There’s no drama over Dembele omission, says boss Rodgers
BRENDAN RODGERS last night insisted there were no issues surrounding Moussa Dembele despite the Frenchman again failing to come off the bench for Celtic. An unused substitute against Brechin City at the weekend, the striker (below) was rendered a spectator as Rodgers’ side came from behind to beat Partick Thistle and extend their lead at the top of the Premiership to 11 points. Linked with Brighton, Everton and Crystal Palace in this window, the France Under-21 international’s situation remains unclear ahead of next Wednesday’s deadline. But Rodgers, who watched Dembele’s fellow sub Leigh Griffiths score the winner at Firhill, is adamant his selection last night had nothing to do with the player’s attitude and only the need for his side to win the game. ‘You write what you need to
write,’ said Rodgers. ‘I think you have asked about Moussa enough since January. ‘If you ask about him, you need to ask about Jozo (Simunovic) and the other players. ‘I’ve done okay in picking the best team to win since I came here. Try to have a little bit of respect for the team I pick. We have only lost one of our last 76 games. ‘If Moussa is in our squad, great. If he is not, we will see by the end of January. His behaviour is fine, there is no issue and no dramas. ‘We are here to win games and I will pick the team I think is best to do that.’ Asked what would happen if Dembele moves before the end of the month, Rodgers said: ‘If Moussa goes, we need to bring in another one. Simple. Players need competition and we need to be competitive.’ Reflecting on a victory that saw a Scott Sinclair penalty and Griffiths’ goal wipe out Conor Sammon’s spot-kick opener, Rodgers added: ‘It was a very good win for us. I thought we played well overall. ‘We made a couple of mistakes in the first half in our build-up play. I thought we were deserving of a goal but it didn’t come. ‘And then we made a mistake for the penalty, it was a clear penalty. Then the team is asked a question. ‘So I thank the players as I had to put risk into the game by changing the system. ‘Second half the players really took to that and were absolutely fantastic. We scored two goals and could have had more.’ Odsonne Edouard started up front again, with Griffiths climbing off the bench. Asked if the Scot had made a timely point by scoring, Rodgers said: ‘I don’t think anyone needs reminding. ‘It’s a big issue with you guys. We know what Leigh can do. If Moussa comes on, we know what he can do. I thought young Odsonne was excellent.’ Thistle manager Alan Archibald said: ‘We put a lot into the game, so we feel disappointed not to take anything from it. ‘Celtic changed things, bringing Griffiths on and tweaking the formation. We didn’t quite get to grips with it early enough.’