Former Celtic defender and Invincible winner Erik Sviatchenko has opened up on the frustration surrounding his exit from the club, and Brendan Rodgers’ role in it.
Sviatchenko joined the Bhoys from FC Midtjylland, where he would rejoin after winning several trophies with Celtic. However, his exit was somewhat surprising at the time. He’s gone to be crucial again for the Danes, even starring in their win over Celtic in Champions League qualifying.
Now, though, he’s had time to reflect on his departure from Celtic, a club that clearly meant a whole lot to him. And it appears some dishonesty and mixed messages from Brendan Rodgers played a part.
In an interview with Football Scotland, Sviatchenko said: “We came to the summer, I hadn’t played that much but I thought I’d come back after the break.
“He trusted me and wanted me to play the second leg in Rosenborg after Kristoffer Ajer had had his first game against Rosenborg at home, he did really well.
“[Rodgers] came to me, he wanted experience. I suffered an injury in that game and was out for three months…
“I came back maybe in September [,was injured and] needed three weeks more. And then… there were a bunch of games where I really, really hoped that I could get just one minute to show the Celtic fans and everyone that I was actually ready.
“But that’s the worst part of it, that I never actually had a game after [that injury]. That annoys me, even though it’s been so many years now, I’m in a different place and playing my best football ever. It’s the thing that annoys me about my Celtic career, that particular moment, that he never gave me the chance even though he said he would.”
It sounds as if former Celtic man Erik Sviatchenko has nursed disappointments over Brendan Rodgers for some time
Obviously, managing a football team is extremely difficult. Keeping everyone happy, especially at an elite level, has got to be an extremely tough task. Not everyone can play.
However, even now, there’ll be Celtic supporters wondering if we could’ve made more of Erik Svatchenko under Brendan Rodgers. Especially in Europe, the Hoops definitely lacked height from set pieces, and the big Dane would certainly have helped us out there.
I can think of a few games, especially in Europe, where I’d rather have had Sviatchenko playing. But he’s back home at the club where he found his initial success. He’s a club captain, with Denmark caps and an impressive CV.
Still, you have to wonder if Sviatchenko could’ve definitively reached cult hero status at Celtic. Perhaps he did, and he always respected and appreciated the supporters while he was here. But if he’d had longer, he could’ve made more of a dent.
It sounds as if speaking about this has been therapeutic for him. He’s hardly the first or last person to have been offered one thing and given another by Brendan Rodgers.
At the very least, the big Dane has dominated the headlines in Scotland again for today. He’s got his message across, and maybe that’s the most important thing to consider in all of this.
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