Celtic v BSC Young Boys – Brendan Rodgers looking for the Perfect Story

The Celtic Star

·21 de janeiro de 2025

Celtic v BSC Young Boys – Brendan Rodgers looking for the Perfect Story

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers and his captain Callum McGregor both spoke to the media this afternoon at Celtic Park ahead of tomorrow night’s huge match in the Champions League against BSC Young Boys…

Celtic v RB Leipzig – UEFA Champions League – League Stage – Celtic Park (back to front, left to right) Celtic’s Nicolas Kuhn, Auston Trusty, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Arne Engels, Alistair Johnston, goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, Daizen Maeda, Greg Taylor, Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate and Kyogo Furuhashi before the UEFA Champions League, league stage match at Celtic Park, on Tuesday November 5, 2024. Photo Andrew Milligan

The Champions of Switzerland come to Paradise on the back of six defeats in the Champions League and have had three managers this season. None of that make them a soft touch for Celtic, indeed the opposite could be true as a proud team tries to salvage some pride from a desperately disappointing campaign.

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Celtic though have our own ambitions and a victory will secure a place in the knockout stages and will also give us a chance to make the seeded eight sides in the play-offs if we can get something from the game at Villa Park. Brendan Rodgers said he’s looking for the perfect story tomorrow night and all going well, that’s exactly what’s going to happen.

It’s the biggest European match in over a decade at Celtic Park. Last week Chris Sutton called it ‘Celtic’s World Cup Final’ and you will get what he means. Let’s look at what Brendan Rodgers has been saying today before doing exactly the same for Callum McGregor’s media conference….

Celtic v Club Brugge – UEFA Champions League Nicolas Kuhn shoots during the match at Celtic Park, on Wednesday 27 November, 2024. Photo Andrew Milligan

Q: What are you feeling about this game tomorrow? Is it a game you have to win?

Brendan Rodgers: “Well we want to win it, that’s for sure. It’s a game we’re really excited about. The Champions League story so far has been in the main really good for us oand especially at home, so we’re excited about the challenge of it.”

Q: Callum (McGregor) spoke quite a lot about how he expects Young Boys to approach this game a bit differently from other teams you’ve played so far in the campaign. How do you see that?

Brendan Rodgers: “Well I think it’s a team that obviously, you have to respect every team at this level, I know there’s lots of noise around them and where they are at., But they’re a team that won the Swiss League last season, and obviously it hasn’t gone so well for them this season.

Brendan Rodgers, Manager of Celtic greets Nicky Hayen, Head Coach of Club Brugge KV, ahead of the UEFA Champions League match between Celtic FC and Club Brugge KV at Celtic Park on November 27, 2024. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

“They’re on the third manager now. The games that we’ve watched, they are what you’d expect a team of this level to have – athletic ability and quality. But really the focus has to be very much on ourselves, so we will respect the opponent, but for us, we want to really press and continually attack the game for 90 plus minutes. And if we can do that, and get that special feeling that comes with that type of performance in this arena, then it can be a great night for us. We always have to respect how every team is set up and the qualities that they have, and that’s why they’re in the competition.”

Q: Given what’s at stake tomorrow night, do you expect maybe a wee bit of nervousness, perhaps not from the players, but from the supporters?

Brendan Rodgers: “Well that’s up to us. We’ve played here and some really good games this season, and the supporters have been absolutely fantastic. I think what is important is that, the classic example is the Brugge game, probably the feeling can be that you’re playing Red Bull Leipzig, so you may be feeling a little bit of the underdog, so there’s that push to get you over the line. We can’t not think it’s any different just because we’re playing Young Boys. We saw with Brugge that they have a very, very good side, more experience in the Champions League than ourselves in recent history, and had some very good players. So I think it’s about creating the environment and the ambience to really push the players, but like I say, it’s up to us in the game to really go and play with that speed and quality that we’ve shown at this level, especially at home.”

Nicolas Kuhn of Celtic celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD4 match between Celtic FC and RB Leipzig at Celtic Park on November 05, 2024. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: You mentioned the RB Leipzig game there, probably one of the high points in recent years for Celtic, but then in the last two European matches you haven’t quite managed to create as many chances, would that be fair to say?

Brendan Rodgers: “Yeah, it’s the Champions League. What happened vs Brugge was, as I said, a really good reaction in the second half, we were second best in the first half, but the players dug deep and came back and could have easily won the game in the second half. It was a game where we didn’t quite find our level, it wasn’t a great game to be honest, but you can’t dismiss a point at this level. You’re not going to just turn up at this level and steamroll over every team you play, it is just not possible, but we’re really focused and ready to perform in this game.”

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers talks with Callum McGregor of Celtic during the UEFA Champions League match between Celtic FC and RB Leipzig at Celtic Park on November 05, 2024 (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: Brendan, having worked your way through this new Champions League format, how does it feel to now know what a win can do for you in terms of progression?

Brendan Rodgers: “Well, it’s a great position for us to be in, I think that when we started this journey we wanted to show that we can compete at this level and go on and make the next steps and get into the playoff stage. So, we’ve been able to get ourselves into a really good position with nine points and our home form at the level has been really good and we have the opportunity now to take a big step to get to the playoff.

Auston Trusty celebrates at full time during the UEFA Champions League match between Celtic FC and RB Leipzig at Celtic Park on November 05, 2024 (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: How much do you lean into that stuff? Do you use it to inspire the players and how much does that sometimes cloud just focusing on the job at hand? The incentive, the chance to go through it, everything that goes along with it. Do you lean into that with the players?

Brendan Rodgers: “I think the players are aware of it, I think they’re not blind to it, they understand the magnitude of the game, but they also understand that it’s about performance, I think that’s key. I think the key in games like this here is that you play the game and not the occasion, the occasion is absolutely massive for us, but we can only get to where we want to get to by playing to the levels that we play to, especially at home. So, that’s through our focus on the performance and that’s what we’ve talked about over the last few days.”

Nicolas Kuhn of Celtic celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD4 match between Celtic FC and RB Leipzig at Celtic Park on November 05, 2024. Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

Q: We spoke to Alistair Johnston after the weekend’s game and he said it’s a bit like a cup final when you go through and that’s what you’ve been wanting to do for so long here at this club? Is that what you want it to feel like out there in the stands, you want it to feel like a final?

Brendan Rodgers: “Yeah, well I think it’s what makes Celtic Park so special. Many teams will tell you about the stadiums and that special atmosphere, but this really is a stadium that is iconic with the atmosphere. It’s hard to analyse that and look at that, but it’s just how it feels. I think that a night game here in the Champions League gives us a real connection with the past and the great story that this club has with this competition. Many years ago, that’s what the culture and the history of this club has been set on. The club that won the European Cup at that time, playing the most amazing football through that sequence of games. That’s what creates your culture and your history and that’s what we live to replicate each and every season we play. I think our feeling going into this game is to have that synergy because it’s so important. As I said, the founding values of this club have been about connection, people together. So we get that into our night and as we’ve seen already this season it’s the most amazing place to be in and what we want to have tomorrow.”

UEFA Champions League match between Celtic FC and SK Slovan Bratislava at Celtic Park on September 18, 2024. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: You talk about the culture and the history of this club and this competition. What would it mean to you to lead Celtic into the knockout stages?

Brendan Rodgers: “It would clearly be very special and it’s something that I haven’t done. I mentioned when I came back that we would like to make genuine progress at this level. I never promised anything, I just promised we would do our very best to see if we could progress because it’s been such a long time. There have been some good performances without results. The managers before me have done great jobs here and obviously what we wanted to do was to be able to make that next step and I feel we’re in a good position to do that.

UEFA Champions League match between Celtic FC and SK Slovan Bratislava at Celtic Park on September 18, 2024. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: Just a quick one on the squad. Everyone okay for tomorrow?

Brendan Rodgers: “We’re all good apart from James Forrest. Everyone else is fit and ready.”

Q: The word maturity has been used quite a lot. Even in the last couple of games you couldn’t win them, but you made sure you didn’t lose them. Have you seen this team growing up in front of your very eyes?

Brendan Rodgers: “I’m proud that they’re definitely evolving and that’s what you want to be able to see. We’ve seen that after the Dortmund game because that was a challenging night for us all but how do we respond to that and how can we recover from that? I think you’ve seen that maturity and honesty in the team so I think it’s something that the players feel and we’ve seen that ultimately in the performance level. We’re definitely improving and developing at the very highest level of the European game and if we’re going to sustain it over a number of years, this has been a really good start for us.”

Q: What about the Champions League story so far? Can you envisage it being in the perfect final chapter?

Brendan Rodgers: “If we can win tomorrow night it puts us in a fantastic position. For me it’s for the supporters to dream but to see the team on the pitch play the football that we like to play and that we’ve seen in other games here. When we’re fast and dynamic and attacking and pressing and everything about our game is about the press, to get the ball, to score goals and create goals. When we do that then that’s where we’re going to be a good side and then we’ll see what can take us there.”

Adam Idah celebrates. UEFA Champions League match between Celtic FC and SK Slovan Bratislava at Celtic Park on September 18, 2024. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: That maturity, how does a coach work on that? How do you develop that?

Brendan Rodgers: “I think it’s just patience and I think it’s time and it’s support. It’s how you react to certain situations as well. Every situation for you really is a learning. It’s very easy after Dortmund, to go absolutely mad. It’s not the case, especially when you’re working with a group that are giving you everything every single day. I just think maturity comes from the experiences of course. It comes from recognising in the game. You mentioned understanding the game where if you cannot win it, do everything you can to not lose it. That doesn’t mean we stop attacking, it just means be cuter in the game. That’s from experience and that’s from analysis, it’s from showing, it’s from coaching, it’s from speaking. Ultimately it’s finding and feeling the feeling after the experience. For example you go away to Atalanta, that proves that you can actually defend at the highest level of this competition against a team that score goals at the very highest level. When you produce that maturity and that type of performance, that makes you feel good, so you know you can do it. I think it’s mostly experience and time and support. Hopefully we’ll gain that maturity.”

Brendan Rodgers acknowledges the fans prior to the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 match between Celtic and SK Slovan Bratislava at Celtic Park on September 18, 2024. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: If the team can get through and progress to the next stage, what would that say about them?

Brendan Rodgers: “It would say that they’ve matured. It would say that they show, because your actions always will represent your development and I think this team have. From my own view of seeing them since I’ve come here, seeing that development and consistency they’ve shown, it would be a great sign that you can actually do it. Once you make those steps then that will give you confidence going forward. I’m just looking forward to seeing us perform. Everyone will look at the expectation that’s on us, but we expect ourselves to go and perform. We’ve had three games here at this stadium, the atmosphere has been incredible and we want to bring that again and finish off this run of games in the group stages with a win.”

Q: About a month ago you said the team were entering an ultra-marathon period of fixtures, we’re kind of at the tail end of that at the moment. The boys’ preparation to this is quite night and day by contrast. If you could have had things your own way and decided, would you have chosen to lead up to the game we’ve had or would you have taken a break with maybe one game in advance beforehand?

Brendan Rodgers: “I think a recovery would have been nice at some stage, but people don’t want to hear you tired, It’s natural that fatigue will be there for players. If you look throughout the British game, it’s there, you see it in injuries, you see it in everything. But we’re ready. We played Saturday here, we played a really good game. We should have been more clinical and should have scored more goals, but we got through and played well. We’ve had enough good time to recover now and now we’re ready to go. There’s never an ideal preparation, but all you can say is that you’re ready and we are.”

The Celtic support during UEFA Champions League 2024/25 match between Celtic and SK Slovan Bratislava at Celtic Park on September 18, 2024. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: Over this period you’ve had to come up to solutions to a lot of problems. Kyogo, over the last couple of weeks when he was playing out wide, has reminded a lot of fans that he’s got a lot more strings to his bow. Is that rediscovery of him something that could be a big part in this game?

Brendan Rodgers: “It may be if I decide to play him. I think what he’s shown is that he has the flexibility to do that. The other thing I would say with Kyogo, in terms of how my team have always played, he’s the absolute ideal prototype of player that plays for me. Firstly his pressing is incredible. The speed at which he presses, the constant work rate is there. Clearly with the ball, his movement, his touch, his awareness. All those things that he brings to the game is absolutely perfect to play in a team of mine. Like you said, he’s shown that off in a wider position he can do that. I believe he came in here as a wide player, so he can clearly play in that position. I think the flexibility is good, but we had to do that whenever we had players behind you. If we need it again, there’s a possibility to do it. But his best position is as a central striker.”

Kyogo acknowledges the fans after the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 match between Celtic and SK Slovan Bratislava at Celtic Park on September 18, 2024. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: Obviously people speak about the atmosphere when they come here. How good has it been for you to see the team respected again at this level?

Brendan Rodgers: “It’s very important. That’s what you value. You know your resources aren’t near to some teams at this level, but you still have the ability to compete and play a level of football that makes your club proud. In the Leipzig game, I couldn’t have been more happier with the team’s performance. The way we started the game, how we responded to going behind, how we played, how we pressed and everything. The pressure was there. The creativity, the chances, the goals, everything. That there goes around. We want this place to be a difficult place to come to. It was for a number of years. It’s been a challenging decade for this club because of resources and everything else, but I think we’re starting to see that we can compete and play a level of football that’s synonymous with this club and if we can continue to do that that would make us really proud.”

Watch the Brendan Rodgers Media Conference ahead of Celtic’s match in the UEFA Champions League with BSC Young Boys on Wednesday 22 January, 2025 at Celtic Park. Kick-off is 8pm Celtic Park Time and the game is live on TNT Sports 3 across Europe.