Brendan Rodgers’ class Celtic answer after being told England look down on Scottish football

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Brendan Rodgers has defended Scottish football after the Celtic boss was told that England is looking down on the game north of the border.

The Celtic manager has had the privilege of managing in both England and Scotland with spells at Liverpool, Leicester and Swansea.

Now in his second spell at Celtic Park, Rodgers has successfully negotiated the Parkhead club out of the Champions League group stage and is also preparing the Bhoys to face Aston Villa.

After being informed of the attitude down south towards Scottish football, Rodgers delivered a class Celtic answer to the assembled journalists in the pre-match Villa press conference.

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Brendan Rodgers proudly says he turned down the English Premier League for Celtic

Rodgers said on Celtic TV [9m], “Listen, I think that the Premier League is the most competitive league in the world.

“It’s where lots of top players are, lots of top managers are. But it’s not the only league in the world. You know.

“There were options for me to stay in the Premier League. My choice was to go to Scotland to Celtic and I’m so happy that I did.”

Brendan Rodgers says the pressure of managing Celtic is unrivalled in the Premier League

The Celtic boss was not done there, whilst appreciating the quality the EPL has, Rodgers says that managing Celtic is unrivalled compared to many clubs in the English top-flight.

“Okay, the competition might not be the same as what it is in the Premier League,” continued Rodgers, “But there are not many teams in the Premier League that rival the pressure that comes with managing a Celtic, or Rangers for that matter.

“So, but there’s always an opportunity, whether you’re playing in England, or playing in Italy or France, wherever you’re playing.

“It’s always an opportunity for you to show your qualities as a team and as a club.”

Hopefully Celtic can deliver a body blow to Aston Villa with another Champions League win to boost their position in the UEFA standings.

The Bhoys still have an outside chance of automatic qualification and Celtic’s record against English clubs remains very impressive.

With just four defeats in 18 games against English opposition in Europe, Celtic fans will be confident that Rodgers can deliver another special Champions League night at Villa Park.