“He has helped me think about football in a different way,” Calmac on Brendan Rodgers

The Celtic Star

·26 de janeiro de 2025

“He has helped me think about football in a different way,” Calmac on Brendan Rodgers

Callum McGregor says that Brendan Rodgers has helped him to think about football in a different way…

Callum McGregor celebrates with his Celtic teammates after winning during the UEFA Champions League match between Celtic FC and BSC Young Boys at Celtic Park on January 22, 2025 Photo JustPictures.ch/Richard Callis. IMAGO

The Bhoys’ captain has been instrumental in the way that Rodgers asks his team’s to play and over both spells for the Irishman, has been immense. Both men are enjoying the fruits of their labour recently after racing ahead in the domestic scene and qualifying for the knockout rounds of the Champions League for the first time in 12-years.

Vídeos OneFootball

McGregor is a masterful technician

McGregor stepped up and took over the captaincy when Scott Brown retired, but before that in his initial tenure as boss, the Scottish midfielder showed all the signs he was a class operator and could mix it with it worlds best.

The academy graduate was and is a masterful technician in the centre of the park for he team; able to utilise time and space to devastating effect and also use that cultured left peg wherever it is required to wreak havoc on the opposition.

Callum McGregor applauds the support after the 2-1 win over Kilmarnock in the Scottish Cup on 18 January 2025 at Celtic Park. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

However, the skipper credits the returning Rodgers with educating him properly about the game of football and has admitted it changed his career. “He makes you feel like a million dollars when you walk on to the pitch,” he said via Sunday Times.

“He has helped me think about football in a different way”

“He has helped me think about football in a different way. You start to understand the game, how it’s pieced together and how it should look with the ball, without the ball. When you see football like that it becomes so simple and you think: How did I not know this before? [Europe] is something we spoke about. It’s nice when you get nights like Wednesday [beating Young Boys]where you kind of cross a little finish line and reach an objective.

“He has more experience, he knows his way around the building. So you probably get a bit more relaxed version of him this time around, but he’s still so demanding on the players. One thing he does is simplify the game.

“He makes it really, really simple for players. Everyone’s in the right position and then it frees players up to make good decisions and bring their own personality to the game. When he came back I was excited for the young lads because I was one of them first time he was here and he opened my eyes.”

Callum McGregor and Brendan Rodgers with the Premier Sports Cup after Celtic’s victory over theRangers on 15 December 2024 at Hampden Park. Photo Kenny Ramsay

An excellent student of the game, Callum reckons that it is made easier with managers like Rodgers and he revealed that all the players were given momentos from a presentation he gave when he returned.

It outlined what was expected of the team and what he wanted from each player in each position individually, and collectively.

“When he came back, he did a big presentation and then gave us a physical copy of that,” McGregor said. “It’s nice to have that reminder you can look at and reference exactly where he wants the team to be at certain points. It’s another example of the way he teaches football.”

Paul Gillespie

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