Brendan Rodgers insists that it’s in Celtic’s DNA to play the kind of football he’s trying to implement – a fast, attacking brand built on possession and control.
But at what point does that become an excuse not to adapt?
The manager’s comments after the 3-1 defeat at Tynecastle have left many fans unconvinced. Rodgers said: [Sky Sports]
“The approach, I think, when you’re at a club like Celtic, people talk about plan A, plan B, but Celtic is a club whose DNA is about playing football. We’ll never lose that. When we play to that identity, it’s totally different.
“It’s a different DNA here [at Hearts]. The ball’s direct. The supporters love that.
It’s a second-ball fight. It’s set pieces, all that. Celtic hasn’t become a winner in that way.
“Our DNA is to play a fast-attacking game of football, whatever the system is. The systems are relevant. You can play whatever system you want, but your style of football and the style of Celtic is fast-attacking football.”
That all sounds good in theory. But in practice, Celtic’s football this season has been anything but fast or attacking.
It’s been slow, predictable and painfully side-to-side, and it’s not getting results, with the champions already eight points off the pace.
Rodgers has switched formations this season, but only when his team are two goals down and chasing a game.
Against Hearts, even that didn’t happen. The wrong changes come too late, and the play remains flat.
Last season, we saw Rodgers use a clever tactical setup away to Ross County, where Celtic won 4–1 with dynamic, flexible movement and energy. But he only did that because he was forced into it, through injury.
And while Rodgers preaches about Celtic’s attacking “DNA”, it’s hard to ignore that the squad he has right now simply isn’t built for that style.
Too many players are underperforming or don’t fit his system, described by Brendan as being like a “Honda Civic”.
The very best managers evolve. Pep Guardiola has redefined football multiple times at Barcelona, Bayern and Manchester City, constantly adapting his tactics to suit the players at his disposal.
If Rodgers truly is an ‘elite manager’, as many still claim, then now is the time to prove it. Celtic don’t need empty talk about DNA; they need adaptability, invention and results.
Because if Celtic had gone long and direct at Tynecastle and won, no fan would’ve cared how on brand it was. They’d have said fair play to the manager for doing what was needed to get the job done.
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