Celtic are in the unusual position of being eight points behind in the title race and not only is it not to Rangers, it’s against rank outsiders Hearts.
The Hoops boss watched Celtic crumble 3-1 to Hearts at Tynecastle as Derek McInnes’ side upped the ante with a win over Rodgers’ side in Edinburgh.
And as fans rage at watching yet another insipid performance from a Celtic team that looks out of ideas and out of its depth, Rodgers must now look ahead to Wednesday night and get a convincing win against Falkirk.
But for now, as the dust settles on Celtic’s second defeat of the season, Rodgers sends a message to the fans as he tries to allay fears that the title is slipping out of his grasp.
Brendan Rodgers offers Celtic fans a sense of perspective after defeat to Hearts
Rodgers refused to answer any questions about Celtic’s upcoming January transfer window after the defeat but he did have something to tell the fans.
When asked what he had to say to the Celtic fans after going eight points behind Hearts, Rodgers told Sky Sports, “Yeah, no, no, naturally, it’s not the position that this club is used to being in.
“I think the perspective on it is that we know the challenges, but we still have 29 games to play after today.
“The day that counts as the last game in May. We haven’t made the start that we want, but we have to keep believing and keep working with these players to maximise what we can get out of them.”
Rodgers’ must-win Celtic game
Next up for Celtic is a home game against Falkirk where Rodgers must simply make sure the Bhoys leave Parkhead with all three points.
With Hearts away to St Mirren, the Celtic boss will be hoping for a favour in Paisley to help reduce the gap at the top of the table.
Any further dropped points will only hand Hearts a further confidence boost and with Dundee United just four points behind, the Tayside club could be knocking at Rodgers’ door for second place before the week is out.
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