“Kilmarnock always difficult to play against. They’re well-organised, well-motivated,” Brendan Rodgers

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The Celtic Star

·17 gennaio 2025

“Kilmarnock always difficult to play against. They’re well-organised, well-motivated,” Brendan Rodgers

The Celtic Star received an invitation last night to attend the media conferences at Lennoxtown today with goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and the Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers, ahead of tomorrow’s Scottish Cup fourth round tie against Kilmarnock at Celtic Park…

Brendan Rodgers arrives. Ross County v Celtic in Dingwall. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

We’ve already covered Kasper’s media conference, here’s everything that was said when Brenda Rodgers spoke to the media which today included The Celtic Star in amongst the hacks…

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Q: How’s the squad looking from Tuesday night?

Brendan Rodgers: “Yes, we’ve only got James Forrest missing, so everyone back and available, which is great.”

Q: When you look to this game, it’s the Scottish Cup. Sometimes in the fourth round, it’s something where you can change a few things, but given the opposition, do you just treat it as a regular game?

Brendan Rodgers: “Well, we would do that anyway, but of course, it’s a tough opponent that we’re playing, so we’re very mindful of that. And obviously, Derek and his team, they’ve had a good rest over this period as well. It’s the start of a competition that this club is synonymous with, and we’re very excited by that. We’ve got an extra little bit of recovery, having played on Tuesday night. So, yes, everyone fit and ready and available for a tough game.”

Brendan Rodgers with the Scottish Cup on 25 May 2024, after Celtic’s 1-0 win over theRangers in the final at Hampden Park. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

Q: It’s your trophy to defend. You said at the start of the season, as always, the aim is to win all the trophies here. Is this where your quest for the treble really starts, though, when this competition gets underway?

Brendan Rodgers: “No, we’re not defending it, we have to win it. And for that, we want to go in and attack the game and play to the level that we know we can. Like you say, we’ve won a trophy. We’ve got two more to aim for, and of course, it’s the next game. Our focus is very much on looking to get it off to a good start in the competition.”

Q: We were speaking to Kasper Schmeichel there, who says he watched the final last year and was taken aback by the scenes at the end and all that sort of stuff. Is that the sort of fuel that can light the fire for players when you see what reward can come at the end of this Scottish Cup journey?

Brendan Rodgers: “Yes, it’s an incredible occasion. It always comes on the back of a really long, arduous season with a lot of work, but that is a game, it’s a great climax to the season. Obviously, of course, if you win it, like we did last season, against a great rival, then it makes it extra special. The final, if you can get to it and win it, then it can be a great end to your season.”

Daizen Maeda of Celtic celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Dundee United at Celtic Park on January 08, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: In terms of Daizen Maeda coming back in, is that one that you may have to just nurse back in as he’s fully ready to hit the ground?

Brendan Rodgers: “Yes, he’s fully ready to go if we need him. I think for him, it probably felt more like a little circuit breaker for him, as opposed to a long injury. It was just something that hasn’t been out for so long. So, just watching him in training this week, he’s looked good. He’s ready and available to start if we need that.”

Q: How difficult is it to balance Kilmarnock with, of course, a huge game next week against Young Boys, as well as that one to keep an eye on?

Brendan Rodgers: “Well, I think the beauty of it is that we have the rest. I think that if you look at our games, like the last seven games we’ve played in 20 days. The players have done so, so well to manage their way through it. Of course, whenever you draw or lose a game at a big club like Celtic, it stings, there’s no doubt. But generally, over the seven games, having five wins, a draw and only one defeat in that period, whenever the games are so tight, you’re virtually playing just over every two days. The players have done really, really well.”

Yang celebrates. Dens Park, Dundee v Celtic. 14th January 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

“We now have a little point where we have that extra day recovery going into Kilmarnock, and then we don’t play until Wednesday. So, that allows us to virtually reset again and come out of what that really, really, really tight, busy, hard schedule was. From a physical perspective and a mental perspective, we’ll be ready. And if we have to go team on a Saturday, team on a Wednesday, it won’t be a problem for us.”

Q: When you look at it from the outside, you’re well-clear at the top of the league, you’re going well in Europe, you’re still well on track to achieve your objectives. But over the past few days, the players have had to deal with a wee bit of criticism. For the new guys who arrived at the club in the summer, is that a new thing, a difficult thing for them to adapt to?

Brendan Rodgers: “I don’t know because I haven’t seen it, but if you can tell me what the criticism was?”

Dundee’s third goal. Dens Park, Dundee v Celtic. 14th January 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

Q: Just on the performance on Tuesday night, the second half?

Brendan Rodgers: “OK, yes, we have to accept critics. But, like I say, if I look at the bigger picture of what the players are coming off, I think that it’s also respecting that there comes a point in a season where any team, no matter how good a season you’re having, or no matter how bad a season you’re having, you’ll hit a little bit of a wall. It’s natural, it doesn’t matter how good you’ve been playing or not, you’re going to hit a little wall. I felt that probably on Tuesday, on that seventh game in 20 days, was maybe that point. Listen, we have to accept the criticism, whether we like it or not. I think, like I said, when you draw a game or lose a game, it’ll sting. But for us, it’s all part of being at a big club. You have to accept it, whether you agree with it or not. We have to deal with that and then move on to our next game. And that’s what our idea is.”

Johnny Kenny doing his Celtic debut. Ross County v Celtic in Dingwall. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

Q: What are your hopes for Johnny Kenny in the second half of the season?

Brendan Rodgers: “Well, initially, for Johnny was to come back and for me to have a look at him over a few weeks. He’s come in, he’s done very well and then we assess it from there.”

Alex Valle. Dens Park, Dundee v Celtic. 14th January 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

Q: A lot of transfer talk around Alex Valle, perhaps changing the scenery for him? Where is he at the moment? What’s that situation at the moment with him in terms of yourselves and what that means for yourselves and the rest of the window?

Brendan Rodgers: “He’s still very much a player here. Lots of rumours around lots of players and lots of moving parts. But at this very moment, Alex is here and getting ready for the game tomorrow.”

Q: Will decisions on transfers come after the European games? Because obviously you can’t change your European squad. So, is there a case of any of that kind of stuff being put to bed until that point?

Brendan Rodgers: “I think there’s numbers of decisions on players here. Certainly, we’ve got work to do. Obviously, the window is open for a little bit longer than the end of January (it closes on 3rd February this year). So, that always gives us time. We’ve got our game against Aston Villa and it’s the final European game and then there’s a little bit of time after that. But at this very moment in time, as I said, there’s a lot of shifting pieces and we’ll just manage that. At this moment in time, Alex, he’s very concentrated. He’s absolutely loved his time here and he’s been here and he’s been a fantastic young player for us. So, I’m really, really happy with that. We’ll see what evolves over the course of the rest of the window.”

Alex Valle of Celtic battles for the ball with Nedim Bajrami of Rangers during the Scottish Premiership match at Ibrox. Rangers v Celtic, 02 January 2025 O’Rourke Shutterstock

Q: Brendan, if a player like Alex was to leave, any player really, would they have to be replaced straight away, you wouldn’t want to go into the second half of the season with a player light?

Brendan Rodgers: “No, there’s absolutely no way that would happen. Obviously, with Alex coming in here on loan, I make a commitment to a young player to come in and play. He’s loved his time here. He enjoys it here. He enjoys the football. He’s become a Champions League player coming to Celtic and he’s in no rush to leave. However, if something was to change on that front, where he may not be getting the game time, then I have to be open and honest with him to let him understand this. But he knows absolutely the picture here. And like I said, my honesty and commitment will be with him, first and foremost, in terms of what the situation is.”

Derek McInnes and Brendan Rodgers at Celtic Park on 7 August 2024. Celtic v Kilmarnock, Scottish Premiership. Photo Getty Images.

Q: Obviously, you’ve had a lot of cup battles with Derek McInnes, both your times here as well. But when you enjoy it, when you go head-to-head against his teams, are you aware of everything that they do?

Brendan Rodgers: “Yes, absolutely. Always a really good manager, Derek, who’s got a lot of experience and especially up here, knows what it takes to win games. So, yes, teams are always difficult to play against. They’re well-organised, well-motivated. We work very hard. It was a really tough game against them last time out, where they played very well. We had them stand up and be strong and defend well, but then showed the moments of quality needed to win the game. It’s a totally different game coming back to our place. Obviously, we played earlier on the season as well at home and played well and had a good scoreline, but it’s a cup game. So, we have to be ready to play against them. They’re a good side and they’ll be doing everything they can to get the result.”

Celtic v Kilmarnock Brendan Rodgers and Derek McInnes shake hands after the cinch Premiership match at Celtic park, on Saturday February 17, 2024. Photo Andrew Milligan

The Celtic Star: Brendan do you think they’re going to sit deep or do you think they’ll take some encouragement from Dundee and come out after the team a bit more?

Brendan Rodgers: “It just depends. I think that probably the second half at Dundee, they gave a little bit more pressure. If I’m looking at the game and being critical of us, we needed to play with a little bit more poise in our game and play through that, which we’ve done hundreds and hundreds of times, but we didn’t do that. I think there’s always going to be moments of pressure. You have to feel in the game. So, whether that’s at the beginning of the game, where a team will feel they can go for you and push, or whether they sit off or maybe behind in the game, and then they feel they want to give everything to it. So, I think whenever it comes, it’ll come at some point.It’s whether it’s at the beginning, middle or at the end of the game. But we have to be ready for that to manage our way through that.”

Celtic Park ahead of the match between Celtic and Motherwell on 26th December 2024. Picture by Mark Runnacles Shutterstock

The Celtic Star: Do you think having the three games at home is something that Celtic can build some momentum on?

Brendan Rodgers: “Yes, I think it’s great. I think that, as I said earlier, we were on a really busy schedule there and I think the players in the main have come out of it really, really well. I’ve said many times, we love being at home and we’ve got three really exciting games now and the various competitions just to keep moving forward. And that starts with the Scottish Cup game tomorrow. So, we’re all excited by it and getting into the next round and then we can prepare and get ready for a really big night on Wednesday.”

Q: Would you say, Brendan, you’re still on track to add a few faces on this window?

Brendan Rodgers: ‘Yes, I would hope so, yes. There’s been lots of work going on for a number of months, but as you can imagine, it’s never as simple when you actually then get to the point of getting the player that you want, because there’s various reasons why his club would want to maybe keep them. But I’m fairly confident by the end, we can add that extra freshness and competition to the squad.”

Q: In a general sense, are these extra Champions League games maybe creating a bit of delay in business taking place across Europe as well, with the teams that are still in Europe?

Brendan Rodgers: “Yes, I think it does. I think with the extra added games, and obviously remembering as well, if you sign players that can’t play in the Champions League, so you’re then working with the players that you have currently within your squad. And thankfully for us, touch wood, we don’t have the injuries that maybe if another team has lots of injuries, then even more so why they would want to keep players back. So, you just have to be patient. You’d always want to have a player in the very first day, but if it can’t be the case, then somewhere along the January period, we would hope to get them in then.”

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