Midfield is now music to Brendan’s ears
BRENDAN RODGERS admits he was playing with a one-man midfield at the start of his Parkhead revolution.
The Celtic boss argues that Scott Brown was fighting a lone battle against the opposition.
That has changed, and Rodgers admits players that he wrote off have stepped up to the plate.
Celtic’s display against Manchester City in midweek showed that Stuart Armstrong and Tom Rogic have come on in leaps and bounds.
Rodgers said: “I felt at the beginning of the campaign, you had Scott Brown in midfield playing against two or three opponents.
“Now we have three players.
“The way we play, they all have to be connected. There won’t be any one of them better than the other.
“They are learning how to be synchronised in terms of their movement, their spaces and their positioning, both to press the ball and to attack it.
“Stuart Armstrong is getting better all the time. You have to keep the ball at that level and keep it with a purpose.
“And you can’t be frightened to make simple passes.
“We must carry on believing in what we’re doing and keep developing.
Brown and Armstrong have delighted Rodgers, but you suspect he maybe believes that Tom Rogic could be the best of the lot.
There has been a question mark over the Aussie midfielder’s stamina, but that appears to be improving.
His manager is happy to compare him to Liverpool and England star, Adam Lallana.
He said: “Tom’s got huge potential. His bodywork is as good as you’ll get.
“Tom and Lallana are of that same mould where they just roll out of trouble.
“The best players know where the space is.
“Tactically, he can now stay in the game and he’s physically better.
“Sometimes when I make a substitution with Tom, it’s not necessarily how he’s playing or that he can’t last.
“Sometimes I just need to shore up the game with a more defensive-type player.
“The beauty is that Tom’s committed to here. He sees this as his place to develop.”
Rodgers is already planning additions for next season, but is confident that Mikael Lustig, who turns 30 on Tuesday, will sign a new deal to stay at the club.
He said: “He’s one I definitely want to keep. The club is in discussions with his agent.
“He’s an important player for us, one of the pillars of the group.”
SCOTT BROWN ON RODGERS – See page 12.