SILENT NIGHT

Celebrations are off limits should Celtic lift the cup

CELTIC players will be banned from enjoying a night of celebration by Brendan Rodgers in the event of Betfred Cup victory.

Rodgers refuses to leave his squad exposed to revelry ruining a chance of victory when, for the third year running, they meet Motherwell in the league following the first final of the season.

Two years ago, their first trophy under Rodgers — thanks to a 3-0 League Cup win over Aberdeen — was toasted in some style.

Six days later, their Invincible season almost never was as they were twice required to overcome a two-goal deficit at Motherwell.

Twelve months ago, they beat the Steelmen 2-0 at Hampden then escaped Fir Park with a midweek draw thanks to a late Scott Sinclair penalty.

With this season’s title bid shaping up to be the most competitive yet, Rodgers is keen to eliminate any contributory factors towards a slip-up in the league and that means any thoughts of parties are well and truly parked until mid-season when the squad travels to Dubai for a winter-break trip.

When asked if there would be a party if the trophy streak reaches seven today, Rodgers stated: ‘No. It’ll be quiet. The problem was we won the League Cup final, then we went a week later and were 2-0 down at half-time at Motherwell. We came back and won 4-3.

‘We’ll get a period in January where we can reflect on everything if we need to and enjoy it

as we can. So we won’t be celebrating too much. We’ll go, we want to win, and then we’ve got a game on Wednesday night.

‘I think the boys know me well enough now. I treat them like adults — they are not kids with me. I treat them as men and we know when those little periods are.

‘When you’re playing so many games, your body is so important. You have to look after it. But let’s get the job done and get another trophy.’

Aberdeen gave Celtic a far bigger scare in the other final of that 2016/17 season — when Tom Rogic struck in stoppage time to give Rodgers a Treble in his first campaign in charge.

Derek McInnes and his men have boosted their confidence further by knocking out Rangers at the last-four stage this term to tee up another shot at the country’s dominant force.

Rodgers shares an association with today’s dugout rival which extends back to goalkeeper Danny Ward’s loan from Liverpool to Aberdeen in 2015 and has only grown stronger since the pair became fierce competitors at the top of the Scottish managerial game.

‘This is our third final against each other up here, so that’s a huge credit to both teams,’ said Rodgers. ‘Aberdeen had a great result in the semi-final.

‘That once again shows what Derek has done to have Aberdeen up in this bracket challenging. It epitomises the job he has done.

‘I really like Derek. He’s really professional, diligent, has a strategy for his club and for his team.

‘No matter the situation, they’re always very difficult to play against. So I have a big admiration for him when you think what he’s been able to do in terms of sustaining the challenge.’

Celtic are back at Motherwell on Wednesday — the first of seven Premiership matches in three-and-a-half weeks.

Regardless of the number of games the Bhoys face over the coming weeks, however, Rodgers still won’t sacrifice his footballing ideals for the sake of piling on the points and prizes.

He added: ‘I know from time to time you can win and maybe not play so well. There have been games we’ve had to dig out, tough it out. So I get all that.

‘But over the course of time, I take greater joy of seeing the football and the level that we play at.

‘It just wouldn’t fulfil me, to just be about winning. I’ve always been like that. I recognised that when I first went in to management.

‘My first job, we had a fantastic result. I remember it: Roberto Martinez’s Swansea. I think they were playing really well at the time and had beaten Fulham in the FA Cup.

‘Then we played them in midweek. We won 2-0 at Vicarage Road. And everyone was on a high.

‘And I was flat. Because, yes, we won the game. But it wasn’t how I wanted us to win. And I think that told me really early on in my career as a manager that it’s going to be more than just winning that matters to me.

‘I like my teams to play with a certain idea. That’s what drew me to coaching and that, for me, is what coaching is — that relationship between the training and the game.

‘And if you can get that fusion, that’s what makes me happy.’