One thing you wouldn’t expect to hear about Celtic’s win at Tynecastle would be about Brendan Rodgers shouting at his players from the sidelines.
The performance delivered by his team was simply outstanding. The attacking intent was excellent. The defensive display was brilliant and the team were clinical in front of goal. What else could you ask for?
Why would Rodgers be going mad on the sidelines? Well, it seems, according to Hearts midfielder, Andy Halliday, that it was because of the Celtic manager’s ranting on the touchline the Hoops were so good on Sunday.
Halliday said [Clyde SSB], “It was interesting to me because I think we spoke at length about Brendan Rodgers and this Celtic team from the start and at times they have been labelled a bit slow in terms of their tempo.
“And what interested me was, sitting from my regular seat on the bench, was the amount of times Brendan Rodgers was screaming to his midfielders two touch, two touch, two touch every time they touched the ball.
“And that probably led to what was a quicker tempo, quicker intensity which led to their best performance of the season.”
Rodgers is clearly setting the standards at Celtic. It was reminiscent of Ange Postecoglou‘s famous rant last season where the Aussie went crazy at his team for not showing attacking intent.
Except Rodgers is now demanding a specific type of football from his side. Quick passing, high tempo, keeping possession. Rodgers’ style seems more methodical than Ange’s.
Now that’s not to say Ange’s style is somewhat wrong. I would need to be an idiot to suggest that. Celtic fans witnessed some of the best football they have seen in years under Postecoglou.
But under Rodgers, there seems to be a focus on the defending aspect as well as the attack and that should stand Celtic in good stead for Wednesday night.
The fans will certainly be hoping so. Three points against Atletico Madrid is a must or they can start to forget about European football after Christmas.
In other news, ‘Got my doubts’: Pat Bonner doesn’t believe that £2m summer signing has what it takes to play for Celtic