Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has revealed what he told his players before their sensational 6-0 victory over St. Johnstone tonight.
The Bhoys were terrific from start to finish, with Kyogo Furuhashi, Paulo Bernardo, Callum McGregor, Daizen Maeda, and Adam Idah all getting on the scoresheet.
The Celts have the right to feel confident ahead of their trip to face Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday, but boss Rodgers didn’t want his players to be focused on such a glamourous tie until this evening was out of the way.
Indeed, the manager revealed post-match that before the game, he told his players he wanted a Champions League-level display at McDiarmid Park, never mind in Dortmund. He got his wish.
“I said to the players beforehand, this is an opportunity for us to show our mentality,” he said (premiersports.com).Â
“A lot of the noise before this has been virtually about Dortmund.
“But for me, I wanted a Champions League mentality here in the game this evening and I thought the Bhoys were absolutely brilliant.”
After Kyogo opened the scoring with a fine finish 35 minutes in, the floodgates opened in Perth.
Celtic found themselves 3-0 up at the break, but they didn’t take their foot off the gas in the second half.
Although Rodgers made a raft of changes, the level and intensity of his side’s performance didn’t drop.
The Hoops showed utmost desire throughout the 90 minutes and look a real force to be reckoned with at the minute. They will aim to continue their perfect start to the season when they face Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night.