Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers expressed pride in his team’s performance after a dominant 6-0 victory over Aberdeen in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final at Hampden. However, he voiced frustration over an ongoing issue of team selections leaking on social media, which became more noticeable after he made significant lineup changes for both the Dundee win and the semi-final match. Rodgers emphasized that while the leaks had little effect on the outcome, as Celtic overwhelmed Aberdeen with five goals in a half-hour span around halftime, the situation was still concerning.
Rodgers acknowledged that in the modern game, it’s challenging to keep secrets, but he felt disheartened by Celtic insiders who might be sharing team information. “It’s clearly disappointing… especially if it’s out from Celtic supporters,” he said, adding that such actions don’t help the club. Reflecting on past experiences, he noted that he had previously benefitted from knowing an opponent’s planned changes, adjusting his tactics accordingly. Rodgers stressed that if anyone within Celtic was leaking this information, they were not acting as true supporters. While not angry, he observed it was a symptom of “the modern world” with its constant flow of information.
Celtic’s display on the pitch was outstanding, with Cameron Carter-Vickers, Kyogo Furuhashi, Nicolas Kuhn, and Daizen Maeda all finding the net. Maeda’s late goal completed a hat-trick, contributing to Celtic’s clinical edge. Their 53% possession and precision, scoring on eight out of 12 shots on target, contrasted sharply with their recent 2-2 league draw with Aberdeen, where they had 32 attempts but lacked finishing.
Rodgers praised his players’ mentality, noting how they learned from previous encounters with Aberdeen and limited the Dons’ ability to play their usual game. “I thought our counter-pressing was really, really good,” he said, adding that they moved the ball faster in the second half, which intensified their dominance.
Rodgers earned a yellow card from referee Kevin Clancy after humorously slipping while kicking the ball in frustration over slow play. He later joked about the moment, admitting the caution was deserved as he quickly got back up, embarrassed by the fall.
Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin, who had been on an impressive run with 15 wins from 16 matches, described the heavy loss as a rare setback. “Sometimes football can be like this… it can go wrong really quickly,” he reflected, focusing on Aberdeen’s need to bounce back and prevent similar situations in future games.
GET MORE CONTENT HERE
Leave a Reply