DAILY RECORD 🔵 ‘Unfortunate’ Luke McCowan receives the Celtic compliment every star dreams of from beaming Brendan Rodgers
Beaming Brendan Rodgers says his relentless Celtic side are ready for a decisive December – as they look to progress in THREE competitions.
In the next two weeks, the Hoops face Aberdeen and Hibs in the Scottish Premiership, Dinamo Zagreb away in the Champions League and Rangers at Hampden in the Premier Sports Cup Final. The hectic run of games could have a major impact on their season as they look to pick up silverware, qualify for the next stage in Europe – and stretch their lead at the top of the domestic table.
But after watching his team dismantle Ross County yesterday at Parkhead with a 5-0 victory, he’s convinced they’ve never been in better shape to attack the festive season. Rodgers said: “It’s a massive part of the campaign but we’re really excited by it. Those are the environments we want to be in.
“We’re trying to develop a team that’s going to challenge on all fronts and that’s the confidence I have in them at the moment. What we saw today is the humility of the team. We made changes, players came in and worked tirelessly in the structure we wanted. In all of the games coming up we’ll need that.”
Rodgers tinkered with his side against County, leaving out six players who started against Club Brugge in midweek. But goals from Liam Scales, Luke McCowan, Paulo Bernardo, Callum McGregor and Adam Idah put the Highlanders to the sword with Celtic 5-0 up at half-time.
Afterwards, the manager heaped praise on his players for their performance. He said: “That was so good today and everything you’d want as a coach. It wasn’t a game we wanted to wait on. We had to attack the game from the first whistle and you saw the hunger and determination of the players. Also, the mentality to impose our style.
“After Scalesy got us off to a great start, we were relentless after that. And we played equally well in the second half but you have to give credit to their goalkeeper (Jack Hamilton) who made some brilliant saves. We hit the post, the crossbar but wow, some of the football that we played – I was so impressed with the mentality of the team.”
McCowan was a stand-out for Rodgers’ side but he says EVERY member of his squad is capable of starting.
Their strength in depth was highlighted against County and Rodgers says the Parkhead board deserve credit for giving him the resources to do it.
He said: “The players who came in, they’re all starters. Scales can start, Alex Valle can start, the two eights (McCowan and Bernardo) can start, Idah can start. And James Forrest is just James Forrest. So they’re all starters and they know that. They know I trust them and they know the demands here – and the hunger required.
“Listen, we got booed off in a game here last year after we won 1-0. So I know at Celtic, it’s not just about the scoreline, it’s about the performance. And I think we have great consistency now. This team is evolving and developing. These games can be tricky after the high of a Champions League game but the energy and quality we showed was really pleasing.
“Luke has been unfortunate not to play more. But he’s totally ingrained in the touch-pass tempo we play at. He was absolutely brilliant today. It feels really good at the minute but it’s a credit to the club in the summer in terms of the support we had in bringing in the players we wanted.”
Now, Rodgers wants a repeat display on Wednesday night against nearest league challengers, Aberdeen, at Pittodrie.
He said: “It’s an opportunity to go there and I always enjoy the atmosphere. It’s a great challenge but we’ll go with a fresh, confident squad. We know we’ll have to work hard to get a result.”
And incredibly, despite their domestic dominance, Rodgers revealed he may try to make the squad STRONGER in the January transfer window. He said: “You always have to look for improvement. And I know there’s improvement left in this squad. There’s a balance because it’s about availability. But I know what I’d like to do, so we’ll see if we can. »