Celtic defender Greg Taylor reckons the tactical instructions given to him aren’t all that different to when Ange Postecoglou was at the club, despite a lot of opinion to the contrary from outsiders.
Taylor continues to be the first-choice left-back at the club but, for many, he isn’t hitting the heights he found during Postecoglou’s second season with Celtic.
Some have assumed that Rodgers is stifling him tactically and not giving him as much freedom to bomb forward into inside channels. However, Taylor reckons that perception is inaccurate.
Greg Taylor on Celtic tactics after Ange Postecoglou
He said [Herald Sport, 09/12 print edition]: “It’s not that different to be honest. I think it’s a similar structure. Under the last manager there was a focus on the full-backs being inverted and so on. But that wasn’t always the case. It was more about finding the space and it’s the same under the manager now.
“We still want to play high-pressure, attacking football and dominate the ball. That’s what we’ve tried to do. In Europe we’ve fallen short in terms of results, if not performances, but there have been moments domestically.
“I definitely still have licence to go inside the way I used to. So it’s the exact same. The manager likes that way of playing, so I have full licence to do that. It’s a bit of a myth that I don’t. I think when some people get an idea in their head that it’s not something you do any more than it can be portrayed that way.”
Rodgers has admitted after recent games that he’s been annoyed with the lack of intensity of his team in matches, specifically in the wake of last week’s comeback win over St Johnstone.
However, Wednesday night’s win over Hibs was a much more forceful display, much more like last season, and hopefully that carries into Sunday’s lunchtime kick-off against Kilmarnock.
As for Taylor, he remains firmly in place as Rodgers’ prime pick on the left flank. However, it’ll be interesting to see what the January transfer window brings and whether or not the manager is looking for an upgrade on competition from the rarely-seen Alexandro Bernabei, who now looks destined for an exit.
In other news, Celtic’s Sunday task after Saturday Scottish Premiership results.
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