Brendan Rodgers has made it clear that the artificial surface at Rugby Park cannot be used as an excuse for underperformance as Celtic prepare to face Kilmarnock this Sunday.
Reflecting on last season’s commanding 5-0 win at the same venue that sealed the Scottish Premiership title, Rodgers highlighted that his team is capable of excelling regardless of external factors.
The five-star performance won Celtic the league title, sealing a fairytale return to Celtic for Brendan Rodgers.
Rodgers is focussed on maintaining consistency and high standards, especially after recent emphatic victories—a 6-0 semi-final win over Aberdeen in the League Cup and a 3-1 triumph against RB Leipzig in the Champions League.
The Celtic manager said on Celtic TV: “We can’t have any excuse. We talk about plastic pitches and everything else. But after how we played at the end of last season, to win 5-0 and play at that level, then I can never moan about a plastic pitch again.
“But our performance was so good. It’s just a bit of focus and concentration.
“You know when you’re here that you’re going to be in various competitions. We knew we had Hampden on the Saturday. A few days later, we’ve got a Champions League game and then we know we’ve got Kilmarnock. But we’ll be ready and look forward to it.”
Celtic have a 100% away record in the league this season, only dropping points once at home in a disappointing draw with Aberdeen.
The players have shown that they can go to the tough away ground, put in a big performance, and get a big result.
After the match, it’s another international break, the third in three months, but then, after the pause, there isn’t another until March.
Celtic will have a good run at it and a packed schedule, but it will limit the stop-start flow that we’re seeing the now.
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