Brendan Rodgers spoke to Celtic TV on Tuesday, addressing the current challenges that the club is grappling with. The conversation came in the wake of Celtic’s unexpected exit from the League Cup, a result that has left fans searching for answers.
The Irishman, who has been a beacon of success at Celtic Park, is now navigating uncharted waters. His first-ever cup exit with the club has been compounded by a growing list of injuries, threatening to derail the team’s momentum.
Lennoxtown is currently witnessing a scarcity of fit defenders. With CCV sidelined due to a hamstring injury, and recent signing Nawrocki joining him on the treatment table, the situation has become dire. Adding to the woes, Stephen Welsh suffered an ankle injury in a bizarre training incident last Friday, requiring surgery. This leaves Rodgers with only one available centre-back out of the four he should have for Saturday’s match.
Lagierbielke, a relatively new addition to the Celtic squad, will likely see more action than anticipated in his early days with the club. His increased game time is a direct result of the current upheaval within the team.
Rodgers, ever the professional, addressed the situation with his typical poise:
“Well, yeah, it’s very frustrating. Obviously, you want to have your best players available and clearly that’s not the case for us. But, listen, you have to get on with it. It’s just been the nature of it over the course of preseason, but we just have to deal with it. And, like I said, we get some lots of capable players in the squad and I’m sure they’ll step up.”
Despite the challenges, the Celtic faithful can take solace in Rodgers’ confidence and leadership. His belief in the squad’s depth and to overcome this early period should give supporters confidence. The game against St Johnstone will be a challenge for Celtic’s backline.
On the game, Rodgers said: ” I think when you lose a game, whether it’s in a cup or a league or whatever, is to respond in the next game. So we’ll be super motivated for the weekend to put that right.
“We had scored goals in the opening two games. Structurally, there’s a bit of work to do in terms of timings and because of the new players and everything else coming in and a slight adaptation to how they’re playing. But I’ve got absolutely no doubt that, obviously, whilst we’re looking to win games, but with the working time, the players will get better and better and will improve with it.”
