Brendan Rodgers spoke to the media yesterday afternoon ahead of the season opener tomorrow lunchtime against Ross County at Celtic Park. Here’s what the Celtic manager had to say…
“I am really looking forward to it. Lots to assess and lots to admire of the work the players have put in during pre-season and by the club and the staff. You are preparing for what matters and that starts on Saturday so we are looking forward to it.
The Celtic manager, back at Celtic for a second stint as boss is clearly looking forward to returning to the dugout for a competitive fixture.
“I feel excited and I am really looking forward to it. We obviously had a really good night for James’ testimonial game. The club were ever so kind and gave us a really great reception.
“My focus is on preparing the team, but just driving up to the stadium and seeing all the supporters at the weekend for flag day, which commemorates all the great work the players and staff did last season, is great. It is also a symbol of what we are fighting for to try and win it again so it gives us great motivation and it is something to look forward to,” the Celtic manager said.
Rodgers is confident that he can improve on last season, even though the squad last time around completed yet another treble for the club. “I think the standards have been set over many years. That is the standard of Celtic, it is not just one season, it has probably been done in the last five or 10 years.
“Celtic as a club has high expectations and high standards are always set by any manager who comes into the club. It is what you embrace and what you look forward to. For me, I understand what the standards are and that was one of the big reasons for coming back here to try and continue and develop those standards.
“We have a fantastic group of players that are still very much in the learning phase of their development and I have really enjoyed working with them so far,” Brendan said.
Asked if the squad is where he wants it to be at this stage, the Celtic manager confirmed that he is satisfied. “Yeah, I think it was key for me to come in and assess things and give it time. There are clear positions that are priorities for us that we would like to improve on but I think the team and the squad were already in a really good position.
“I needed to assess the group over a period of time and I think over the course, we will look to improve the squad further. I think the best time to do that is when you have had success, as that success is a moving target. I think the challenges this year will be even greater so we have to make sure we can match those.
“I sit here with the knowledge of having won a treble twice, so I understand the pitfalls of that success. In order to have longevity, there are certain elements that you have to ensure are in place.
“That is something we have spoken about during pre-season. At Celtic, it is all about winning and doing so in the best way you possibly can. That is sometimes harder. When we did the treble the second time, we did not amass the same amount of points, our game was maybe not at the same level. What we did do was turn up in the big games, and we did what we needed to do and that will be the idea again this season, to win a number of trophies and do so well,” Rodgers said.
In terms of being a little more flexible tactically, there certainly seems to be more scope for this being a feature during the new campaign, particularly in European matches, as Brendan Rodgers explained.
“There is no right or wrong way. Throughout my career, I have always had a philosophy of how I want my teams to play. In terms of style and philosophy, that is always the same in terms of imposing yourself on the game and being really aggressive in the pressing, dominating on the pitch and creating opportunities.
“That style is always the same but what I have tended to do is move in and out of systems and have that flexibility. I like my players to do that. Ange did a great job over his two seasons here and he will do well in the Premier League. For me, it was about coming in, assessing different phases of the game and looking to add something new for opponents to think about,” he explained.
The Celtic manager also provided an injury update ahead of the opener against Ross County.
“Both Cameron Carter-Vickers and Anthony Ralston came through the game midweek which was great news for us. We have another day to go but they are back with the squad. They probably aren’t up to speed like some of the other boys are but they still look in really good condition; apart from that it is still the guys who have been out for a period of time and are a little bit far off. Hopefully, over the course of the next few weeks, some more will return,” the manager said.
The questions to finish from the Celtic fan media representatives who asked: ‘You obviously coached against Maik Nawrocki before, are there any other targets you have seen before and is that now part of your transfer strategy?’
Brendan replied: “Obviously, the recruitment team will have a shortlist of players for each position and it is very well structured here and very well thought out. The planning goes in so in the eventuality of a player moving on, sometimes unexpectedly, someone can come in and fit to make sure the model of the club works.
“With Maik, it just so happens to be that he was a player that played for Legia Warsaw against me at Leicester and he did very well in the game. He has done consistently well for a period of time and I think this is a really nice step for him to come in and be a part of this squad. Hopefully he can push on with his career.”
And finally Brendan Rodgers gave his thoughts on VAR in Scottish football.
“I think with anything you have to give it time. I said when I was first up here that it was a really good idea to bring it in, so I am happy it was in. You are always going to have errors, it is about mitigating that as much as you can.
“The guys did a really good presentation to myself and the players this afternoon, so like I said they will have learnt from last year and some of the issues that are around it. It is the same in England, it does not run smoothly. It is about trying to mitigate as many of those wrong decisions as possible,” Brendan said.
