Fired-up Rodgers says it’s game on now in title race
Celtic manager rallies his troops ahead of final ten league games and is not worried by potential Mcgregor absence
“This is when the fun begins,” said Brendan Rodgers, before making what potentially lies ahead for him and his team sound as much fun as a weekend spent browsing hardware stores for new skirting boards.
There will, of course, be an explosion of joy and exhilaration should a tumultuous campaign conclude with Celtic again hoisting the league trophy but between now and that moment it will come down to less frivolous qualities such as determination, commitment, spirit and self-belief. In an increasingly tense and fraught title race, there won’t be much time for smiles or levity.
This sort of scenario, though, is what Rodgers thrives on. Sure, a lot of Celtic supporters would probably be happier if their team was overseeing a 20-point lead at this juncture but their manager gave the impression that he is almost relishing the chance to roll up his sleeves and get torn in.
There are ten games left in the championship chase, five either side of the league split, and Rodgers seems to have rediscovered his mojo.
This has been a troublesome first season back for the Northern Irishman for a number of factors but either the midweek mauling of Dundee or the fact that the countdown is well and truly on seems to have got him fired up.
If his walk out of the media room at the club’s Lennoxtown training facility yesterday had been soundtracked it would have been to the theme from Rocky or something equally uplifting and up-tempo.
Rodgers, of course, can’t score the goals or keep the clean sheets that will propel Celtic forward in their title defence but, starting from Hearts at Tynecastle tomorrow, he expects his team to be as galvanised as he clearly is.
Throughout his career Rodgers has made a big noise about getting to know the person as much as the player, peering deep into the soul of every prospective new signing to make sure they are made of the right stuff.
This, then, is when he expects that rigorous personal evaluation to bear fruit as Celtic look to claw back the two-point deficit to league leaders Rangers and end the campaign on top once again.
“This is the serious part of the season,” he said. “People will always try to dramatise it from a long way out when the finish line is still quite a way away, but this is the real exciting bit where every single point matters.
“It feels different. You know it’s game on, and you need to bring it on now. That is what the message was before the game the other night, that you are now in a period where you just cannot be in your comfort zone. Now, you should never be. Naturally, you can be as a player, for whatever reason. But from now on in…
“I say comfort zone because you have to have physicality. If you are in your comfort zone in life then you are normally not being physical, you are not doing the work. You are in a period now where you have to be on it, you have to be there, and I think we saw an example of that the other night.
“From the off, the aggression, the speed, the touch, everything. When our game is like that then our football smiles, and that is what we want to see now for the rest of the season.
“It’s been a challenging season up to now for so many reasons, but we are still there. We are still there and we’ve got two big targets to play for, and it is still all within our grasp. So, we’ll be ready.”
It seems that the Celtic players – and no doubt their Rangers counterparts – will be calling for defibrillators rather than party hats come the end but Rodgers believes it is still possible to extract some pleasure from such a pressurised set of circumstances.
“It’s one where, especially with experience, you know that’s what it brings,” he said of the potential joy that lies ahead.
“If you don’t relish pressure then you can never be in this position as a manager or a player at a club like this here. As a manager you’re always mapping it out for the players and preparing them in every facet of the game, whether it’s physically, mentally, tactically or technically. The support is always there for them.”
The latest challenge comes in the shape of Callum
Mcgregor’s fitness with Rodgers conceding his captain is a doubt for the Hearts game.
The manager, though, believes there is sufficient depth within his squad to cope with Mcgregor’s absence if need be.
“With players like that, the guys who are always available and always playing, it’s such a new experience for them to be injured,” he added. “All players, especially top players, want to play every game. So, you have to be mindful of it and be aware of the risk. We will clearly take that into consideration because we are entering into a really important period.
“I’d love to get to the point this season where all these players are available and ready to play together, and enjoy seeing them play together. But, like I say, if it is one where he isn’t available then the opportunity is there for someone else.
“The likes of Cameron [Carter-vickers] and Ali Johnston are now getting back up to speed, while Greg Taylor is a great speaker as well. So, there’s that leadership from within guys like big Joe Hart. Guys will step up. Someone of Callum’s quality and leadership qualities will always be a miss when he isn’t playing, but that then is the responsibility of everyone to take that on board.”
It’s been a challenging season up to now for so many reasons, but we are still there