Brendan Rodgers has reiterated that, like any manager, he wants his squad to be stronger but has refused to point the finger at the bench for yesterday’s Celtic draw away to Hibernian.
Rodgers named an almost unchanged line-up to the one which put in so much effort against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night.
For many, it was clear to see that the team laboured in the early stages of the game, perhaps a sign of physical or mental fatigue from that huge occasion.
In the second half, Rodgers turned to his bench with James Forrest and Mikey Johnston coming into the match amongst others.
The fact that Johnston was making his first appearance in 19 months, ahead of a summer signing like Hyunjun Yang, was, for some, indicative of the lack of squad depth at the Bhoys this year. But Rodgers refused to put the dropped points on that issue.
Brendan Rodgers looking to strengthen Celtic squad
The Celtic boss said [Scottish Mail on Sunday, 29/10 print edition]: “We’re all captains of hindsight after the event. It would have been ideal to have an extra day’s recovery but the boys are fit and strong. It was just our speed of play, we had the ball but we didn’t move it quickly enough.
“Over time, every coach or manager would like to strengthen their squad. We’ve got what we’ve got and over time the players have shown their qualities in this opening period of the season. But we’re not entitled to win every game.
“It’s not a day to point the finger at the bench or anyone else. I’m not going to be too critical of the players. After 10 games, you’re judging your team. We’ve won eight and drawn two. We’ve been to virtually every tough away ground in this country.”
January is increasingly looking like a very important month for Celtic. Although Rodgers doesn’t want to throw any of his players under the bus, nor criticise the club, it has been clear for a while he wants some business done when the transfer window opens.
Getting players in early 2024 is the best way to prep for next season. We’ve seen January recruitment help players such as Matt O’Riley, Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate settle ahead of a full campaign.
It’s a tough month to recruit in but hopefully Celtic are going through the right planning and negotiations already so that players start to arrive early in the window, as was the case when Ange Postecoglou was manager.
In other news, Brendan Rodgers gives update on Alistair Johnston after head knock forces him out of Celtic match.
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