Even though Celtic has defeated Rangers in their last four games, Brendan Rodgers is pleased that they can now take a breather after their most recent success over a ten-man St. Mirren team.
The manager witnessed his squad triumph 3-0 in Paisley to cap off a joyous holiday season. The team was off to a good start thanks to a goal within the first minute from Daizen Maeda, who has now scored Celtic’s first goal of the year three times in a row.
After barely six minutes, Matt O’Riley added a second to almost end the match. The home team’s hopes were definitely dashed when Olutoysi Olusanya of St. Mirren was sent off for a high challenge on Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart just before halftime. In the second half, Greg Taylor added a third, keeping the leaders eight points ahead of Rangers at the top.
With players coming back as well, Celtic are playing really well. It may have been preferable for them to try to keep up this momentum instead of following the nearly three-week winter vacation. In the Scottish Cup, they will play Buckie Thistle next. The following league matchup is with Ross County on January 27.
When asked whether he was annoyed with the break, Rodgers made it apparent. Very unlikely, he exclaimed. “I’ve had a cold and the flu for almost a month; everything has been so hectic.” The players are under a lot of physical strain right now, especially given the type and intensity of performance we expect from them, so I believe this is a good little window of time for them to heal. That will be good for them to recuperate, and when we return, we will have plenty of time to practice hard and get ready for our first cup match.
He was pleased with his team’s fast start, particularly in light of the demanding task they had against the Rangers on Saturday. In Rodgers’ opinion, the team performed better in handling the unique challenge of playing with ten men than they had in the thrilling 2-1 victory over their rivals.
“We were much better 11 v 10 than we were at the weekend, but the only negative thing about the second half was that we never took the chances we created,” he remarked. “We discussed that following Rangers.” We performed a great job of counterpressing and controlling possession in the second half.
Stephen Robinson, the manager of St Mirren, stated that Olusanya had to challenge for a ball that any striker had to go for, but he wasn’t sure what more he could have done. However, the outcome was influenced by the striker’s red card, which was upgraded from a yellow after a VAR review.
Robinson said, “I’m not sure where he’s supposed to put his foot.” By the way, the red card did not force us to lose the game.
“Our poor start cost us the game, and we bear full responsibility for it. However, I’m not sure where he should place his foot. Joe leaps out and makes his way over there. Joe also stands up straight again. He was aware that it was free of malice.
However, everything is well-studied, and it will appear much worse if you slow it down. It’s not yet visible to me. In slow motion, it can appear even worse. I’m not sure what your purpose is exactly; are you not supposed to challenge and attempt to score a goal?
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