“Goals were excellent, and I thought we played really well,” Brendan Rodgers

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The Celtic Star

·16 août 2025

“Goals were excellent, and I thought we played really well,” Brendan Rodgers

Brendan Rodgers spoke to the media last night following Celtic’s 4-1 victory over Falkirk to seal their place in the Premier Sports League Cup quarter-final…

Brendan Rodgers, Manager of Celtic, acknowledges the fans prior to the Premier Sports League Cup match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on August 15, 2025 . (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

The Celtic boss praised Hoops academy graduate Dane Murray for netting his first goal for his boyhood club on the day of his three-year contract extension. Brendan also passionately defended Arne Engels’ development and spoke in depth about the relationship Kieran Tierney and Daizen Maeda are building down the left-hand side.

Vidéos OneFootball

Here’s everything that was said…

Q: Brendan, how happy were you with the result and the performance tonight?

Brendan Rodgers: “I thought the performance was very good. From the first whistle, you’ve seen the hunger in the team and the intensity in the team. First half, we were good with the ball. We were not so good without it. We gave Falkirk a couple of wee opportunities to break through. We weren’t aggressive enough and tight enough on them. When we correct that at halftime, we really dominated the second half. So yeah, very pleased. Goals were excellent, and I thought we played really well.”

Brendan Rodgers, Manager of Celtic, waves as he arrives at the stadium prior to the Premier Sports League Cup match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on August 15, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: Do you think that’s the best it’s looked so far this season?

Brendan Rodgers: ” “We’ve only played three games. So clearly, you want progression, you want development. And there are different contexts of games. They’re a team that want to come and play. And we want to play, so it becomes a really good football game. St Mirren come here, they sit deep, sit low, and it’s early season, so you’re still finding your connections and everything else. Aberdeen, similar. They put it in a different shape, low, but we controlled the game. John McGlynn’s a really courageous, brave manager, and that’s why he’s had the success he’s had. Again his team to play. And we knew we had to be good to get through, and thankfully we were.”

Q: It’s obviously such a big week for the club, so how pleasing is it that you can go and make six changes tonight and still dominate the game against Premiership opposition?

Brendan Rodgers: ” “Yeah, I value every player that we have. I trust them. So when I put them in, I expect them to perform, and they did that.”

Q: Is the tie staying now?

Brendan Rodgers: ” “It depends. If it’s really hot, I’ll probably take it off again. If it is cold, I might wear a jumper. Everyone missed the belt, I wasn’t wearing a belt the other day, so I don’t know how we missed that.”

Daizen Maeda celebrates scoring Celtic’s first goal with James Forrest and Kieran Tierney during the Premier Sports League Cup match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on August 15, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: Can I ask about Kieran Tierney and Daizen Maeda linking up for the first goal. How pleased are you with how their partnership is starting to get into a rhythm on that left side?

Brendan Rodgers: ” “Yeah, I think there’s still a lot of work for them to do. I think they became sometimes a little predictable on that side, where we were constantly crossing it. We want to cross it, of course, but we need to vary it, but that will come. But I thought Kieran was outstanding in the game. You can see him each game, his dominance, and it gives us that real security when we haven’t got the ball. But he’s going to get even better as his fitness develops. And obviously, it’s a different player for Daizen to connect with because Kieran will at times be wider. So that means he has to move inside, whereas Greg was very much on the inside, playing out to Daizen. But no, I thought that through the team, the connections were really good and it was good to see both of those boys playing well and getting that understanding.”

Continues on the next page…

Dane Murray celebrates scoring Celtic’s third goal during the Premier Sports League Cup match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on August 15, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: Regarding Dane Murray, he signs a contract and scores a great goal.

Brendan Rodgers: ” “Great header. I thought Arne’s deliveries all night were brilliant. He had maybe just one early on, or sorry, at the end of the half. But other than that, the precision, and credit to Gavin and Greg and the guys working on the set pieces, that’s exactly what they had planned. Get the delivery right, in the middle of the box, and Dane was there to score it. So it was very good. And great for him because he’s a great boy. He’s got a lot of potential, and I think over the next 12 to 18 months he’s going to really grow.”

🗣️ "I think over the next 12 to 18 months, he's going to really grow... his ceiling is so high." Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers predicts a bright future for defender Dane Murray who scored his first goal for the club on the same day as signing a new contract ⤵️
– vendredi 15 août 2025

Dane Murray scores Celtic’s third goal during the Premier Sports League Cup match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on August 15, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: He’s obviously somebody you really believe in?

Brendan Rodgers: ” “Yeah, I think his ceiling’s so high. There’s areas of the game that he needs to clearly, obviously work on. But he’s 6’4, he’s quick, he can take the ball. He has a comfort with the ball which aligns with top players and he just, again, concentration is something that’s key for defenders. But I really like him and that’s hence the reason we’ve tied him down. And I think he’s got a great future.”

Q: In terms of Arne, (Engels) his attitude and deliveries seemed spot on tonight.

Brendan Rodgers: “There’s obviously negativity around Arne and some of these guys, but for a manager, we’ve put a really good player in, we took a really good player out. And then I can change it and it’s great for the squad. So his attitude is great. He tired a little bit, so he had a little bit of looseness towards the last five, 10 minutes, but his quality from his set piece and his general work rate and intensity was great. So he’s a boy that gives everything. And there’s a lot on his shoulders as an expensive player. But we bought potential. The club has bought potential many times. And a lot of them aren’t here.

Dane Murray of Celtic celebrates scoring his team’s third goal with teammate Arne Engels during the Premier Sports League Cup match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on August 15, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

“This is a guy who has potential but it cost a little bit more. And you have to pay that little bit more because if you’re going to be sat away in Bayern Munich and watching the team play and he has that athleticism, then that’s what you need because it costs you money. But he’s nowhere near the finished article. We’ve just had to pay more for potential.

Cracking image of Arne Engels corner kick 📸
– vendredi 15 août 2025

“You can buy potential at a million quid and two million quid. And a lot of the time, it doesn’t work. Sometimes it does. I will tell you a lot of time it doesn’t. But him, we’ve had to pay a little bit more to get the athleticism, to get the physicality that this team needed. And now I’ve got great options in there. Guys that are physical but guys that are technical. So I don’t complain.”

Q: You could still add a couple of wildcards before the first leg next week. Is that a possibility?

Brendan Rodgers: ” “Hopefully. It would be great. We’ve obviously named a squad, but right up until just before the game, we can do that. So that would be really good if we can.”

Johnny Kenny of Celtic reacts during the Premier Sports League Cup match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on August 15, 2025 (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: A start for Johnny Kenny tonight as well Brendan, were you happy with his performance?

Brendan Rodgers: ” “Yeah, I think he worked very hard. He’s an honest boy who gives his all in the game and that’s what the team’s about. Didn’t have so many chances, a couple of good wee runs, didn’t quite drop to him in the box, but I thought he worked very hard and then created the chance then for Shin Yamada to come on.”