Brendan Rodgers was unequivocal in his assessment after Celtic’s emphatic Glasgow derby win, insisting that his side should have scored five against Rangers, while confidently predicting that his team will only improve as the season progresses.
In a match where Celtic asserted their dominance, goals from Daizen Maeda, Kyogo Furuhashi, and Callum McGregor condemned Rangers to a humbling defeat at home.
The 3-0 victory, however, did not fully reflect Celtic’s superiority, as they had a goal ruled out for a marginal offside and squandered numerous other chances to further embarrass their rivals.
The result leaves Celtic five points clear of Rangers at the top of the table, level on points with Aberdeen, and sends a strong message to the rest of the league.
Rodgers, understandably buoyed by his team’s performance, praised both their defensive solidity and attacking flair.
“Firstly defensively, we were really strong right until the end. We had a little bit in the first 10 minutes where we were a fraction too passive in our positioning but in the moments we had to defend, we defended well,” he remarked.
The Northern Irishman was particularly pleased with how his side moved forward, combining pace and precision to carve open the Rangers defence almost at will.
“Offensively, we were so exciting going forward. We got three goals. The goal that was disallowed was brilliantly worked build-up play getting through. It looks so, so tight. That would’ve been a fantastic goal for us,” he said, reflecting on the narrow offside decision that denied Celtic an even more comprehensive win.
“We had other opportunities in the game, I thought the speed in our game and how we attacked with the space was exceptional,” Rodgers continued.
“We obviously get three and we could’ve maybe had a few more. It was everything we wanted, we made it really, really difficult for the opposition and obviously the crowd played their part today as well. So overall, a fantastic result and performance.”
Despite the comfortable margin of victory, Rodgers was clear that his team’s ambition did not stop at three goals.
“We aim to make it as difficult as we can for the opposition. That’s the idea. We never want to rest on 2-0, we want to get three, four and five. It could have been that in the second-half,” he stated, highlighting Celtic’s relentless approach.
The disparity in quality between the two Glasgow clubs was stark, yet Rodgers expressed a degree of understanding for his counterpart, Philippe Clement.
“You have to always respect. I thought Rangers started well in the game. I respect Philippe massively, he’s having to work through a difficult challenge with not being at the stadium and other issues,” Rodgers noted, acknowledging the hurdles facing the Rangers manager.
Rodgers also emphasised that Celtic are far from the finished article and promised even greater ruthlessness as the campaign unfolds.
“There always has to be more. Our pressing has been really good and you saw the hunger and ability to double up around players today. I was really pleased with that. There’s other aspects that we’ll analyse around the game where we can improve,” he said, pointing to the potential for further growth.
“But I think you see the level where the players are at and where their mentality is at. We’re in a really good place, but it’s so early in the season and there’s a lot more growth to come,” Rodgers concluded, setting the stage for what he believes will be a season of continued development and success for Celtic.