that this suspended ban is still in effect and there can be no more instances of this, do you agree?

Yeah, I think we're all aware of that. I think it's still hanging over us. So like I said, I hope that we can give that support, which the majority of the supporters give, which gives us greater strength on the pitch.

We can follow the rules and not have any more fines or have anything come against the club.

It's crucial how important the fans were. I suppose that you were able to know then but that's sort of what you need in these big atmospheres, isn't it?

Yeah, it's just sheer passion. The supporters are having for this club. What they give to the team, it's what makes it. I've said it many times before, the support, whether it's financially or emotionally, what supporters give to Celtic is what makes Celtic what it is.

So to have the support there with is always makes a huge difference. We see it domestically. We see it on the travel. We see it in Villa Park. I think the young player Morgan Rogers said he'd never seen it the way he'd like that in any game. So that obviously makes me very proud as a manager of the club.

It's not a surprise when you're Celtic-minded but we just want to make sure that there are no barriers and no way for us to play and have that support so that we can play the very best we can.


You don't want it to become a distraction either with guys like us asking you about it all the time?

Yeah, I think in every which way the questions will come and I respect that. They have to because it's a point to debate. People travelling, they need to organise as well.

So yeah, there are many reasons why it's good that the news has come out now because there was talk around we might not know until after the first game which wouldn't have been ideal. So yeah, it's really good news for everyone and then just to concentrate on the football.

Does it come with a kind of warning that as repeat offenders you are in the last chance saloon then?

I'm not sure they're going to listen to me if I'm honest. So whoever that may be. But let's hope. I think the game as a whole and it's not just a small group of Celtic supporters. You see it throughout football. There's this element of ultras and all this sort of thing.

You see it throughout Europe. So it's not just Celtic supporters. But my only worry is for Celtic and our club so that we can attain the status of what we have, which is an amazing club with the main support base and a club where the supporters can travel anywhere in the world and always be welcomed and those are always open for them. So that's what we always want to have


Are there reports in the last couple of days from Croatia about Greg Taylor potentially agreeing on a pre-contract with Dino Zagreb? Has this situation changed at all as far as you're aware?

No, not that I'm aware of. And I know there was interest there back in January but it was nothing that was ever concrete or spoken about too much. My feelings will be still to help to convince Greg to be here. Of course, as time goes on, the longer it goes on, then that becomes much less but it doesn't change his profession. He's a brilliant professional and we'll just have to see how the next four months go.


Bringing in Jeffrey Schlupp adds competition in that area in January. I don't think we've had the chance to ask you about him. He was saying that there was interest in the summer initially from the club and that maybe could have happened. Are you quite pleased you managed to eventually get that deal done?

Yeah, very pleased because it just happened the cover and the positions are important for us. We didn't expect to lose Alex Valle. So then we need cover. So to bring in someone of his experience, he only spent the last decade or so in the Premier League.

I know through people I know well at Leicester City that he's a young player who came through there and came through the system and won the Premier League. So I had a real depth of his character and his mentality and everything else. That fitted into here perfectly.

So yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing him come here and showcase his talents when he has the opportunity. It will be good for him to experience being here because you're in the Premier League, you think the Premier League is the only league in the world with so many big clubs but they come here and they recognise the size of this club, the institution that it is, the pressures that are here that will be different to wherever he's played before in his career.

I'm pretty sure he'll enjoy the city of Glasgow as well. So yeah, and I know that he is, he's really looking forward to it.



How tough will it be to convince Greg his future lies here with Kieran Tierney coming in the summer, albeit there are so many big games that it comes very involved? Does that make it tougher?

I've had a number of open conversations with Greg on it and I do think that is an issue. There's no doubt about that. He's been a starter here for virtually six years. He's always had a challenge that he's overcome from other players coming in, which is a great testament to him and his mentality and his professionalism.

He knows Kieran well and he knows his qualities and his abilities but there still can be room for two of them here. There's absolutely no doubt, you know, in an upward of 35 to 60 games a season, we can't play one player and I wouldn't want to play one player in all of those because you're just not going to have the right physicality, you're going to need an intensity.

So, to have two players of that quality here would be brilliant for the club, for the team and obviously for the changing room. So that's probably the things that Greg has to think about. From my perspective, I don't see it as a problem because I know he'll play a lot of games, he'll play big games and like I said, as with Kieran. So, he has to decide for himself that it would be a different role for him but it's not something that we still can't conclude

His performances have been great recently and he still has a big part to play this season no matter what happens, doesn't he?

I've had a lot of respect for him as a footballer and as a person. Even at Motherwell, I thought he was excellent, just his aggression on the ball and his position he plays the role perfectly for us how we want, you know, he knows when to be inside, outside, he's level, he's passing everything is at such a consistent level?

So, yeah, I just think that it is his time he has sat on a five-year deal and he is now down to his last four months, I think we'll get the same from him. Of course, from a manager's perspective, you're always trying to stabilise your squad and stabilise young guys with their futures as well. That ultimately is down to them and their decision



What are your thoughts on Raith Rovers and Barry Robson?

Yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing Barry. I was disappointed for him at Aberdeen because I think when he stepped up he'd done a really, really good job. The challenge of Europe for any club is really, really difficult and he'd done so well in his time there that he'd qualified Aberdeen into Europe and the shallowness of the squad meant it was really difficult for him.

He was in European football going away and the expectation and then coming back. If I was honest at the time, you want to see the manager back and allowed to go through that tough phase of it all because it's tough because he has done so well and then maybe he'd never quite had the squad to support that and that isn't the manager's problem.

So it'd be nice for him to be able to ride through that, learn from it and then go again because having just stepped up, he'd done a good job. So I was disappointed when he lost his job but good to see him back in.

It will be good to see him tomorrow. His teams will always be like him. He was a competitive player and a tough player and they'll come to defend very, very well. So we just have to make sure we play our game because that's what I've learnt in this year and a half since I've been here is that our true strength is when we are at our level and we can do that in all phases of the game and then we aim to then get through from that into the next round.



No concerns at all squad-wise?

No, only one. Kasper Schmeichel won't play. So Viljami Sinisalo will start and go. Kasper had a little issue with his back. So he'll miss out in the game and like I've seen in pre-season with Viljami, he's a young goalkeeper who came in and played those games really well and so I'm really looking forward to seeing him make his debut.

Is is a short term thing?

Yes, he will be okay for Wednesday




Has Viljami been keeping himself fit whilst sitting on the bench?

Yes. He's a great boy and that's always a challenge, he'd come in here but he's known that having been at Villa and then investing his time playing down in England with Exeter. He knew then coming into here he's got a real top-class goalkeeper to learn from so sometimes you have to invest your time into learning

We took him in, we'd seen him play, obviously represented Finland as well. Very, very talented young goalkeeper has come in, been patient, understands the role at this point so it's really nice for him now to get the opportunity. So I've seen him a pre-season, I've seen him through the season since and yeah, I've got no doubts.

How is James Forrest is he close to a return?

He shouldn't be too far away from getting out onto the pitches so yeah, but he's obviously not good for the weekend




Can I ask you about VAR? St. Mirren and Dundee United have come out and said that there needs to be a bit of reform to get rid of the inconsistencies with it, is that something you would be welcome and what's your view of it?

Yeah, I think there's a number of things that fit around it, you know, it was clearly a funding issue in terms of maybe not having their best system, you know, that's in place and that's financial and everyone would maybe love a big house but if you can't afford it then you can't get it, you know, so then you have to adapt and deal with that.

So we've got numbers of little issues around that aspect and I think it's probably the same with officiating as well. Stephen mentioned full-time referees and I'm totally in agreement with that but for that to happen you need funding and if you don't have the funding then they can only be the best that they can be. So I understand the dilemmas in it.

The VAR as I said, it's the best package that is available and I think on many, many occasions it has worked really, really well. We've certainly seen other moments of real good clarity from it and then other issues take a little bit longer maybe because you'd have quite the extra angles that you would need and again it all boils down to the funding I would say and there's also the decision making within that.

 

Right, so delete "wholesome", then?

 

I can’t shake Celtic failure feeling and dreamer Rodgers has to be realistic about what they can achieve – Chris Sutton
They are bidding for a Treble but the Record Sport columnist can't get over the feeling that something has gone wrong

Celtic fans seemed happy enough the other night as their team was demolishing Dundee.

Jota was back in full flow like he’d never been away, Adam Idah was bang in form and back in the goals and Daizen Maeda was doing his best Henrik Larsson impression. It was like the supporters had forgotten all about Kyogo and his departure for Rennes. That’s fair enough – but I can’t help but feel the failure to replace him is a major disappointment. Listen, Celtic are 13 points clear in the Premiership with 13 games to go. I don’t think it’s done yet but I can see why plenty of people do.

The Scottish Cup is there to be won too and I’m looking at this week’s Bayern Munich game and wondering why Celtic haven’t given themselves the best possible chance of a result? We know they’re up against it. Celtic could have signed a £25million striker and still got battered by Bayern. But that’s not the point. By failing to build from a position of strength, they’ve hampered chances of causing an upset rather than improving them.

And it’s yet another transfer window where fans are left wondering what went wrong. Brendan Rodgers said he knew Kyogo wanted to go for months and he wanted a replacement.

This wasn’t like Moussa Dembele dropping a bombshell on deadline day. Celtic had plenty of time to prepare for his departure. It defies belief they allowed Kyogo to go without having a new man lined up.

Ask yourself, why is Kieran Tierney not at the club right now? He certainly wanted to be, rather than making five minute cameos from the Arsenal bench.

But the reason Celtic will have to wait until the summer is because Arsenal didn’t want to let him go right now and the player had to lump it. Why did that rule not apply at Celtic? If Celtic were not sure of getting a replacement, Kyogo should have been told to hold fire.

I get there was big money involved but it’s not as if money is tight at Parkhead. By letting him leave Celtic completely showed their hand. Clubs knew they badly needed a striker and would be desperate. No wonder the prices shot up. It’s rookie stuff when it comes to negotiations.

As I’ve said before, it was just an unnecessary risk. And now Celtic are going to be sweating on the fitness of Idah until the end of the season – while putting a huge burden on Daizen Maeda.

The latter will be a huge loss for the Bayern game and just underlines how mystifying the window turned out. There are questions to be asked about the recruitment process at Parkhead. Celtic have left it late a few times now and it’s finally caught up with them.

It would be handy to know what football doctor Paul Tisdale brought to the table? It’s not like he unearthed Jota, Tierney or Jeffrey Schlupp – who says he only got a call at 2pm on deadline day. Is the issue chief executive Michael Nicholson getting deals over the line?

Why did Rodgers approve Kyogo’s sale if there were no guarantees over who was coming in? There seems to be an admittance things have not been quite right in that department but no apportioning of blame’s happened.

Either way, it’s left Rodgers short. I know he’s been diplomatic in public, but he surely can’t be happy. In the past this kind of situation might have had him looking to the exit. This time he is talking about getting on with it, but it’s not a great look for the club and there is a tinge of sadness at what might have been going into this Bayern game now.

Rodgers has said before he is a dreamer when it comes to what his side can achieve. I’ve always been the same. You have to aim high.

But you also have to give yourself the best realistic chance, and Celtic haven’t done that. Look, I’m not being negative. There’s a lot to like about the team right now, and they have hit form in recent weeks and they’ve made real progress in Europe. This is now about as tough as it gets. They could have done with Maeda not being banned and Kyogo on board, but that won’t be the case.

They now need everyone available fit and firing – especially Cameron Carter-Vickers. I’ve heard some fans suggesting the American has Champions League-itis, because of the amount of European games he’s missed.

That’s grossly unfair. We know Carter-Vickers has had some injury issues but he’s a guy who constantly plays through the pain barrier. He won’t want to miss this one. I hope he doesn’t, because I tend to get a bit worried when he’s not around for these types of matches.

Carter-Vickers will be vital to cope with his old Spurs teammate Harry Kane, for a start. There’s no doubt the England captain will be the major danger. Everyone knows he’s a lethal finisher, but he’s a clever player who can drop dead and drag defenders all over the place. Kane’s also not shy when it comes to hitting the deck in the penalty area too, something Celtic will need to be mindful about.

It could be a tough night and I didn’t quite see the Villa Park display as tight a contest as some. Celtic did well to get back in the game but it really could have ended up five or six on the night. That’s a worry for the Bayern game but they should perhaps look to Villa’s display when they beat the Germans earlier in the competition.

They were compact and resolute at the back, they sucked Bayern in and then hit them on the break. That might be the way to get a result this week to take to the Allianz Arena for the second leg. But I can’t shake the feeling Celtic have made it an even harder task by failing to deliver in the January window.

 

It was another blistering display from the Hoops today at Paradise, as Brendan Rodgers’ men cruised by Raith Rovers with a 5-0 victory to advance to the last eight of the Scottish Cup.

The Celtic manager made nine changes to his starting eleven from the team that thumped Dundee 6-0 on Wednesday night, but despite the personnel changes, there was no change in the Celts’ intensity and quality today.

And speaking to Celtic TV after today’s match, Brendan expressed his delight at what he said was a very good performance from his side.

“It was a complete performance,” he said. “These games can prove tricky. Teams come with big motivation from either further down the league or from the league below.

‘I thought our professionalism, concentration and quality in the game was very, very good.’

“I’m very pleased with our performance


There were standout performances across the pitch, but the headlines will, once again, belong to Daizen Maeda who grabbed a hat-trick on the day, taking his tally for the season to 21 and his overall tally in the hoops to 50.

And the Celts’ boss was quick to praise the Japanese forward after the match for his performance today and his contributions throughout the season so far.

He added: “Anyone who has done any depth of work on Daizen before he came in here, you’ll see he played as a striker at Yokohama and the various range of goals that he scored

“He might not be your traditional No. 9, but he runs in behind, is mobile, has speed and can make those finishes in the box.

“His three goals today were great. He can score different types of goals.

“He’s been absolutely sensational this season with his work rate. Because it’s not just the 21 goals, it’s everything else he brings to the team. I’m so happy for him.”

 

Says he will wait tile next season about future talks …. That tell me he wants to stay past the three seasons but is waiting to see what the board doing start of the season budget wise


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Brendan Rodgers is hoping his side can use the Celtic Park atmosphere to help them “hurt” Bayern Munich when they host the Bundesliga giants in the Champions League.

The Hoops boss describes the six-time European champions as “football royalty” and is excited to test himself and his team against that level of opposition.

But he insists he doesn’t want the experience of visiting Parkhead to be just a “box-ticking” exercise for the visitors. He hopes that the famous cauldron of noise can be used to Celtic’s advantage and give Vincent Kompany’s men a “difficult night.”

There will be 60,000 fans inside the stadium, with the vast majority in green and white, and while Rodgers knows they will be massive underdogs, he is hopeful that they can get a result that will give them a puncher’s chance of progressing to the last-16.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, the manager said: “When we come here (to Celtic Park), it’s not just a tick-box exercise for players to come and say they’ve played at Celtic Park, you want them to hurt in this arena as well and you want them to find that combination between the supporters and the players on the pitch to be a really difficult night for them.

“And we have started to do that again recently


It’s important for us that we stay alive in the tie for going over to Germany and that is the key message from us.

“But we want to go and perform, we are not frightened to lose, that’s not what this is about, it’s about going and performing.

“So if we can perform well like we have shown in this competition, especially at home, then hopefully we can get what we deserve.”

Bayern Munich is currently nine points ahead of current champions Bayer Leverkusen in the German top-flight. They look to regain their stranglehold on German football after a rare trophyless season last season.

They also have proven top-class international stars such as England captain Harry Kane, legendary Germany forward Thomas Muller and exciting youngster Jamal Musiala and Alphonso Davies, who will come up against Canada teammate Alistair Johnston.

And Rodgers knows they will give his Premiership league leaders a stern test

He continued: “We are playing one of the teams that will probably see themselves as one of the favourites for the competition. They have some wonderful talent, Vincent (Kompany) has gone in there and done a really good job with some top young players and some really experienced players.

“I can’t wait for that because that is what you look forward to as a coach.

“They really are football royalty with what they have achieved over many, many years at this level. So for us to be in a position where we can challenge them is a real marker for us.”

 

It's Celtic's first knockout match in the Champions League in 12 years, just how much are you looking forward to the occasion?

Yeah, we're very excited by it. It's a great challenge and a great test for us against a top side, so we're looking forward to it.

There was some big news last night that you're going to have Daizen Maeda back for this one as well, what's your reaction to that?

It's such a great bit of news that we got last night.

He's an extraordinary player. I think how he's been this year for us in, not just his goals, but what his value gives to the team in terms of his pressing and his honesty to the game. So to have that mentality and that ability available was, yeah, it was a big surprise for us, but a nice surprise



Brendan, on him, we see what he does on the pitch, what's he like as a guy? What's he like around the training pitch?

He's like most footballers, they're good people, and as a guy he's super professional, he's in every day, does his work, does all the right things to prepare himself to be a top professional.

He trains as he plays, so he's very intense and gives everything in his training, and obviously he then takes that personality onto the field.

He's been an absolute joy to work with and just seeing him develop and grow over the course of the season. I think his ability, his finishing, but add to that, like I say, the work rate and intensity, he's a really, really pivotal player for us.



On that point about development, you're a development coach, you like to bring players on, what is it in particular that's pleased you about him and what have you been saying to him to raise his game, because it looks like he's playing his best football?

I think it's just maturity. He's obviously improving as a player with experiences and obviously comfort in how we work and how we play. If I go back, I think he scored goals before he came into Celtic.

Obviously, Ange brings him in, having worked with him in Japan, so he knows his qualities, he knows everything in his game. He was a goal scorer over there, he's come to here, it may have taken a little bit of time to get used to the Scottish game and the British game, but you see now he's right in flow, he understands the physicality of the game in these parts of the world. And the physicality at the highest level in European football, so he's well suited to that and now he's really getting in consistently into positions.

I think what you have with him, I think his conversion rate now is something that's improved. I think he's probably always had chances and always been there. Now he arrives with confidence to score and now his technique and his finishing are at the top level.

The coaches do a brilliant job with him in terms of the work and I try to inspire him and manage him and point out little things within his game. He himself is a learner and he's doing very well.


On the wider game tomorrow, how much of a gauge is this of the progress that you've made? You're there on merit, it's going to be arguably your biggest test out of the season. How much of a test is it and a gauge of all the progress that you've made at this level in Europe?

I don't think it's a gauge, I think we've already shown progress this season before we kick a ball tomorrow night. I've been very pleased with that side of it. I think over the course of the eight games we've played Borussia Dortmund top team, Atalanta top team, RB Leipzig came into the tournament as one of the leading teams.

So we've proven in this first season that there are elements to our game that are making progress. But of course we were in it for the purpose and the purpose was to get to this stage past the eight games. So now we play probably one of the teams that will see themselves as favourites for the competition.

They’ve got wonderful talent, Vincent Kompany’s gone in there and done a really, really good job with some top young players and some really experienced players. But I can't wait for that because that's what you look forward to as a coach.

I know we are all as a team looking to test ourselves and measure ourselves against an absolutely brilliant team


Brendan, we all know it's been a long time coming for Celtic to play these knockout European ties. How excited are you to see the atmosphere here tomorrow night and how big a sense of pride will you have leading your team out here against a team that is in this competition to win it?

They're one of the giants of the European game. They really are football royalty in terms of what they've achieved over many, many years at this level. So for us to be in a position where we can challenge them is a great marker for us.

I know with our game, we mix up the basics of our game, our running power and physicality, which is something that we've really improved on at this level.

When I look back to 2023/24, that's been a big part of our learning, bringing the physicality to the game and improving in that aspect.

I think if we can do that and with the energy and the support behind it, then anything is possible in the game.

I think what is important for us is that we're very much alive in the tie going over to Germany. I think that would be the key message for us. We want to go and perform.

We're not frightened to lose. That’s not what this is about, this is about going and performing. If we can perform well, like we've shown in this competition, especially at home, hopefully we can get what we deserve.



Just on that, how important is it to your players that they're not necessarily going out there just to be alive in seven days' time? They're going out there to try and win the game, take the game to Bayern Munich here at home?

That's virtually what I said.


Do you have to win the first leg to have any chance of progressing?

We don't have to, but you want to. I think that would be the message. Obviously we know going over to Germany in the second leg is always the challenge of being away from home, but I think we would want to. That's our mindset looking into the game, looking to win the game to see if we can take an advantage across next week.


How much do you rate Harry Kane?

Oh, he's absolutely brilliant. Obviously I've known Harry for a long time and come across him many times. Harry's actually one of them ones that until you're stood on the side of the pitch and you face him, you actually only really, really then see his level.

I know as a young player he came through the system at Tottenham. It wasn't easy for him at the beginning. He had lots of loans getting out to clubs, didn't quite work out.

Then he was given the opportunity by Tim Sherwood at Tottenham. From that, Tim had belief in him and worked with him as a young player. Then once he got into the team, his development just increased from that.

You look at him now, he's a world class player. He's changed his game up a bit as well in the last number of years. He's on the move more, dropping short. You see his passing, you see his abilities, but he's also tough.

I can't speak highly enough of him. I think he was absolutely brilliant at Tottenham. He showed the same for England and gone out to Bayern. You just need to look at his goal record. He's a fantastic player and a good guy.


Kasper's played against him a lot as well. Does that help at all when you're up against these kind of elite players and trying to cope with them?

I always think with top players, you look tactically to find ways and that's the beauty of the game. You're trying to nullify the strengths.

But I sometimes think with the very best players, you want to deny them space, but they always find space. That's my experience of working at a level where the world class players will find the space. I think he's one of those.

But of course we have to nullify that threat. They have other quality players. And bring our game as well, which I’ve been really pleased with as well.



Just on the news that Daizen Maeda is available tomorrow, it's obviously great news for you, but how difficult a decision is it to decide if he plays, where to play tomorrow, given how informed he's been in both those positions?

It's been pretty straightforward. Just having him available was the most important thing


The club released the robust financial accounts yesterday. How important is it to you that that money backs you on the pitch?

I think the club have done that. I think the club have been very, very supportive of myself coming back.

You can see some of the signings we made in the summer. They've been brilliant in that aspect. We as a club, we want to go forward.

We all have ambitions to keep proving ourselves at this level. For that you need to build and build and build. And also you have to have half a mind on making sure you're a sustainable club.

So I think from the accounts aspect it's obviously very, very healthy. Of course as a manager we want to put those funds and some of that fund into the team, but you've seen that the club have done that. Hopefully we can do that going forward.

Is Cameron Carter-Vickers okay? Is he fit? Is he available?

Yeah, he's fit and available. We gave a few of the boys a bit of a rest at the weekend.

But yeah, he's fine. He has played against Harry Kane before in training and whatnot. So yeah, he's okay



Against Aston Villa Celtic were quite aggressive, pressing very high up the pitch. Feyenoord, however, when they were playing Bayern Munich, they wanted to sit back and restrict Bayern’s space in the centre of the field. What consideration have you made when deciding how to set up against an organised press, against such a quality opposition?

Yeah, a mixture really.

I think if you see the Feyenoord game, from a static position they're looking to press. Once the press is broken, then you will cover in behind the ball.

When you're playing the really, really top teams, you have to pivot in those strategies in terms of, there has to be moments when you can press the game. A lot of the time it's from that static goal kick position when you're there. The minute that gets broken, then you've got to recover and deny space.

So I would think you'd probably say a wee bit of both. I think that's the balance we need in the game. And then when we play and we take the ball, we have to then play with our authority in the game, which is important


When you're approaching these games, do you look at it from a, how can you exploit their weakness? Or how do you find ways to accentuate our qualities?

It's exactly the same in every single game, whether that's Raith or Bayern Munich or whatever. You always have to respect the opposition and what their strengths are. So how can you curtail those? But then we want to always play like a big team and we want to impose our way in the game.

So of course that is very, very important for us. But it's balance. I always think you defend well, you pass well.

Thankfully these players are being so, so good in that aspect from a defensive perspective. That has given us the platform to play some great football in all the competitions. So it will be the balance of the game between pressing and then bringing our creativity to the game.

That's our game identity. It's very much about the connection in the team, with and without the ball, being creative, breaking lines, hard running. All these things are all part of our game.



A few of the players mentioned the RB Leipzig game as being a benchmark for yourselves in this competition. What pleased you most about the team performance on that night? And do you think you may have to better that again?

We'll certainly have to be at the same level of that. I think that when I look at everything, we played the game technically and tactically at a really high level.

The mindset, we were also really good in the game. So having started well and then actually gone behind in the game, how we responded, I was impressed by that.

Then like I say, the big steps that we've made this season has been in the physical demands of the game. Because at this level, it's absolutely critical.

That pleased me because the pressing that we did, if you think of the second goal, it's one of the best goals that we've scored since we've been here. Why? Because it shows that mentality, it shows a real positivity to step inside the pressure and win the ball.

So that side of the game was really good. And yes, we will have to get to those levels again.




You mentioned earlier the home form. That's six unbeaten in Europe now at Celtic Park. It's becoming a difficult place for opponents to go again. How important a factor will the home fans play tomorrow in terms of being patient and understanding the game? It's obviously against a top-quality opposition who have a lot of the ball. Do you think the fans have a major factor to play in that?

Yes, and I think they have done. I have to say, I go back to the Young Boys game here and I know I spoke about that leading into the game and I thought when it could have got a little bit nervy in the last 15 minutes, the supporters were amazing. They sensed it and they really got behind the team and lifted the team.

So that side is very important and I feel it's great. It's where I wanted to take the club back to where we come here. It's not just a tick-box exercise for players to come and say they’ve played at Celtic Park.

You want them to hurt in this arena as well and you want them to find the challenges of that combination between the supporters and the players on the pitch, making it a really, really, really difficult night. Obviously, this will be a massive test of that, but that's what we sign up for.



It's been seven and a half years since we last played Bayern here. What has your evolution as a coach been like managing the Champions League since then?

It's just experiences. I remember back it that game, I thought we played well in the game. We went behind and then we played well and then we got back into the game at 1-1 and sadly we didn't keep the game long enough at that scoreline.

It was a competitive game and I think that's been the joy for me to have seen us develop and progress at that level where we are competitive. I expect it to be that tomorrow.

In terms of my own experiences, it's just the games, the level. It's a high level and sometimes you're bringing Celtic into playing against some of these great teams, which is a great privilege for me.

As I've always said, we want to also be competitive at this level and I think we've shown that and now can we go forward and sustain that over the coming years


You've spoken about Jota and how he needs to physically get up to speed. Do you think that he can start the game tomorrow and make a huge impact, despite only playing 29 games since departing Celtic?

You’ve got a pen and a bit of paper? I’ll tell you the whole team. He's definitely in the squad.

I've got to say I've been so impressed with him close up.

I've obviously watched him from the outside. I've heard some of the players talk about him. But seeing him come in and seeing him on the pitch, he's just got quality.

He needs to get to a physical level. But that's just time and a bit of support around that because he hasn't played a great deal. But there's absolutely no doubt about his quality



Were you surprised Daizen Maeda won the appeal, he obviously played quite a few minutes in the weekend there? Were you surprised when you got the news last night?

I know, I ran the legs off him for three games. To be fair, the appeal, it was brilliant by the club I've got to say, because he was always going to serve one game and then until you then get the written report, which didn't come through until Thursday or Friday last week, then you can't then put in your appeal.

But as soon as it did come in, obviously the club put in the appeal, which with the greatest respect to UEFA, we were thinking this probably wouldn't bear fruit.

When I got the call to say he was able to play, I thought, goodness me, he's played the three full games, he couldn't have run any more, he's a striker, he's a winger.

But thankfully he's just a bundle of energy, so he'll be OK.

Just answering your question, we were a wee bit surprised when it came through. But it wasn't unsurprising because of getting two games, what was that word? Assault. There wasn't an assault, that was in the report. So I think on that basis, the club were great, they appealed it and thankfully we won.



Brendan, just on Harry Kane, do you remember the first time you saw him as a young player and or the first time you thought, well hang on, this guy's different?

I remember him as a youth player and then going out on loan when he was young. I'd seen him at Spells, I think he was at Millwall, he was actually at Leicester as well for a bit. I'd seen him play at Norwich.

And was there fuss about him then, was he one of these hyped people?

No, no, no, Harry would tell you himself, he wasn't what I would say the gold medallist. And that's normally the players who do come through anyway, those silver medallist players, the guys that are having to strive and fight for their careers. And that was Harry, he would tell you himself.

But then he found someone who really appreciated him and backed him in Tim, and Tim was working in the youths at that time. And when Harry had the chance to go out on loan again, didn't want to go, Tim put him in the team and from that he's never really looked back.

Then it's all about your attitude, your professionalism, your desire to be the best player you can be.

You see all of that, you see how he's developed, how he's matured, his training, everything. I've obviously spoken with boys that worked with him with England as well. And yeah, they speak so highly of him.

So, a world-class player and yeah, he's doing a brilliant job for his team now.


What you were saying about running the legs off Daizen Maeda. Our pundits on the sports team were saying he never looks tired. Is he one of the fittest players you've ever managed in terms of his running ability, his athleticism?

Yeah, he'll be fine for the games, don’t get me wrong. He'll be absolutely fine, he had a little bit out before those games as well.

Listen, if you go into the Premier League, they've got the capacity and physicality that you need for that league. There's players there that have that, of course. But he does all the things that you don't need talent for.

He goes in to the highest level. All the running, the pressing and his will to run and run and run is absolutely incredible. I haven't worked with too many like that.

There are ones that can do it in bursts, of course, and pressure. But for someone, the desire to want to run is absolutely at the highest level. So, we're very lucky to have him here.

He's come in and Ange done brilliantly to bring him in. Put him in the team and he's just continued to grow and develop. And now you see his composure when he's in front of the goal, scoring goals, all types of goals.

Yeah, just very, very pleased that he's with us.

 

Whatever happens, the team have done well to get this far.

 

We started off Ange’s second season like an absolute steam train, just battered everyone we played but after Christmas and in particular the last 2 or 3 months of the season the level dropped massively. Maybe a touch of recency bias but the current side are much more potent and we’ve upgraded massively in goals too.

 

When he was talking to Spurs