A delighted Brendan Rodgers spoke to Sky Sports shortly after the final whistle yesterday afternoon at Celtic Park. The Champions began their defence of their title in fine fashion with a dominant display against Kilmarnock who left Paradise flattered by the 4-0 scoreline.
It was a performance that sends a message to the likes of Hearts and theRangers who are already two points behind Celtic and will have a tough task catching the Champions playing like this…
🍀 Fancy rewatching this one, Celtic fans?
The Scottish Premiership champions continued where they left off with a 𝙙𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙩 victory over Kilmarnock ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/dxQmTABLns
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) August 4, 2024
Here’s everything Brendan Rodgers had to say to Sky Sports after the 4-0 victory over Kilmarnock sent Celtic to the top of the league with just St Johnstone and Aberdeen still to play this evening…
Sky Sports: How much of a statement of intent was that today?
Brendan Rodgers: “It was a very good performance. When you come into the first game of the season it is all about getting it going. I thought a lot of our combination play in the attacking third was really good. It was a different type of game for us from what we have had right the way through pre-season but I thought the guys co-ordinated it very well. We scored four excellent goals and could have had one or two more. It was a very good start for us.”
Sky Sports: Could it have been a few more?
Brendan Rodgers: “I think we wanted to keep the intensity but it is difficult at this stage of the season as it will drop a little. We created chances and it was hard for the Kilmarnock guys as well in the last half hour as they played European football and there was travel involved. We had to punish that and I think our mentality in the game to try and do that was very good.”
Sky Sports: Was it like the title win in May you wanted to make sure they had nothing to hang on to and is that why you made such a fast start?
Brendan Rodgers: “I think that is always key. For us, we always want to start quickly and our game plan today was to do that. We wanted to get the tempo of the game up so that side of it was very good.”
Sky Sports: You seemed to have momentum early on and there were a lot of good individual performances but is it more about the collective at this time in the season?
Brendan Rodgers: “Individual quality is important but collectively it is about the team. I am very happy because I look at us now when we play against different types of systems in the man-marking and it is not easy as Kilmarnock are a very fit team and they are physical and difficult to play against which is what the game is about. We can manage our way through that very well now. I feel that if it is a man-marking team if there is space or teams in a low block this team is improving all the time. We had to get through that today and some of the combination play was and the attacking was very good. I was very pleased with our counter-pressing for the first goal and we had lots of other moments that allowed us to sustain attacks because when we lost the ball we were right onto the game to get it back.”
Sky Sports: When you see that continual development how do you keep it going? Do you still feel you can improve so early in the season?
Brendan Rodgers: “Continual development is something which should always be in your life anyway. These are young guys. I am 51 and from a personal and professional level, I will always look to grow and develop. I try to share that with the players. I think when you have got a lot of young players then the nature is to go on and improve. Even with the senior players, there are guys who you can improve. I see that within the group. They are very good in that aspect. They are very keen and they want to learn. There is such a long way to go.”
Sky Sports: Would you like to add more to this squad and bring in even more competition?
Brendan Rodgers: “Every manager will tell you that they want it for the first game of the season but it is not there. You can see with the core group that we have that they are very good so hopefully, we can add more tools to that over the window.”
Sky Sports: Is it difficult when you don’t want to bring in quantity given what you’ve got does it have to be quality?
Brendan Rodgers: “It has to be. That’s what this club is about. The supporters demand the quality of players that we have at our disposal also need to grow and develop. We also need guys like Nicolas Kuhn who add that bit of quality and can change the game for you. That takes time and we all want it now but hopefully, over the next couple of weeks, we can get that in.”
Sky Sports: Everybody wants it now but how do you keep a clear head on that and explain to everybody it is a process and not a quick thing?
Brendan Rodgers: “That’s life. That’s the way it is. We have to deal with that. I understand where supporters are coming from. They pay money and they want to see the best players on the pitch every single time we play. Hopefully, they will have seen throughout pre-season the talent that we have and the ability that we have and there is nobody that wants to improve the squad more than ourselves. It is just about finding the right player, getting the deal done and getting them in here to work.”
📝 “We all want it now but hopefully over the coming weeks we can get that in”
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers says he wants to bring quality over quantity to his squad before the end of the window ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/pxU0TsTFxf
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) August 4, 2024
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Always regard last season as a transition season, and the difference on show, with a majority of established players is massive already in terms of quality imo?
Took far longer than I expected for Rodgers to put his stamp upon our team, but it’s certainly in position now imo?
We never really looked like a CL team in the making, for large chunks of last season?
We saw glimpses alright, but the inconsistencies were far more dominant within us as a team?
Totally different look about ourselves as a team, where everyone knows there roles far better, and the introduction of some different dimensions being added to players games, is so beneficial to ourselves as an all round team at present imo?
There is a decent blend within our squad, with youngsters also having to try to get to the required standard now, to even claim a place within our overall squad?
Admittedly there still remains a few positions that could be strengthened still within the squad, where Rodgers has a few decisions to be made upon yet?
His decision making is going to involve a time factor for a few upon weather they are capable of contributing this season at the required standard or weather it’s a season to early, or maybe Rodgers feels they will never make it to the required standard he’s looking for with ourselves?
Not the easiest task for a manager to have to undertake, but still a requirement for our overall squad still imo?
With the improvements with the quality on show the competition for starting positions will increase also?
When you have a midfield 3 of Calmac, Hatate and Oreily playing at the standards in quality they possess, then buying such quality as potential replacements, is still well outside our price bracket?
That’s the current challenge for players such as Paulo, Holm, iwata and Lawal at present?
Same applies within our attacking and defensive areas also?
Our overall squad is far stronger than to many within our support is prepared to give credit for imo?
There is decisions for Rodgers to be making to finalise the overall squad at present to his liking, but not as easy as to many are trying to make out either with the decision making involved either imo?
Starting to get to a stage within this window, where potentially losing players is starting to become a bigger factor more so than the ones we are looking at bringing in imo?
That in itself shows the massive turn around within the club over the past year, and we aren’t even totally completed as a squad either at present?