TEN OUT OF TEN
Rodgers rejects ‘lucky’ claims and salutes his soldiers for derby victory
BRENDAN Rodgers would stick by the old maxim often, if debatably, attributed to golfing great Gary Player. The harder he makes Celtic practice, the luckier they seem to get.
To the Parkhead manager, any suggestion that their 3-2 victory in last weekend’s Old Firm game was down to chance can be picked apart by basic analysis. Instead, he regards it as a triumph for ‘ten soldiers’ prepared for their mission by an almost military degree of planning.
Former Rangers captain Barry Ferguson was the man who raised eyebrows earlier this week by insisting Rodgers got lucky. While praising the boldness of his tactical alterations in the wake of Jozo Simunovic’s red card, Ferguson claimed that the ultimate difference between the two teams was ‘a massive slice of good fortune’.
Not surprisingly, Rodgers isn’t having that. He points to statistics that underline the effectiveness of their training-ground drills for playing with ten men. And how every scenario encountered at Ibrox had been addressed and detailed beforehand. The result was a group of players who kept their cool amid highly demanding circumstances.
It was not a twist of fate that pushed Celtic a significant step closer to retaining the Premiership title, Rodgers argues, but one of fortitude.
‘That’s the third time in the 20 months I have been up here that we’ve gone down to ten men,’ said the 45-year-old, whose side face Motherwell at Fir Park tomorrow.
‘They were all away — at Pittodrie, Hamilton and Ibrox. In total, we have been down to ten men for 94 minutes. So, virtually a game and extra-time.
‘And in those games, when we were down a man, we scored four goals and conceded none. I don’t think that’s luck.
‘It was a great game last weekend. We had to show fighting qualities, we were up against it through our own mistakes.
‘If you look at their two goals, the first one was a mistake from us, and the second wasn’t the best defending when the cross came in. But then, really, there was nothing. All they had was the Alfredo Morelos opportunity, which he should score.
‘Listen, I’ve never met Barry Ferguson, so I can’t comment on him. I only know him as a player and I had great respect for him as a player. He clearly is very much Rangers, which I respect, and the win can hurt very much.
‘But I think most supporters would admire our team and how we won and — I mean both sides — would not say we were lucky.’
Rodgers still has no complaint about the Simunovic dismissal, but was surprised to see assistant referee Douglas Ross calling for a red card.
‘Rangers went down to ten men (last season) and lost 5-1 to us,’ recalled Rodgers. ‘So it’s not easy.
‘It is a part of the game you have to make sure you prepare for. It’s a pressure situation and they have to be able to anticipate it and stay calm.
‘We’ve had three red cards, two of them are from Willie Collum. Callum McGregor at Hamilton was never a sending-off. Mikael (Lustig) had two yellows at Pittodrie, so I can see that. There is an argument around at Ibrox, but I would say it was (a red card) because his arm was bent. The linesman couldn’t wait to give it and that’s not his job.
‘His job is to assist in the decision, not to make, and I think it was pretty clear he made the decision. But however it comes, deserved or not, you have to be ready as a team.
‘And I think my team showed they were absolutely ready for it. They had 11 players, but we had ten soldiers in the game who were ready to fight, and we had the quality to see it through.
‘When you come into these kind of high-pressure games, it’s something we focus on. We asked what happens if we get a man sent off or if they get a man sent off?
‘What happens if we score in the first 15 minutes? What happens if they go and score in the first 15 minutes?
‘How do you react? It’s all about dealing with pressure and the best way to deal with pressure is to anticipate it. Staying calm is critical.’
Simunovic was the one player who failed to show that attribute. And his elbow on Morelos — which will see him banned for the encounter at Fir Park tomorrow — was not the only headline he has made over the past seven days.
The 23-year-old centre-back turned down an international call-up from Bosnia despite switching allegiance from Croatia last year.
‘Jozo spoke to me in the week,’ explained Rodgers. ‘It’s simple.
‘He had a lot of respect for the coach of Bosnia (Robert Prosinecki), who is a highly regarded former Croatian player. I think he felt he could go there and maybe have a better chance of playing.
‘But he has been really honest and brave in his decision. When he went there (last year), it didn’t feel right. Croatia is in his heart.
‘But, also, I think he felt he would be taking the place of a Bosnian player who really wants to play for Bosnia. If there was any doubt with him, he didn’t want to be in the position of blocking someone else.’