Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers made a raft of changes to his starting eleven for Sunday’s match against Falkirk, giving big opportunities to those who have been looking for more game time.
Auston Trusty was handed his first start in the centre of defence after coming on as a substitute midweek, while Barcelona loan Alex Valle played for an hour at left-back in his debut.
It was a much more difficult afternoon for the team than many had anticipated. Second-tier Falkirk took the lead twice in the match before eventually succumbing to a 5-2 defeat.
Rodgers felt it was a good game to introduce his new Bhoys and reckons it was a good learning experience for both of them at the start of their Scottish footballing journeys.
Celtic boss expects benefits for Trusty and Valle
Speaking in a post-match media conference, the manager said [Celtic Way]: “If you look at my history as a coach I wouldn’t normally make so many changes but that’s the risk you take. I was happy to take the risk.
“The players have worked really hard and they’ll benefit from that. Alex Valle played an hour, Auston Trusty played 90 minutes, Stephen Welsh got game time, Tony Ralston came in and played and Luis Palma got some game time. You always weigh it up but it worked out well for us in the end.”
Asked about Trusty and Valle in particular, Rodgers added: “They’re coming into a complex system and that’s why we didn’t throw them in straight away – they’ve come in with hardly any training.
“Now they’re up to speed a little bit and they understand how we want to work, how we play and the movement patterns. I thought it was a good game to introduce them to.”
Alex Valle’s tough Celtic test
Then asked about Valle’s debut being a demanding physical test for him, Rodgers continued: “It’s a crash course in British football, isn’t it? You might get that free-kick in Spain (in the build up to Falkirk’s first goal), but you certainly won’t get it in Britain.
“He’ll learn that – he’s a good kid and he’s only young. He’s settled in really well into the city and the club. He’s there for us when he’s needed.”
Valle undoubtedly had a challenging debut and he’ll need to quickly get used to the battling nature of Scottish football to succeed in a Celtic shirt.
Harsh judgements may follow from some but it’s important to remember it’s still very early days for him and today’s line-up was nowhere near full strength.
If Daizen Maeda was supporting him instead of Luis Palma, for example, he might have been able to better deal with threats such as Alfie Agyeman, who out-muscled him in the build-up to Falkirk’s opening goal.
He’ll get more chances to impress and ideally, like Rodgers says, learn from his first afternoon at Celtic Park.
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