Brendan Rodgers on Celtic's shock 3-1 Leipzig win
05/11/2024
Celtic Park, Glasgow, Scotland
05/11/2024
Celtic Park, Glasgow, Scotland
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SportsTranscript
00:00Of all the many things to admire from tonight, what gives you greatest pleasure?
00:06I think just the overall performance. I think we started the game with a real good confidence in the game, 20 minutes.
00:15I think we then conceded the goal so we got rocked for a little bit and were a bit loose on our passing.
00:21But I think the maturity in the team to then recover that, score the first goal, continue to play
00:30I'm always, especially on the pressing side of the game, on the aggressive side of the game
00:35and I thought that we were absolutely outstanding in that.
00:39I felt tonight we had that combination of the Bratislava vibrancy and excitement in our attack
00:47and then the real tactical discipline in our defending.
00:51I think we pulled those two together to produce an outstanding team performance against a really, really good side
00:58who have only conceded five goals all season.
01:00So to first to have had three and have other opportunities to score was a tip of the hat to the players.
01:07Some moments of real high quality about the goals, wasn't there?
01:13Niklas Kuhn this season has just been outstanding, but again adding to his goal tally with
01:21firstly an outstanding finish and then putting the finishing touch to a tremendous team move tonight.
01:27Yeah, but the second goal really pleased me because you have to have that real courage to press against a team
01:35that have so much speed if they break that press.
01:40But we really stayed on it and things that we talked about a lot of the time, making the last step, get inside the press
01:47and we win the ball back high up the pitch.
01:50Rio produces a great piece of skill, plays it and then what we like to do is get crosses in the box
01:56and have those wingers coming in.
01:57So it was a really, really nice way to finish the half.
02:00And then from that there really, I thought we managed the game so well.
02:03Some of our football second half was outstanding.
02:06Playing through, controlling the game, managing the game really well.
02:11And yeah, it was thoroughly deserved.
02:14In a similar way to the Atalanta result and performance felt like a kind of landmark moment.
02:23Do you feel that this can also be that in terms of the marquee opponent that you've defeated as well?
02:30But just in general terms, the victory over a top opponent?
02:34Yeah, I think it gives a real nice confidence for the team.
02:38I think we've discovered in the last two games that we can be really competitive.
02:44If you'd have said after the Dortmund game that we'd have got four points from Atalanta and Red Bull Leipzig,
02:50then probably not too many people would have said we would have done that.
02:54But I think as I said, we've discovered that we can play at the level.
02:58And so it's a great next step.
03:01So to have seven points after four games, especially with the level of opponents that we've played,
03:07it gives us a great encouragement.
03:08And it means in the next four games we can have a real confidence to go and make the playoff stage.
03:16But it's still such a long way to go.
03:18Brendan, you talked about your home games being very important.
03:21Do you feel now with the two wins this season, the one at the end of the last campaign,
03:25that this place can become a fortress again or already is becoming a fortress again?
03:29Well, that's the plan. I think you feel the energy in the team tonight.
03:32I thought the supporters were great, how they stayed with the team.
03:34We started the game well and then you go behind.
03:37So you don't need the crowd to get too anxious and they trusted what they were saying with the players.
03:43But yeah, I think that combination of the team playing to the level that they had,
03:48the energy the supporters gave the team, that's what you want at this level.
03:52It's so important for you at this level and the combination was really good tonight.
03:58So we have to build step-by-step and make it a really difficult place to be.
04:04I'm sure Red Bull Leipzig, who are a top side, would say that was a really difficult game for them tonight.
04:10You talked about seven points out of 12 and looking at that play-off stage,
04:14is there ever a time when you start looking maybe ahead of that and think,
04:17if we can go on a run here in this momentum, you could maybe qualify in the top section of this league phase?
04:24No, no. Listen, we have to stay humble in our work.
04:29We can't get too far ahead of ourselves.
04:32We played so well tonight. We sit in a really good place.
04:37We now just focus on our next game against Kilmarnock and then obviously when Club Brugge comes,
04:44we'll look to keep adding to our points and see where it takes us at the end of January.
04:49Brendan, is this your most significant European result in your two spells as manager of Celtic?
04:54Yeah, I think in terms of the level of opponent, Robert, yeah.
04:57I would say it actually wasn't just the result but the performance.
05:02I think we played the game with a great charisma and confidence
05:06and how we want to play and show the courage in our pressing.
05:10And like I said earlier, they've only conceded five goals all season.
05:14So to play to that level then against that then, most definitely.
05:20We've had some really good results but that definitely would be the best one.
05:25Just with Nicolas, how much growth do you see him and his potential?
05:29He's taken his game to another level but could you see more steps in him?
05:33Yeah, well he's still young. So he still has more to go.
05:39I thought his pressing could have been better tonight.
05:41That was the thing I said to him.
05:42Obviously goal contribution efficiency but he's just learning and developing all the time.
05:49We've seen his talent. Bringing him to here was about making more goal contributions,
05:54being more robust and sustaining playing.
05:57But I thought he was really exciting tonight when he had the ball and obviously the two goals.
06:02It's great for him having worked at Red Bull Leipzig before as a young player to score then
06:07and make that contribution was nice for him.
06:11Brendan, you're just saying there that it's one of the best European performances under you.
06:15When the team play like that, what can they achieve?
06:18Not just this season but going forward as well?
06:22We just want to be a competitive team at this level.
06:26There's been obviously a lot of criticism around the club at this level
06:32but we want to be really competitive, make it really difficult for teams,
06:38both home and away and just step by step become that.
06:43We can't look any further than that.
06:47It's a great performance, it was a great night for the football club
06:50and we'll take that energy into our next games.
06:54Just a quick word on Reo Itate as well, getting the third goal, playing a big part in the second.
07:00He just seemed to be everywhere this evening in the midfield.
07:02I thought he was brilliant.
07:04I've got to say, he was so good in the game and it all comes from his work rate.
07:14He was aggressive, he was getting inside the pressure
07:18and I think with Reo, when he's pushing and pressing like that,
07:22then his football comes alive.
07:25He did that at the weekend against Aberdeen
07:27and it's just continuing with that, not slacking off in the work rate
07:31because that activates his game when he has the ball.
07:34Some of his passing, some of his body work against really good players,
07:37I thought he was exceptional tonight.
07:40Brendan, how big was the possibility of nights like that to you coming back here
07:45and you thought you could have nights like this here again?
07:48Yes, I think that was a big part of the reason to come back.
07:52Obviously, domestically, what went well for us the last time I was here
07:56but actually wanting to regain that level of respectability
08:03and enthusiasm and excitement for Europe was clearly that.
08:09Nights like that is really nice and we want many more of them going forward.
08:18Hi Brendan, that night in Dortmund was a sore one
08:23but how have the players reacted and improved in the way they have
08:27over recent games in this competition?
08:30I think they've been exceptional.
08:32I think when we spoke after the Dortmund game,
08:35it was probably the first time in seven months
08:38that we spoke around setbacks
08:40because this is a game where you're going to have setbacks
08:44and you're going to lose games
08:47and obviously for a team like ourselves, there's a big learning
08:50and there has to be a big learning within that.
08:52So, the players showed incredible humility
08:56and we didn't want to be bitter about it.
08:58We wanted to be better and if we were going to improve,
09:02we couldn't let that game define us.
09:04We talked about talking through where it went wrong
09:08and how we can be better
09:10and because it's such an honest group that are so humble in their work,
09:15we could then talk through that work on the field
09:18and then go into the Atalanta game with confidence.
09:21So, it's a great transformation in terms of mindset from that night
09:27and it really shows what this group is,
09:31how humble they are and how hard they work.
09:34So, yes, as I said after Dortmund,
09:38if you've got four points from these two games at that level of opponent,
09:42then we have to be really proud of that.
09:45But we'll go away, analyse the game
09:47and see where there are areas where we can be better
09:49and just keep building the maturity and experience at this level.
09:55All good. Thank you.
09:56Cheers.