Brendan Rodgers says he is open to changes of structure in his Celtic team but reckons there are other reasons for recent poor performances in the Scottish Premiership.
After defeats to Kilmarnock and Hearts in successive weeks, Celtic supporters and pundits have been scrutinising the manager’s team selection and tactics, feeling he should be getting more out of this group of players.
Plenty of debates in person and online have surrounded the potential of a formation change and whether Rodgers should be looking to play more central attackers instead of relying on backup wingers.
Celtic fan site The Celtic Star got the chance to put this idea to Rodgers in a media conference on Friday, asking if it’s time for a change in formation as opposition teams become so familiar with the way the Bhoys play.
Brendan Rodgers gets into the Celtic tactics debate
The Celtic manager responded in detail, saying [Celtic YouTube]: “I’m not averse to that. I think you’ve seen already since I’ve come in, a number of times we have changed the structure and changed the system and went with two players up.
“It’s always dependent on the opponent and where you can actually break through against teams. Say you have a back five and a team is sitting deep, you need to connect the game quicker.
“Our biggest thing last weekend [against Hearts] was the speed in our game. The tempo in our game was way, way too slow. If you see it in action when we went 2-0 down, in those first few minutes, the speed went to another level.
“But that has to be like that from the very first whistle. That’s the consistency I’m talking about. We’ve started games with a real hunger and desire but in other games it has started too slowly – St Johnstone as an example.
“So I don’t think it’s so much to do with structure. I think when you play against teams that are low on the field, you have to be quicker and more dynamic with your movements. The speed of your movements, the speed of the ball. All these things, they all come together to hopefully tire out your opponent.
“When you’re playing with one up and two wide, you’ve got two advanced midfielders and you’ve virtually got five on the backline against a back five, as opposed to having two strikers. How we try to work it at times is trying to make six on the backline by getting a full-back up.
“When you get there it’s about being decisive and having individual and combinational qualities that can hopefully break through. When we don’t have certain players playing, the team misses something in terms of dynamism. But that’s purely profile as opposed to structure. The idea is to improve that.”
It’s good to get a detailed answer from Rodgers on the issue. It’s also clear that fans hoping for a formation change at the start of upcoming matches will be disappointed.
The manager may well change shape in-game if needed but it seems he believes in the current system of two attack-minded midfielders and then three players across the line ahead of them.
He’s looking for more fire and more ruthlessness from his players and acknowledges the quality of backups may not quite be there to provide the tempo he needs.
The debate will rumble on but, for now, expecting to see a familiar Celtic line-up that Rodgers hopes to bolster with added personnel from the January transfer window.
In other news, The latest on Liel Abada Celtic return after 3-month absence.
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