Manager pleased with impressive Flag Day performance

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Celtic F.C.

·4 August 2024

Manager pleased with impressive Flag Day performance

Brendan Rodgers was pleased with his side’s display as they kicked off the defence of their Premiership title with an impressive 4-0 home win over Kilmarnock.

The goals came from Reo Hatate, Liam Scales, Nicolas Kuhn and Anthony Ralston in a match where Celtic enjoyed 82% possession, and there could even have been more goals in the course of the 90 minutes.

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Speaking to Celtic TV after the game, the Celtic manager said: “It was a very good performance. You wish for that.

“We had seen signs over the course of pre-season, the co-ordination in the team and how it all synchronised, and the idea is that you’re working towards that first game. So that first game today was an excellent performance.

“The game-plan was to make the game as quick as we could and use that speed and obviously to penetrate in behind – sometimes you need to speed up the game and play in front – so I’m so pleased, especially at this stage of the season.

“I mentioned before the game that it’s not going to be perfect but we’ve got to get going, and I thought we got going today and a lot of our play was exceptional in the game. So it was a really good day for us – four goals, clean sheet, created other opportunities and it was really pleasing.”

While Kyogo did not get on the scoresheet, his performance drew praise from his manager, who was also pleased that the goals were shared throughout the team.

“For me, it’s never about just the striker,” the Hoops boss said, “but I thought what Kyogo did so well today was that he played the space rather than the position.

“That’s what I’ve been talking to him about. I want him on the last line and if the space is there to go in behind – great – but the space today was in front at times, and that drew out the opponent, and you see for Nic’s goal where he came short, the space was there and he spun in round the corner, and that creates the space then for Nic eventually to come inside.

“So the goals throughout the team has always been a mantra for me. There’s no point in a striker getting 40-odd goals and everyone else not, but across the team it’s important to have goalscorers.”