Brendan Rodgers is proving once again that he is a manager who thrives in different scenarios, even if those successes are now coming thousands of miles away from Glasgow.
On Friday night, Rodgers’ Al Qadsiah side staged a sensational 3-2 comeback victory over Al-Ahli, a result that sparked a heated post-match brawl involving former Celtic transfer target Ivan Toney.
Seeing Toney – a player Celtic failed to secure in 2020 – finding the net only to be completely rattled by a Rodgers’ masterclass is an interesting tale of how football finds a way.
While Rodgers’ Al Qadsiah side are scoring for fun and mounting a serious title charge in the Saudi Pro League, the contrast back at Lennoxtown is stark.
Is Brendan Rodgers a Celtic legend?
Brendan Rodgers wins again with Al Qadsiah against Ivan Toney’s Al-Ahli
Martin O’Neill remains mired in the difficult task of fixing a squad depth crisis and a broken recruitment model – a mess that majority shareholder Dermot Desmond must take significant responsibility for.
Rodgers, having escaped the constraints and internal politics of the Celtic board, is enjoying a prolific tenure where his side has plundered 46 goals in just 17 matches under his watch.
The Northern Irishman’s departure may have left a void O’Neill is still toiling to fill, but as he celebrates another dramatic win abroad, it’s clear that Celtic’s mounting institutional issues are no longer Rodgers’ problem.
Al Qadsiah, who are four points off Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League table, were 2-0 down to Al-Ahli, with Toney opening the scoring in the first half.
But then Rodgers’ men produced a stunning comeback, including scoring two goals in stoppage time, which then resulted in some post-match handbags, as Toney was at the heart of the drama.
Rodgers’ record at Al Qadsiah
It needs to be noted that Al Qadsiah aren’t one of the big boys in Saudi Arabia, who aren’t backed by the PIF fund, so it’s interesting to see them doing so well and mixing it at the top.
Rodgers has now managed them for 17 matches, and he is yet to taste defeat, as a title charge is on the cards, and it would be a huge upset if he were to pull it off.
- Rodgers’ games at Al Qadsiah: 17
- Wins: 13
- Draws: 4
- Losses: 0
- Goals scored: 46
- Goals conceded: 16
- Points Per Game: 2.53
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