Brendan Rodgers has shed light on the half-time team talk that sparked Celtic’s hard-fought comeback victory over Ross County.
The Hoops went into the break trailing 1-0, after Ronan Hale’s first-half penalty, and put in a sub-par performance that rarely troubled County goalkeeper Ross Laidlaw.
Despite dominating possession, Celtic lacked penetration and looked far from the side that had torn apart St Johnstone the previous weekend.
Rodgers made a decisive triple substitution just after the hour mark, and it paid off. Alistair Johnston’s equaliser in the 75th minute brought Celtic back into the match, and 12 minutes later, Nicolas Kuhn’s solo effort sealed a 2-1 win.
The result maintained Celtic’s 100% record in the Scottish Premiership and kept them top of the table.
The Celtic manager revealed what he told his players during the break.
“I said to them at half time, ‘You’re either looking for an easy game or you’re feeling sorry for yourself, but whatever it is, it’s NOT enough,’” Rodgers explained.
“We had to go and impose our way of playing and get the energy back into the game again, and then obviously, in the second half, we were much better.”
Reflecting on the match, Rodgers added:
“We deserved to win the game, but in the first half, we were too slow and too passive. It wasn’t very good, and you have to give big credit to Ross County for their organisation.
“I don’t think there was much happening either way, but certainly, the onus was on us, as the team with the ball, to do more with it.”
While last season Celtic relied heavily on Matt O’Riley for goals and assists, Rodgers now sees a more balanced squad.
Kuhn, who has already contributed six goals and seven assists this season, has emerged as a key player. His influence, along with Daizen Maeda’s contributions from the left wing, has added another dimension to Celtic’s attack.
Although Maeda struggled against Ross County’s resolute defence, his replacement, James Forrest, helped stretch the home side’s backline, creating the space for Kuhn to score the 87th-minute winner.