Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has praised the flexibility shown by his side in their weekend victory over Ross County.
He highlighted the performance of Kyogo and Adam Idah in an unorthodox setup necessitated by injuries to key wingers but didn’t give much away about his future plans for the pair.
Rodgers opted to deploy the pair in a system that saw Kyogo adopt a free-roaming role, drifting centrally and playing a significant part in build-up play rather than staying on the flanks. It was a shift from Celtic’s usual wing-based attacking approach.
When asked if he would use the combination again, Rodgers admitted it remains an option but emphasised his preference for wingers when available.
He told Celtic TV: “I may do. I may not, I think it just depends. I normally play with wingers. It’s how I’ve always sort of worked that way. Kyogo rolls inside very well, and the shape just morphs into a different structure but it’s something that we can do. I think it’s having the flexibility.
“I’ve never been fixed to one system. I have been fixed to one style. The style will always be the same and the principles, but the actual system, I’ve always been flexible with how the teams have played.
“So this gave us a nice little conundrum with the team short of wingers. Okay, so how can we make it work? The players made it work well.”
With Nicolas Kuhn, Daizen Maeda, Luis Palma and James Forrest all unavailable over the weekend, Rodgers was forced to innovate, and the experiment proved successful as Celtic emerged victorious. The flexible setup allowed Kyogo to influence the game in a different way, while Idah continued to grow into his role since joining the club.
As Celtic face Dundee on Tuesday night, Rodgers will have Kuhn back in contention, but his comments suggest he remains open to further tactical tweaks if the situation demands it.
But fans can expect Rodgers to go back to his usual set-up on Tuesday.
