Brendan Rodgers should’ve taken more notice of his pre-match predictions before Celtic’s loss against Hearts.
Celtic were beaten 3-1 by Hearts to leave serious doubts about their quest to retain the Scottish Premiership title.
It was a disappointing display once again from Celtic as they suffered back-to-back league defeats for the first time since December 2023.
Hearts were the dominant side as the Hoops couldn’t deal with their style of play; even though the Celtic manager knew exactly how they would set up.
Brendan Rodgers said Hearts would play direct football
Rodgers spoke to Celtic TV before kick-off at Tynecastle to discuss his team selection and what to expect from Hearts.
During that interview, he claimed that Derek McInnes’ side would play a direct style of football.
“Today, I’m pretty sure that Hearts will be direct and get the ball forward,” he said.
“Celtic, we have to match that and we have to play how we play. That’s what brings Celtic success.”
Brendan Rodgers’ baffling full-time comments
Considering the 52-year-old predicted how their opponents would set up, his post-match comments seemed to be even more baffling after sounding surprised with the physicality of the Hearts team.
The Celtic manager told Sky Sports: Hearts, it’s a different DNA here. The ball’s direct. The supporters love that.
“It’s a second ball fight. It’s set pieces, all that. Celtic hasn’t become winners in that way.
“Our DNA is to play a fast-attacking game of football, whatever the system is. The systems are relevant. You can play whatever system you want, but your style of football and the style of Celtic is fast-attacking football.”
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