The head coach of the Hornets said that his current position is far harder than it was during his previous tenure, when he easily won an Invincible Treble.
Rodgers, Brendan
A shrug and a small smile were present, but a scowl must have been hiding behind them.
The Celtics captain, Brendan Rodgers, was unfazed by the possibility of adding Alistair Johnston to his list of casualties, possibly because he’s grown accustomed to receiving terrible news this year. A broken cranium for the Canadian? Naturally. That’s why the wistiest of smiles was present. Nobody predicted that Rodgers’ return to Celtic would be simple. However, nobody anticipated it would be as difficult as it is.
During his first stint in charge here, Rodgers acknowledged that the difference from his first season could not be more obvious. Celtic swept to an unstoppable Treble that felt, at times, like a saunter. One of those incredible moments he will never forget was the stoppage time winner at Hampden to win the Scottish Cup and the third leg of the clean sweep. But Rodgers believes it will be just as fulfilling as his flawless season if his team can win everything this time and add the cup to the title.
Maybe even more so in light of all that has been thrown at him this term. Important men including Cameron Carter-Vickers, Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda, Liel Abada, and Alister Johnston suffered serious injuries. Star Jota made a sale as soon as he walked through the door, and the major singing targets missed their marks or didn’t seem credible.
Global politics seeping into his dressing room as Israel’s star player, Samer Abada, sees his country thrown into conflict, and there’s unrest in the spectators over money being retained in the bank rather than pouring onto the field. Even if the majority of the results have held up, punters are becoming dissatisfied with performances.
In 2016, Rodgers’ primary concern was what Leigh Griffiths was planning. Although this mountain of issues was undoubtedly not included in the brochure, he is confident that it won’t always be a grind.
“We have some very talented players on our team, but we’ve never been able to put that all together. However, we will in the future; in the meanwhile, you must prevail.
“You still have to figure out a way to win, and that’s what this team is doing even though it might not be as cohesive or fluid for all those reasons.
“Is it going to be as fulfilling as 2017? Yes, in a different sense. This year has felt like it has had an excessive amount of obstacles in the way.
However, it is the difficulty of managing people. There are various obstacles.
In 2017, Brendan Rodgers held the Premiership trophy.
“There have been numerous small moments along the journey where it has been difficult. However, that is the main focus.
With more than 700 games under his belt, Rodgers will need to employ every tool in his toolbox this season. “You can only adapt,” he stated. To be fair, I had anticipated that it would be difficult.
“I mentioned on the first day that I anticipated the expectations and pressure would be higher due of how I left and because of the last time. However, that’s alright, I can handle that.
It’s time to make a change in this situation. We had numerous problems with players’ and important players’ fitness.
“You observe the games in which we have been without players and the caliber of play that consistently gives the game a unique appearance. However, I still find it exciting, I still enjoy being here, and I still want to stay for a while to make sure we can move forward.
It might not have gotten off to the same start as the last time or as smoothly as you would have liked. It doesn’t mean it never will be, therefore I have a lot of hope for the group and the club’s future. I’ll be driven to accomplish that.
Tomorrow in the Scottish Cup, St Mirren might be another one of those obstacles, particularly with fellow Northern Irishman Stephen Robinson in the driver’s seat.
“He was a better player than me!” exclaimed Rodgers. I was always aware of him since he was a fantastic young player who played for Bournemouth, Luton, and Tottenham in his youth. It may have even been up here that we first crossed paths.
“He’s a great coach, and I appreciate his work.” We sent Kwon there because I am confident in his work and they will help him grow and get better. I believe he did an extremely good job.
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