Celtic produced a polished and ruthless performance to sweep aside Ross County in a commanding 5-0 victory at Parkhead, leaving Brendan Rodgers’ men well-poised in the Scottish Premiership.
The Bhoys showed no mercy as they blitzed The Staggies with a scintillating first-half display that left visiting manager Don Cowie with no answers.
By the break, the game was effectively over, with Celtic showcasing their depth and quality despite multiple changes to their starting line-up.
Rodgers opted for six alterations to the side that featured in midweek Champions League action against Club Brugge.
Among those rested were record signing Arne Engels and Nicolas Kuhn, two players considered pivotal to Celtic’s recent successes. The manager’s decision to leave the duo out was a calculated one, as he explained post-match.
“I think it’s just giving a freshness to the team. I trust the squad for today; we want a big energy in the game,” Rodgers told the BBC.
“We don’t want to be waiting on the game. We’ve got to go and create it. For that, we will have players who can hopefully influence the game and bring nice energy.”
Rodgers also highlighted the importance of squad depth, particularly given the demands of competing on multiple fronts.
“That’s another aspect of where we’ve improved this summer. You don’t want a drop-off when moving between Europe and domestic games,” he added.
“So you want to be able to make changes to affect the game. The players have done that really well—there’s no drop-off. The intensity is there, and they have that hunger to come in and do well.”
Luke McCowan was the star of the show, delivering a masterclass with a goal and three assists. Yet, Paulo Bernardo’s performance gave Rodgers plenty to consider ahead of Wednesday’s trip to Pittodrie to face Aberdeen.
Bernardo, handed a rare start, played the full 90 minutes, scoring once, creating four chances, and recording an 88% passing accuracy from 48 attempts.
The Portuguese midfielder was a creative and defensive force, with six penalty-area touches, four passes into the final third, six ball recoveries, and four defensive actions.
Rated at 8.6 by FotMob, Bernardo’s display added to McCowan’s brilliance and offered a glimpse of Celtic’s formidable squad depth.
Rodgers now faces a selection headache as he prepares for a crucial away fixture at Aberdeen. Both McCowan and Bernardo have made compelling cases to retain their places, epitomising the competition for spots in this resurgent Celtic side.
