Dedryck Boyata explains how Brendan Rodgers transformed his game

In partnership with

The Celtic Star

·7 April 2025

Dedryck Boyata explains how Brendan Rodgers transformed his game

Although they had a falling out towards the end at Celtic Park, Dedryck Boyata has admitted that his time in Scotland with Brendan Rodgers helped transform him into a defender fit for the modern game.

Dedryck Boyata in action for Celtic on 31 August 2018. Photo AJ (The Celtic Star)

The Belgian arrived at the club under Ronny Deila before the Irishman arrived and when be first started working with him, he was unafraid to point out the major flaws in Boyata’s game.

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At first Boyata believed that Rodgers had it in for him

Perturbed at first by this, the big centre-back thought Rodgers had it in for him, constantly picking at bits of his game. However, looking back now, it’s clear to see that the Celtic manager was helping shape him into a far better player than the one he was at Manchester City.

Boyata went on to have a prominent role in the team not long after that and even though it did end acrimoniously when he wanted to leave the club and refused to play for Rodgers in a Champions League qualifier, he looks back now and is thankful for his Celtic experience.

Dedryck Boyata of Celtic and Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers are seen during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Hibernian at Celtic Park on February 6, 2019. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

“Manchester City didn’t ask you to play the ball”

“When I was at Manchester City they didn’t ask you to play the ball,” he said to the Footb’All Time Podcast. “They just wanted you to give it to your left-back or right-back who could then play. The defender focused only on defending so therefore you had to be big and physical, and ensure sure you were strong in duels. I had Mark Hughes as a coach then Roberto Mancini so I had the English way and then someone who was very defensive driven.

Dedryck Boyata of Celtic trains during the Celtic Training Session prior to the Group B UEFA Champions League match between Celtic and Bayern Muenchen on October 30, 2017. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

“With Mark Hughes he was purely focused on duels”

“With Mark Hughes he was purely focused on duels so truthfully I can’t say I learned anything with him. Mancini was all about positioning and man-to-man marking. If you were two centimeters away from where he wanted you to be then he’d come and drag you to where you were meant to be.

“Pellegrini on the other hand was very offensive. We scored a lot of goals with Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko and Alvaro Negredo, but we conceded many at the other end as well.”

Brendan Rodgers, Manager of Celtic shakes hands with Dedryck Boyata as he is substituted during the League Cup Final between Celtic and Aberdeen at Hampden Park on December 2, 2018. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

“Then Brendan Rodgers arrived, and at first things didn’t go well with him”

However, the Belgian international confirmed that it changed when he moved to Celtic. He continued: “When I moved to Celtic I first met Ronny Deila who I also worked under at Club Brugge. Then Brendan Rodgers arrived, and at first things didn’t go well with him.

“I was injured when he got there, but he said when I returned I had to work on many different areas of my game. I had to work on the number of balls I lost in training and my ball recovery. He also told me I spent too much time on the ball and urged me to work on my intensity in training and on the pitch,” Boyata said.

Celtic’s Dedryck Boyata celebrates winning the Scottish Cup Final between Aberdeen and Celtic at Hampden Park on May 27, 2017. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)

“He always found something to improve and this process lasted three or four months. I kept saying to myself that he must have a problem with me because he still didn’t play me (after all the work). But these things ended up allowing me to be able to analyse my game more closely and in a different way from before. I didn’t think too much about my flaws before I was at Celtic. It really helped me transform my game into a more modern-style defender.”

Paul Gillespie

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