Q: Is there a real sense, Brendan, in the players just to get the title done as quick as possible, as emphatically as possible?
Brendan Rodgers: “Yeah, I think I’ve always wanted to sprint over the line in any of the competitions that we’ve been in. So we sit in a great position, 16 points clear with the goal difference, you can say, as an extra point. But we’re in a really, really good place. And the players are so deserving of it. But we still have a lot of work to do. We want to get into the semi-final, a tough game next week. But we’ll be ready for that. And then we want to finish the job in the league as quick as we can.”
🍀 Celtic are now just three wins away from retaining their Scottish Premiership title after a thumping 5-2 win over St Mirren ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/IIOEsRSU0A
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) March 1, 2025
Luke McCowan and Yang celebrate. St Mirren v Celtic, Scottish Premiership, Saturday 1st March 2025. Photo: Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)
Q: You’ll be glad to have no game in midweek, give the boys a couple of days rest?
Brendan Rodgers:“Yeah, they totally deserve it. They’ve been absolutely outstanding. Professionalism, mentality, dealing with pressure, quality, resilience, grit, everything you want. That’s what’s in this group. And a number more so to come here and score five goals. So they deserve a wee breather. And then we’ll get back in and prepare for the quarter-final.”
🟠 Motherwell secured back-to-back wins for the first time since December with a 2-1 win over Rangers at Ibrox ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/cICHgf7NuM
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) March 1, 2025
Q: You knew the Rangers result before you took to the field – did that feature at all in your team talk?
Brendan Rodgers: “No. No, it actually didn’t. Because I think when you start to concentrate on other teams, then that’s your measure. My measure here at Celtic is beyond that. I want us to be the best that we can be. I said to the players that there’s a price to pay when you’re a Celtic player. There’s great moments, but the price to pay is that this will be a team, St Mirren, who will come and give everything to you. So you’ve got to stand up to it. So that was the team talk. And the players did that so, so well.”
Callum McGregor has a word with Luke McCowan. St Mirren v Celtic, Scottish Premiership, Saturday 1st March 2025. Photo: Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)
Q: Is Callum McGregor okay?
Brendan Rodgers: “Yeah. He just felt a little bit of tiredness in his calf. So I didn’t want to take any risk with him. And Luke coming in was fantastic. Arne Engels just dropped back in.”
Conor Spence
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The way this season seems to be playing out, is a greater factor developing for managers to contend with.
That factor looks like the dependency factor against the rotational factor regarding players imo?
The greater need of getting 2 players in position for each position, is starting to become a bigger factor within todays game.
A massive factor on show yesterday, with kuhn and yang.
A huge dependency upon kuhn in the position earlier in the season, with yang not really considered as the suitable replacement.
Not so much the case, within a number of games recently, and very much needed also.
Just one example on show yesterday, but also a few more to be considered also, throughout the squad?
Is this potentially starting to develop into a massive factor within today’s game with the overloaded footballing calendar?
Starting to think so myself?