Brendan Rodgers’ Defining Week at Celtic

Brendan Rodgers heads into a pivotal week as Celtic manager with pressure mounting both on and off the pitch.

Back-to-back fixtures against Sturm Graz in the Europa League and Hearts at Tynecastle will go a long way to defining the early tone of the Hoops’ 2025/26 campaign, and possibly Rodgers’ long-term future at the club.

Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at Dens Park has set alarm bells ringing. It was Celtic’s first league loss of the season, but the manner of the performance was the greater concern,  passive, disjointed and lacking bite in both boxes.

With the team now five points adrift of Hearts, questions are being asked about Rodgers’ ability to lift a squad that has looked short of cohesion and confidence.

Rodgers himself remains under contract until the end of the season, but with no extension yet agreed, the uncertainty is fuelling speculation. He has publicly insisted he will see out the current campaign, yet his comments about the club needing to “keep moving forward” suggest all is not entirely settled behind the scenes.

On the pitch, tactical decisions are under the microscope. The midfield hasn’t clicked, with Reo Hatate and Callum McGregor both struggling to control games, and the attack has become blunt, with Celtic often looking pedestrian in the final third. Injuries and a lack of depth have left Rodgers heavily reliant on underperforming wide players and veteran options off the bench.

Thursday’s clash with Sturm Graz at Celtic Park offers a chance to reset the tone in Europe, but it’s the trip to Tynecastle that looms largest.

If Celtic fall further behind Hearts come next weekend, the pressure on Rodgers will only intensify, and what was once looked at as an exciting season may quickly become a defining one.