Charlie Mulgrew explains how Brendan Rodgers has improved Celtic from Ange Postecoglou’s team

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Charlie Mulgrew has told how he believes Brendan Rodgers has kicked Celtic on and improved the team from the days of Ange Postecoglou’s tenure.

Postecoglou brought a brand of football to Celtic Park that blew the Hoops supporters away and encouraged packed-out stands at Parkhead every second week.

When Brendan Rodgers returned last season, that style of football seemed to have gone but now, Charlie Mulgrew believes that despite Celtic’s problems last season, he believes the Hoops gaffer has improved the style of football from the Postecoglou days.

Mulgrew blown away by Rodgers’ ‘unbelievable’ Celtic

Celtic had a blistering pre-season campaign in the US Tour rattling in 12 goals in three games in wins over DC United, Manchester City and Chelsea.

Rodgers’ team has taken that form into the new season and already Celtic look strong after a thumping win over Kilmarnock and beating Hibs in the league and the League Cup.

And that it was the win against Killie that convinced Mulgrew that Rodgers has Celtic playing better football than Postecoglou’s.

Mulgrew told Premier Sports, “I watched them against Kilmarnock in the first game of the season, and they were unbelievable. The rotations, the way they hold their positions, everybody knows exactly what their job is.

“And now that Brendan Rodgers has had a year with the team, you can really see the reflection of him as the leader on the pitch and how he sees his team playing.

“It was interesting when he came in. And obviously Postecoglou’s team played attacking football, fast football and Brendan Rodgers came in and had to make his tweaks to that.

“And how could you make it any better? And he comes in and does what he did last year, which I think was brilliant, considering there’s a team that was mixed and matched with the wingers and Carter-Vickers with a long spell injured, and there were a few injuries last year.

“And you’re seeing the fruits of that this year, in terms of the players knowing exactly where their jobs are. They’ve been brilliant.”

Celtic looking good to defend the Scottish Premiership title

Looking at how Celtic have opened up the league campaign and how they disposed of Hibs in the cup, it is clear that Rodgers has instructed his players to attack their opponents from the first whistle.

Already this season in the Scottish Premiership Celtic have had 78.5% possession with an 88.5% passing accuracy.

Rodgers’ team have mustered 25.8 shots per game with 10 of these finding their target. Four of Celtic’s goals scored in their first three games of the season have come in the first 20 minutes.

Defensively, Celtic have made 14.3 tackles per game and 7.5 interceptions. [WhoScored]

It’s a solid start to the new season and even though it’s just three games in, the signs are there already that Celtic are going to be very difficult to stop.