Q: What are your thoughts on that performance and result?
Brendan Rodgers: “Yeah, it was a brilliant result and outstanding performance against an Aberdeen team that has been so good this season in the league. And we knew how tough it was going to be, so we knew we had to be good today in a lot of our game. I think it’s a massive credit to the players, their mentality and how ruthless they were in the game. So, yeah, it was a good one.”
Q: You spoke before the game about building the game a couple of weeks ago and Aberdeen’s comeback. Was that in the players’ minds that they were so aware that that could happen again?
Brendan Rodgers: “I think what we did say is that if you let Aberdeen play, then they have the quality to score goals. I think we’ve seen that all season and none more so only a few weeks ago. But it’s about learning and I think that you can see that we’ve learned from that, that if you give them time, they can play. They have got gifted technical players. You get strikers and wingers that want to run in behind and can give you problems. So we had to control that. I thought our counter-pressing was good. It got us the ball back a lot. And then, especially in the second half, we passed the ball much faster. Good numbers on the inside, moved the ball around really, really well and scored some outstanding goals.”
Q: How pleased were you for Daizen Maeda getting that hat-trick at the end?
Brendan Rodgers: “I think what’s great is that he’s there. The goal that he breaks away for and sets up Kyogo as well. He anticipates it and he’s away. It’s what we train them to do to get into the second post. The wingers, you’ve got to be there. You’ve got to make the runs. You’ve got to do the work. And if you do that, you’ll get your reward. So, yes, it’s a special day for him to get a hat-trick in a semi-final.”
Q: Is that a statement victory, given the fact that you’ve been up there with you all season?
Brendan Rodgers: “I think it’s, we said before the game, there are four teams this weekend that are playing to get to the final and we are one of those teams. So, we can decide about getting to the final or not. You know, I said before the game that two things will happen, is that the game will kick off at half-five and it’ll be dark. So that’s not changing and there’s going to be a brilliant atmosphere at the National Stadium. We have two teams that are riding high and the atmosphere is going to be great. Everything else, we can decide. How we press, how we run, how we work, the quality of our football. And if we can play to our level, then we have a really good chance of getting to the final. So, I couldn’t have asked any more from the players in that aspect.”
Q: In terms of performance, do you think that was the best of the season so far?
Brendan Rodgers: “No, no. I think that there were moments where, especially in the first half, we were too slow on the ball. We had to pass it quicker and I got a yellow card because of that. But no, it was much more aggressive. We were really clinical in the first half. We had some good movements, but we needed to be faster with the ball. And in the second half, we were really good in our press and then that gave us the platform to play our football. Just on that, you seem to be so demanding on your team.”
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