FIRST CLASS
Rogic tends to strike early against Rangers and Rodgers can’t wait to set him loose again
ANYONE looking for a first goalscorer bet this lunchtime could do far worse than look at Tom Rogic. Twice this season the Australian has opened the scoring for Celtic against Rangers, once in the league at Ibrox and then again in the Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden a fortnight ago, while his 11th-minute equaliser in another league encounter last month swiftly cancelled out Josh Windass’s opener.
Against that background, a price of 7-1 would seem rather generous against the midfielder pulling out his favourite party trick again.
There’s clearly something about the big occasions that gets the Australian’s juices flowing. Last season, he slalomed through the Aberdeen defence before drawing his foot back to slot home the most dramatic of stoppage-time winners, a goal that claimed an undefeated Treble for Brendan Rodgers and his team.
Today the 25-year-old has a chance to help the club claim back-to-back titles and Rodgers will be happy to let him loose.
‘Tom is a really special talent and the mark of the big players is the big contributions in the big games,’ said the manager. ‘He’ll always be in the history books here at Celtic because of his big contribution last season.
‘What I like about him is that he’s got a real inward aggression. He’s not timid. I’ve seen him become stronger physically in his time here, more robust. He’s been unfortunate a couple of times when he’s been out injured but he has a real inward aggressive streak.
‘He shows strength as well as technical ability and that’s what you need if you’re going to perform at a good level.’
Although a proven match-winner, injury has meant Rogic hasn’t always been available for selection. And, in terms of goals, the fact he did not find the net in the six-month period between his Ibrox strikes would go a long way towards explaining why he did not feature on the shortlist of nominees for his fellow professionals’ Player of the Year awards.
Regardless, Rodgers rates him as one of the premier talents in Scotland.
‘He’s the best player at understanding where the space is and that allows him to receive the ball better than anyone,’ continued Rodgers. ‘He has the brain to find space, we see it in training every day and that’s why he’s so elusive in games.
‘He’s difficult to pin down because he can find the space and from there, technically, he can score. He’s highly gifted technically.’
Rogic’s mastery of the football is rooted in a slightly unorthodox route into the professional game. He almost exclusively played futsal into his teens and the emphasis on technique and ball manipulation is evident in his eye-catching style.
In terms of 11-a-side football, Rogic was still extremely raw when Neil Lennon sanctioned a £400,000 transfer to purchase him from Central Coast Mariners in January 2013.
The settling-in process was long. A six-month loan spell at Melbourne Victory was granted to try to help him secure a place in Australia’s 2014 World Cup squad but he failed to make the cut.
Lennon quit Celtic that summer but it wasn’t until Ronny Deila’s second season in charge that Rogic made any impression and scored his first goals for the club.
By the time Rodgers arrived, he was ready to blossom and the former Liverpool boss quickly identified a few traits noticeable in a couple of high-profile creators he had managed at Anfield.
‘Philippe Coutinho was also a futsal player,’ he said. ‘For the young players at Liverpool, we did a split screen of Phil when he was 10 or 11 playing futsal and he was virtually the same as a 19 or 20-year-old.
‘That was his game, manipulating the ball and the confidence it gave him. It was all about how you receive the ball. The ball’s a bit softer in futsal, so you can manipulate it and gain confidence with it.
‘Adam Lallana was very good at shifting the ball between his feet, too. He can receive the ball with both feet and his awareness of space was exceptional.
‘Tom has huge feet, so how he works the ball around plates that size is even more incredible. That’s what people won’t recognise — he’s got size 12 or something, but his feet are
soft and he’s got a great view of the game. And he wants to score goals.’
Speaking to Sportsmail a couple of years ago, the Australian national team captain Mile Jedinak predicted that Rogic would eventually outgrow Celtic and go on to play for one of the world’s top clubs.
This summer, he will get the chance to place himself on the global stage as Australia’s No 10 playmaker at the World Cup in Russia.
He has a further season
The mark of the big players is their contribution in big games
remaining on his Celtic contract and has held the club at bay rather than enter into detailed conversation over an extension. ‘I’ve spoken to Tom a number of times and I am quite relaxed on it,’ said Rodgers. ‘He knows I’d love him to be here but, rightly, he has to think of everything. ‘Of course he loves the club. He’s been here over five years now and he knows what he has here but his next contract is a big decision for him and his wife. They are both Australian, so they need to have a think about where they want to be. ‘He knows how much I rate him and he has a World Cup to concentrate on. We’ll see what happens after that.’ Now under the management of former Netherlands boss Bert van Marwijk, Australia kick-off their World Cup against France on June 16 before going on to face Peru and Denmark.
After his disappointment four years ago, Rodgers believes he has more than earned his opportunity.
‘What happened to Tom could knock a player,’ said Rodgers. ‘So, to come out of that trauma — going to Brazil and not being selected — gives you that determination and resilience, which is important.
‘You need that drive and, thankfully for Celtic, he’s shown that. It’s a wonderful experience for him, to go and be involved in that tournament. It’s been an ambition for him all his life. Now he’s there.’
The world can wait a few weeks. For now, Rogic has more parochial matters to attend to.