Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has explained why he didn’t make any half-time changes at Ibrox this afternoon.

It was an embarrassing performance from the Bhoys, who weren’t up to it from the start. They showed no heart or desire to win, and it, rather concerningly, felt like Rangers wanted it more.

Liam Scales and Daizen Maeda
Soccer Football – Scottish Premiership – Rangers v Celtic – Ibrox, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain – January 2, 2025 Celtic’s Daizen Maeda and Liam Scales during the match REUTERS/Russell Cheyne

Ianis Hagi, Robin Propper, and Danilo all scored for the hosts in a rampant 3-0 triumph.

Despite their poor first-half display, Celtic were only one behind at the break.

Given their sub-par performance in the opening 45, many fans watching along at home perhaps would have expected manager Brendan Rodgers to roll the dice at the interval and make a few alterations.

He didn’t, though, and the champions remained unchanged for the second period.

Post-match, the Parkhead gaffer explained why he didn’t make any changes: “I wanted to give the players the opportunity to see if we could get that sort of reaction and I always leave it,” he said (The Celtic Way).

“It was in my mind to make changes. But no, we went for the extra 10-15 minutes and nothing really happened. We started the second half okay, but after that, we made the change.”

Rodgers eventually brought on Adam Idah, Alex Valle, and Luke McCowan in place of Kyogo Furuhashi, Greg Taylor, and Paulo Bernardo in the 64th minute.

Arne Engels, who was the subject of a horrific coin throw late on in the game, was also introduced with 15 to go, taking the place of Reo Hatate.

Ultimately, though, the manager’s changes didn’t have the desired impact. Celtic were poor all-round and deserved to lose for a below-par display.

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