Rodgers and Paulo Bernardo on Celtic's trip to Villa and sealing UCL playoff spot
28/01/2025
uefa24
28/01/2025
uefa24
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Hi folks, good evening. Sorry we're a touch late. Just in terms of format, Brendan will
00:12do the conference first, followed by Paolo Bernardo.
00:14I'll kick off with questions. Ronnie Charters, would you like to go?
00:19Cameron Carter-Vickers is out for the game, so he'll be OK for the weekend, we're pretty
00:32sure. But he just felt something in the last game, so no need to risk him. James is still
00:40out, but apart from that we're OK.
00:44Talk to us about the emotions and excitement ahead of this one.
00:48It's a brilliant game. For us, it's a great achievement to be in the top 24, if you look
00:57at the economics of it all and at this level. But for the players, they've been fantastic,
01:06they've stayed with the idea, they've worked very, very hard. What we set out to do, which
01:12was to arrive in the play-offs, the players have done that, so it's great. But our job's
01:18not complete in this series of eight games. We come here to a great venue, against a fantastic
01:26team, but we want to come and play to the level that we know we can do. So we're really
01:32looking forward to it.
01:33What sort of challenges are you expecting tomorrow night against the MSC?
01:40Firstly, I think Unai's done a brilliant job here. I've never obviously spoken about
01:47that, but it's first pen-testament to the job he's done since he's come in in 2022.
01:53His body of work over many years has been top class, but you can see here that he feels
02:01wanted, he feels appreciated, and you see what he's doing with the players in the league
02:08and what they've done in the Champions League this season. So we know that we're playing
02:12against his team, which is a very, very good side, very strong in counter-attack, defend
02:18very, very well, got some brilliant players. But it's a challenge that we're looking forward to.
02:26Kiyogo's now away from the club, obviously. How does that impact on things for you from
02:31now going forward?
02:32Well, clearly, again, he's been a real iconic player for the club. He's done absolutely
02:41brilliant in his time. So, yeah, it's about getting a replacement. I think I made that
02:49clear. He's a player that has done a great job. He wanted to leave. We have to move on
02:55from that and now we have to look to the next player to come in.
02:58Are you confident that that will happen?
03:01Yeah. Well, there's a lot of work going on behind the scenes. Like I said, we've known
03:06for a number of months of what it was going to look like. Clearly, we wouldn't have wanted
03:13to have sold him, certainly not at this point. But he made it clear he wanted to move and
03:20when that's the case, then we have to find the best solution for the club then. And the
03:26club will work very hard and we'll look to get an able replacement.
03:31Brendan, with Maida out as well, he's been such a key player for you. Kiyogo obviously
03:37away. How confident are you that you've got the squad there to cope with those two leg
03:41losses? Obviously, Cardiff are missing as well. You've got three key players missing.
03:45Yeah, I'm confident. Listen, of course, those, like you say, Dejan and Kiyogo have been a
03:50big reference to how this team has played, with the speed and the attack that we've had
03:53and what we've demonstrated a lot through the season. So, of course, missing those two.
04:01Obviously, players that make the difference. But we've got other players that can come
04:05in and it's an opportunity for them to come in and show that they can perform at this
04:09level. And that's what it's about as a Celtic player. You want to come and play in these
04:14great arenas against fantastic teams and for us, the players will get the opportunity to
04:20do that. And between now and the end of the market, we hope that we can reinforce the
04:27squad and keep the squad improving.
04:29Can you confirm news that Alex Fahey is on his way out of the club? Is he away?
04:35Yes. Alex won't play again, sadly. He's in Barcelona at the moment and he will probably
04:47then move on to another team. So, yes, again, another young player that's contributed really
04:53well for us, played nearly 20 appearances for us, played in some very important games,
05:00makes his Champions League debut, and especially in Atalanta, he was fantastic.
05:08Played in really important games. So, we're disappointed that he's left, but we have to
05:14move on.
05:15Does that potentially speed up the move for Kierkegaard if that was to happen in January?
05:22Ideally, it would, but he's still, at this moment, still an Arsenal player. So, I think
05:28everyone, I think we're agreed that that will definitely take place in the summer. If we
05:33can do it beforehand, then great.
05:37And Uri Telemans is a player you knew pretty well. Are you looking forward to coming up
05:41against him again?
05:42Yes, he was absolutely brilliant for me. Uri was a young player that we spent a lot of
05:49money on, bringing him to Leicester. I'm so pleased to see how he's done here. You have
06:00certain players in your squads. He'd be very much like Callum for me, where he was a coach
06:05on the pitch for me. His view of the game was absolutely first-class, and even as a
06:11really, really young player. Just a real top player in his mentality, his attitude, and
06:19then we were lucky to share a really special moment of winning the FA Cup for Leicester
06:22for the first time when he scored a brilliant goal. So, I'm so pleased to see him here now
06:29and seeing his influence, because obviously when he first came in, there's other good
06:32players, and he's obviously trying to work his way into a new club. But when I see him
06:37now play, he's very much a leader on the pitch for Aston Villa, just how he plays the game,
06:44how he organises the players around him. A really, really good guy who's a top professional.
06:51Brendan, tomorrow night's going to be new for everyone with this new format. How do
06:55you approach the game? Is it the kind of game, given that you've already qualified, that
07:00you go all out for three points at any cost to try and climb the table and perhaps give
07:04yourself a more favourable draw, or will it be a more measured away performance, like
07:08we've seen from you this season? Because a point could go a long way as well.
07:13Yes, and listen, it's like what we've done in a lot of our games. We set out to win the
07:19game. There'll be moments when we have to adapt in the game, of course, to their qualities
07:26and how we defend. But certainly then when we have the ball, we want to be able to play
07:32well and we want to... Because the better we are on attack, then the less you have to
07:37defend in the game. So for us, it's always about the balance in our game. We set out
07:43to want to go and win the game and we'll look to attack the game. As I said, our job is
07:50done in terms of getting into the 24, but it's certainly not complete. This is the last
07:57of the group stage games and we come here. It's a beautiful pitch, it's a great arena,
08:01so we want to come and play to the best level that we can.
08:04Do you think you'll be looking elsewhere tomorrow night?
08:06No.
08:07Just focus on the game and then see what you've got full-time?
08:11Well, to be honest, it will be very, very, very difficult to do anything other than
08:16concentrate on the game. I won't have a telly in my pocket or anything. So I think if you're
08:22at home watching all those games and scores, I think it'll be great for you and all the
08:27teams playing at the same time and all the various permutations. But us as football managers
08:32and coaches will be focused on the game.
08:35Just to go back to what you were saying about Tierney, that's the first time you've
08:38actually said that you will be coming back. That's a huge thing for Celtic, for the fans
08:42yourself. Can you talk to us a little bit about that, about getting that over the line
08:45for the summer? Do you think there is a chance it can happen this month?
08:51I don't know. Like I said, we prepared that for the summer. I don't want to speak too
08:58much on it, with the greatest respect, because he's not a Celtic player here now with us.
09:04But if we were able to do it, of course, we would like to do that. But that's out of our
09:12control at this moment in time.
09:15Brendan, we sometimes get the feeling that Scottish football is looked down on a wee
09:18bit or questioned in England. Is a game like tomorrow night a chance to prove the quality
09:24that your own team has on the game in general and the SPFL?
09:29Listen, I think that the Premier League is the most competitive league in the world.
09:34It's where lots of top players are, lots of top managers are. But it's not the only league
09:40in the world. I think that there were options for me to stay in the Premier League. My choice
09:47was to go to Scotland, to Celtic. And I'm so happy that I did. OK, the competition might
09:57not be the same as what it is in the Premier League, but there's not many teams in the
10:02Premier League that rival the pressure that comes with managing a Celtic, or Rangers for
10:09that matter. But there's always an opportunity, whether you're playing in England or playing
10:15in Italy or France, wherever you're playing, there's always the opportunity for you to
10:21show your qualities as a team and as a club.
10:23Greg?
10:24Brendan, you've just spoken about Uri Telemans, obviously, but there's John McGinn as well.
10:28I asked him if I'll ask somebody you know very well what you make of his progress, the
10:32way he's been in the past few years, since obviously Celtic were connected with him.
10:36Yeah, I was very keen in taking John to Celtic. But listen, the move has worked out brilliant
10:44for him. He obviously joined Steve at the time and they were in the Championship, but
10:49he was coming to a massive club, a great club. And they then got themselves out of the Championship
10:55and he's really thrived in the environment here. I'm so pleased for him, because like
11:02I said, the Celtic move was nearly there. But he's come down to England and he's been
11:08absolutely brilliant for Aston Villa. I see he's just back fit, so he may play a part
11:14in the game tomorrow, but he's been a real instrumental player from what I see on the
11:21pitch and obviously off the pitch he's got some strong character and I'm sure he's really
11:26influenced the club.
11:27Brendan, you mentioned a little bit about the job that Unai has done here. What's it
11:31been like taking him on as a manager? What's the kind of challenges of taking on one of
11:35his teams? He was very complimentary about yourself and Celtic earlier. What's the challenges?
11:40Yes, the PSG challenge was difficult. And then obviously we faced it when he was at
11:51Arsenal and obviously when he was here at Aston Villa. Now, listen, his teams are super
11:58organised. Again, I can't praise him enough, because he's a top-class manager. He's managed
12:07over 1,000 games already in his career. He came to England to Arsenal and it was a difficult
12:17moment for him. People maybe question him, but you only need to look at his body of work
12:23to see he was a top-class coach. And then, like I say, I had the courage and the bravery
12:30then to come back to England when people tried to mock him and make fun of him and his record
12:35and his work, which I found incredible at the time. But it's been brilliant to see him
12:40come to here. And like I said, clearly he will feel wanted, he feels appreciated in
12:46his work. You see the work he's done on the pitch with the players, you sense the club
12:51is then built around the various guys in the various positions here at the club and
12:55Monchi and really, really top operators in the game. And the club has really grown in
13:02his time here. The teams themselves, they're super organised, tactical, always in good
13:10discipline, will press the game at the right moments, will sit off on a block. And then
13:16what they have is really good players in counter-attack that can get through the lines very quickly.
13:21So to see him evolve here and see the growth and what he's given Aston Villa has been so,
13:27so impressive. So, yes, I look forward to seeing him. I obviously met him in the PSG
13:33days and obviously with Arsenal towards the end of his time there and then obviously here
13:38at Aston Villa. So, yes, a good guy who's done some great work at all the clubs he's been at.
13:45Brendan, just on the topic of other managers, I was keen to get your thoughts. I know you
13:49won't like talking about other managers losing their jobs, no manager will want to, but we saw
13:53Stuart Kettlewell resign from Motherwell yesterday and he cited abuse towards him
13:57and his family. I just wanted to hear your thoughts on that as a fellow manager.
14:01Yes, it's never nice. I'd obviously seen that news in the afternoon and Stuart's a strong
14:07character. So it must have been a lot for him to resign from his post. Again, a young guy who's
14:13gone into Motherwell and done a very, very good job. So it's sad. It's bad enough when you lose
14:20your job in football, but to have to do it for those reasons. I think for him the priority is
14:27what it should be. It's family and football. Your family comes first and it's obviously
14:34disappointing that it's got to a stage where he felt that he didn't want to continue in his work
14:39because he's he's done some great work at Motherwell.
14:43Any more questions, Tom? One more. Sorry, two more. Craig, sorry, on you go.
14:48And then last one here, please. Thanks.
14:49Just very quickly, Brendan, there was a story today linking Celtic with a bid for a Norwegian
14:55winger, Sondre Onyeseter. I think I've said that right?
14:59That's better than I would say it, but I'm not aware of that. I'm not aware of that at all,
15:05Craig. So, yeah, I don't know.
15:10Brendan, it's interesting to hear you say about Unai being mocked for his past achievements.
15:16Do you think that's been sort of underplayed over the fact that he's actually come back and
15:19Simon's the doubters for once with their first?
15:23Yeah, I don't think. Well, within football there wasn't doubt because you only need to look at his,
15:26as I said, the body of work over a long period of time. But, of course, everything that
15:32gets highlighted in our media and press, and in particular in the Premier League,
15:39it was, I'm sure, challenging for him. But there was no doubt he was a top manager.
15:45So, to see him come here and do the work that he's done, I've been just so happy for him because
15:53you see how the team has played. I think also you see how the club has really grown. Obviously,
15:57the new owners have come in and invested heavily in the club, and the club has then been able to
16:02grow with that, the level of player they have. But for that you still need a top coach to maximise
16:10what you can get out of them, and I think he's done that. So, the journey they were on to get
16:15to the Champions League, absolutely great. It's always a challenge when you're having to then mix
16:21in the European football with the domestic football, but you just keep developing and growing,
16:28and the work that he's done to do that has been absolutely first-class. So,
16:33yeah, really pleased for him, and as I said, I can't speak highly enough for the work he's done here.
16:40OK, thank you very much.
16:40OK, thank you.
16:52There you go.
17:10Can the camera guys tell me when you're OK up the back?
17:17All right. Jane, do you want to start, please?
17:19Paulo, how much is everyone relishing this challenge after the Battle of Britain is what
17:24it's been dealt? How much are you looking forward to it?
17:26Yeah, I think we are all excited to play this game. We face a top team in England, so
17:34we are really excited to play, and I think it will be a great match to play and to watch.
17:39Because you've already secured your place in the play-off,
17:42do you feel that the pressure's off a little bit? Is that a good thing, do you think?
17:45In Celtic, I think we are used to playing with pressure all the games, because we have
17:51a lot of responsibility to win every game. So, we are used to pressure, and I think this is
18:00just a normal game to us, not like a different, because we will try to do our best and
18:06to get a great result here.
18:07But the manager's spoken about what a great achievement it is to have made the play-offs.
18:12If you were to go one step further and make it into the top eight,
18:17can you summarise how you would feel with that achievement, if that was possible?
18:22Yeah, I think it will be great if we can achieve that, but I think
18:30right now we did very well at this stage, and we are really happy with
18:37our progress until here. But yeah, we have that opportunity and we'll try to make that happen.
18:45Coming up against a Premier League club away from home,
18:49how big a statement would it be for Celtic to come down here and win?
18:53And just how determined are the players to end this league phase in the best possible way?
19:00It's always great to win every game.
19:02And like I said, we will try to win the game, and we are at a big club in Scotland.
19:11We know the rivalry, but yeah, we will try our best to get a great result.
19:17We saw Jota returning to the club, a man you know well.
19:20How delighted are you that he's back?
19:23And just how much can he lift the squad to the next level with his talent?
19:27I think he's a great player. I'm really excited to play with him.
19:32I think he brings a lot to the group.
19:36He's a great player, a great person, and I'm really excited to play with him.
19:41I remember when you signed, you said you were messaging Jota about Celtic.
19:44Was that the other way around now? Was he messaging you about returning possibly?
19:49No, because I think he knew it before.
19:52I just said to him, if he needs something now, I can help.
19:56Before, he told me that if I need something, I could count on him and yeah.
20:06The manager mentioned that Kieran Tierney will likely be joining in the summer, maybe sooner.
20:11Added to Jota as well, from the players, is there a sense that the club
20:16and the squad is really upping the level and moving on to the next level,
20:19bringing in so many quality players?
20:21Do you feel that within the group at the moment?
20:23Yeah, I think we have a great group and if we can add this quality, it's great for us.
20:31It's always good to have better players in the squad.
20:35And if we have a competitive group, it's good for everyone.
20:42So yeah, I'm really happy.
20:46Is there any other questions?
20:49Yay!
20:50You're welcome.
20:50Was it nice to hear you talk?