In Lennoxtown today, Brendan Rodgers addressed the media in advance of his team’s Scottish Premiership game against Hibs at Easter Road tomorrow. The Celtic boss was in fine form as he spoke about how much he was enjoying living in Scotland and how he thought Neil Warnock would open his eyes to a lot of things here. As he brings his new charges to Ibrox tonight, he’ll likely receive a crash course.
What was stated at Brendan’s press conference is as follows:
Q: How is the squad looking?
Brendan Rodgers: “All right. Everything is fine. The last two days of training have been excellent. Nobody has recovered from an injury, but it’s wonderful to hear that Daizen Maeda is back and in good condition.
Q: When do you expect Greg Taylor back or is he still a bit away?
“Hopefully, we will see how he is for the weekend,” said Brendan Rodgers. He is moving pretty well while he is out on the field. He just needs to receive the medical staff’s OK, and if it’s not the weekend, he’ll be prepared for the following game.
Q: Given the impacts that Adam (Idah) and Nicolas (Kuhn) made at the weekend. How much do they come into your thinking for the Hibs game?
Brendan Rodgers: “Absolutely. As I previously stated, I believe that both players have the ability to impact the team’s short-, medium-, and long-term performance in the upcoming games. We will see that, I believe. Adam, it excites me to see him perform, to work with him, and to converse with him. It’s truly amazing how talented he is. He possesses all the tools you need to perform at the greatest level, and he has done so on a global scale. For him, his time in Norwich has been somewhat erratic. When I observe his ability to finish, move quickly, and touch the ball, I evaluate him here in training and am enthusiastic about what he can do for us in the upcoming months.
“Nicolas is really getting settled here, and he just scored his first goal, which is fantastic. He will only get better as a result, and that will boost his confidence.
Q: Observing the tightness at the top. Do you think this is a different place than you were during your last spell here?
No, says Brendan Rodgers. The region is the region it is. I never go into a league season believing I’m going to win by ten or twenty points. You set out to overcome the obstacle within and around you by being the finest version of yourself. It is obvious that there is competition, and it will be fierce for the remainder of the season.
It all comes down to us concentrating on our own game. For us, the goal of everything is to ensure that constancy. We can play well and win these important games, but the fact that we haven’t been able to sustain our momentum for longer periods of time, in my opinion, highlights how young some of the team is.
After four, five, or six games, our murderous instinct just fades a little. I am familiar with the rules and how things operate here in Glasgow; the important thing is to maintain composure. We have won six of our past seven games and drew one. There are one or two returning players among the players I see every day, so we will keep concentrating on that level of performance.
Q: There is always pressure at Celtic. Is it something you tell your players that they have got to embrace it?
Brendan Rodgers: “Always, yes.” One of the biggest things at Celtic, in my opinion, is the expectation. Regardless of your role as manager or player. Even if there are better leagues in Europe, managing and playing for Celtic is a true test of your mental toughness.
“The expectation, managing the strain, and handling all of the associated issues.” There aren’t many teams in Europe where you can finish with four points out of six and go back to crisis mode. Those, in my opinion, are the times when you can grow the most.
“I’ve been here long enough to understand the workings of the place, but my main focus is on the team and ensuring that we can keep becoming better. The game appears very different if we score a few goals, as we should have done against Aberdeen in the first half.
“This season, we’ve experienced that quite a few times when we’ve failed to capitalize on strong starts and pressure, which causes you to become a little anxious and not quite end where you want to. A big part of working here is coping with it and learning from it.
Do you find out a lot about your players at these times?
Brendan Rodgers: “I believe you are a lifelong learner.” Every setting and game you play teaches you something about your players. You will, of course, learn more when under duress. I have no doubts about this team’s boldness and courage when I observe how they play. Despite player absences and absences, we still have enough players to win the games we have drawn.
Tomorrow, we will approach it fresh and have evaluated our performance in the previous game to identify areas for improvement. We don’t focus on our past errors; instead, we anticipate that. We are eager to compete against a strong team in the future and are hoping to deliver a strong showing.
Q: What is it about Easter Road that has proved to be a tougher venue than others around here?
Brendan Rodgers: “The Hawks are among the best teams.” Perhaps I’m the only one! I believe it has worked well for other managers. Although we’ve been in terrific positions, we started the game far too slowly the previous time we were there. The game’s tempo and speed were very slow. We really came to life in the final 25 minutes, and the game moved considerably more quickly. We applied what we had learnt to our most recent game at home. For us, that’s crucial. Our goal is to perform well during the football game, and if we succeed in doing so, we should have a pleasant evening.
A few days have passed since a hard game at Pittodrie. Is it a good idea for your players to showcase their skills at another challenging location?
Yes, says Brendan Rodgers. The game over the weekend ought to have gone our way. That’s what I thought we would do.
We were unable to break through because Aberdeen made excellent defensive adjustments. You have to give them credit for that. We must now get past that and go on. Being one of the best teams, we will be fired up and prepared for the game to win the three points. Perhaps I’m the only one! I believe it has worked well for other managers. Although we’ve been in terrific positions, we started the game far too slowly the previous time we were there. The game’s tempo and speed were very slow. We really came to life in the final 25 minutes, and the game moved considerably more quickly. We applied what we had learnt to our most recent game at home. For us, that’s crucial. Our goal is to perform well during the football game, and if we succeed in doing so, we should have a pleasant evening.
Q:The new Aberdeen manager is Neil Warnock. Do you believe he will bring anything special to Scottish football?
Brendan Rodgers:“Yes, he will stand up for you people. Neil is a good value! He has crossed my path a few times, and we have always kept in touch. I assure you that I will not continue at that age! For a long time, he had desired to be up here. Now that he is awake, he will examine the images and assess the quality of the media and referees. It will be enjoyable for him, and he will have a blast. I wished him well in a message that I wrote him. He will be surrounded by kind people up here, and he will take pleasure in it. It’s authentic football.
Q: Were there any aspects of the level that caught your attention when you initially went to Scotland?
Brendan Rodgers: You pick up on a lot of details. It’s an amazing place. They usually say you should never go back, but in my opinion, making the decision to return was a wise one. I never thought the football would turn out to be like the first time I rode the magic carpet. That’s the real test and what advances you.
Naturally, I adore living here. I adore the folks. I adore the city. Edinburgh is a place I adore visiting. He’ll adore it because I enjoy traveling throughout Scotland. At this point in his career, he has had an incredible career managing numerous teams and games—something he had never done before. He will visit this place and fall in love with it all. He will undoubtedly enjoy it.
Q: How do you envision Adam Idah and Kyogo working together? Will this benefit Kyogo also, relieving some of the load on him up front?
Brendan Rodgers: It offers us choices. If we choose to start one striker up front and reserve another. Whether we want to play both of them up there in separate structures, or if we want to play one and play one in behind. It provides us with choices based on what you desire.
Q: If chosen, is Daizen (Maeda) prepared to take the field against Hibs?
Brendan Rodgers:Indeed. He’s returned to a better place than he was before he went. He was still attempting to catch up, but he has since left to practice and play some games. He feels prepared to begin if we need him, according to our conversation when he returned.
Q: You already stated that it’s critical for your athletes to maintain composure. How much will that mean at the conclusion of the season in terms of revenue because your players have won trophies and titles?
Brendan Rodgers: “We still have a very long way to go. Not even the finish line is in sight. All you have to do is play each game as it comes, work hard, and maintain focus. In actuality, the pressure builds much later in the process. You now concentrate on your performance. Our sole focus is on enabling you to control what you can. We need to improve on our point drops from this year in the upcoming section. I’m more concerned about moving on to the next game than where we end up right now.
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