RODGERS SALUTES STRIKER
FROM BACK PAGE know I can rely on him, when I put him on the pitch, that he always has the possibility to score. It was a great night for him and the team and our first three points.
“It’s just part and parcel of what Leigh is. I love working with him. I came in and tried to improve his game in every aspect on and off the field.
“He’s vital to this club and the squad. He wants to play for Celtic. He’s got that hunger and he realises at 28 when he’s got that competition he has to fight. He does that.
“He knows when he comes on if he gets a chance there’s a big chance he’ll score. We need that in the team.”
Griffiths made the breakthrough three minutes from time having been thrown on for the last 15 minutes in place of misfiring Frenchman Odsonne Edouard.
In the night’s other Group B game Salzburg won the Red Bull derby 3-2 in Leipzig so Griffiths made sure Celtic were not left trailing.
Rodgers added: “It was a great win in relation to our spirit and persistence to keep going to the very end.
“Rosenborg came with a real high level of confidence and they surprised us in the first 15 to 20 minutes by playing a diamond.
“But once we found a balance to defend against that we started to come into the game and created some chances, particularly down the left side.
“Without being at the top of our game we kept going and that’s what I asked them to do after the game last week. We have to find a way of winning when we’re not playing as well as we would like and the players did that tonight.
“Five clean sheets in a row as well which is good. They didn’t get a shot on target against us so we’ll take the three points and be really pleased.”
But Rodgers admits Celtic fans have every right to feel disappointed over their side’s early-season form slump.
He said: “Over the last couple of years the supporters have been used to us being a bit more dynamic, a bit faster and better in our attacking.
“At the moment too many passes are going back the way but it will come. We’ll work at it on the training field and we’ll look to find the solution.”