Brendan Rodgers has revealed what he told his players at half-time in their 3-0 win over St Mirren. The visitors from Paisley frustrated in the first half, meaning the teams went off at the break on an equal footing; however, goals from Reo Hatate, Kyogo and Adam Idah pushed Celtic four clear of Rangers, who have two away games in hand.
Speaking to BBC Sportsound after the match, Rodgers said that the message that he delivered to the players at halftime was nothing too overboard, just encouraging the team to be more aggressive in their approach.
“It was nothing overboard. I felt in the first half we were a little bit passive in our pressing and counter-pressing. When you’re like that then, with the ball, it’s not quite so aggressive.
“We arrived into the final third on numerous occasions and didn’t keep it well enough to combine and sustain the attack. Or we arrived or tried to get in too early.
“It was just a case of highlighting the patience of the game and maintaining the speed of the game. Once we got the goal early in the second half, the combinations were there. It’s a great finish by Reo.
“These types of games, when the team are sat in, compact, tight and very well organised, then the first goal is absolutely critical. We got that early in the half and the players were then outstanding for the remainder.
“It’s a huge credit to the players. You saw an injection of speed and tempo. Everything started to connect much cleaner and better.”
Rodgers will be pleased with the quality that he had on the bench, even if he was missing Daizen Maeda.
Celtic will now switch their attention to the Scottish Cup Semi Final against Aberdeen next weekend, where Rodgers’ side can book a place in the showpiece final with a win over the Dons. At which point, we should know the remaining five fixtures and what is required from the team to deliver the title.
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