Lazio boss, Maurizio Sarri, was speaking to the media ahead of his side’s Champions League tie with Celtic and pointed out the one man at the club he is a huge fan of.
Sarri has been very vocal in the press this week as his Serie A strugglers look to take something from Glasgow in their bid to qualify from the group.
And whilst he has been preoccupied with ranting at football governing bodies, Sarri has still taken the time to praise Celtic boss, Brendan Rodgers.
Maurizio Sarri really rates the Celtic manager
Celtic have a multitude of players that can really cause Lazio issues tonight. Matt O’Riley is in superb form and is a real goal threat.
Daizen Maeda, well, what can we say about the Japanese winger that we haven’t said before? He’s a machine.
And there’s Kyogo Furuhashi who is lethal in front of goal. But none of these compare to the Celtic manager.
Sarri said [Tuttomercato], “For dynamism, speed and intensity they are a very dangerous team. It surprised me from a technical point of view, it has significant values.
“In the Champions League against Feyenoord we deserved much more from them, they conceded a goal from a free kick before the break.
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“I like Rodgers a lot, he is a great coach. He worked for 3 years in Liverpool, he has a great career. Celtic could be the loose cannon of the group.”
Celtic have a great chance of taking something from Lazio tonight and Sarri is correct, Rodgers will have a huge part to play in that.
The Celtic manager is a tactician and the fans have seen first-hand at just how good he is when faced with adverse conditions.
Down to nine men in Feyenoord, Rodgers pulled the strings to keep the score respectable. Against Livingston with ten men, the Hoops gaffer orchestrated a 3-0 win for Celtic.
Rodgers will be massive for Celtic tonight. His tactics will play a part in whether or not Celtic take anything from Lazio. But, like me, the Celtic fans will be confident their manager will make the right calls for the team to get the right result.
In other news, ‘That’s the difference’: Tam McManus explains why Celtic are dominating Scottish football