Exclusive Celtic TV interview with Brendan Rodgers | OneFootball

Celtic returned to action last weekend with a potentially difficult test on the artificial surface at Kilmarnock, and tough it turned out to be, However, a number of Celts, both new and familiar, impressed on the day.

Brendan Rodgers sat down with Celtic TV this week for an exclusive interview and looked back on the dramatic late win, while also looking ahead to this Sunday's League Cup tie away to Partick Thistle.

The Celtic manager said of the 2-1 win over Kilmarnock: “We were really pleased for the players and the supporters.

"It’s always a difficult place, Kilmarnock, especially on the back of an international break, with the players coming back late and not being together for a lot of the time.

“It’s a process because of the changes and everything else. It’s rhythm that we’re after, and once that rhythm comes, the confidence increases and the game idea will positively get better as we go through the season.

“But what is important is that you're getting results, and we’ve been to three tough away games now and we’ve made a decent start.”

Aside from winning goalscorer, Keleche Iheanacho, young defender, Colby Donovan also drew praise from the manager for his input.

Brendan Rodgers said: “Personality is everything if you want to succeed, especially at the highest level because it’s not the most gifted players that always come through – it’s those guys that are consistent.

“They work hard, and whenever it’s tough in games, they show that personality, and that’s what Colby has. I’ve really liked him since I first seen him.

“People talk about training the way you play - for me you train the way you fight, and that means that you’ll take that mentality into your games and I see that in Colby.

"Every time he trains, he fights, he works, and young players like that, you want to give opportunities to.

“So I’m delighted for him, a Celtic boy who has come through the system, puttin him in not an easy task at all, first game on an Astroturf pitch, the weather conditions, but he came through it, and right at the very end he was the one that was in the box making the cross that leads to the penalty.”

The manager was also delighted to see Daizen Maeda head in Celtic’s opener, saying, “It’s been a real challenging summer for him.

“He maybe felt the future was going to be elsewhere, but I think we can all see from that personality and from the humility that he has, that it won’t take him long to get back to playing how everyone knows he plays – 150 per cent, working, pressing and always being there for the goal.

“So, he’s such a great guy and whatever the summer brought, it’s gone now, and for him now it’s just about doing the very best he possibly can.

“It was a fantastic goal, great ball by Marcelo and then his movement and instinct to get across and make the header was superb.”

To hear the manager talk further on Keleche Iheanacho, Marcelo Saracchi, Sebastian Tounekti and the upcoming Partick Thistle match, watch the full exclusive interview over on Celtic TV.

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Fixtures

Kilmarnock Vs. Celtic - Sun, Sep 14th 2025, 15:00 Final score: 1 - 2 Match Report

Fixtures

Partick Thistle Vs. Celtic - Sun, Sep 21st 2025, 15:30