On Celtic TV, Brendan Rodgers conducted an interview with Gerry McCulloch, which is presently accessible to subscribers. Here is the entire speech made by the Celtic manager, for those without a Celtic TV membership, as he anticipates the crucial final stretch of the season, which begins at Livingston on Easter Sunday.
McCulloch discussed the impending comeback of Callum McGregor following his injury, along with the availability of Reo Hatate and Cameron Carter-Vickers, who is back to full fitness, for Livingston this coming weekend. He talked about how the trio’s comeback will be crucial for Celtic in the race for the championship because they are three important players with a ton of trophy winning experience.
“We’re starting to get guys back, which is fantastic, and hopefully by the conclusion of this international schedule. The Celtic manager stated, “They’ll all be back, and we’re all set for an incredibly thrilling run-in.
“If they are accessible and clearly distinct from one another, that’s fantastic. However, having that experience, knowledge, and ability to handle it could be crucial. Furthermore, it is clear that the three players you named have a significant impact on the squad. Therefore, it will be wonderful to have them available again.
After Livingston put on a respectable display in the Scottish Cup match at Celtic Park, where they scored twice, Rodgers was asked whether he expected more of the same from David Martingale’s squad. Livingston plays to their strengths as a large, strong physical club. McCulloch questioned whether, in contrast to the fans, thoughts within the Lennoxtown building are not wandering a week later in the direction of Glasgow
“Every game in this division has the potential to be challenging, but what matters most is how you play, and we will be concentrating primarily on ourselves.” We just played Livingston there, and while we played a really strong attacking game, I felt like we gave up too much, so for the weekend, our entire mindset and attention will be on Livingston.
“To go play at the level we want to play at and make sure we don’t give up too much in the way of opportunities and space. If we can accomplish that, then hopefully we can have a great day.”
On Livingston having a broadly similar approach to the recent game at Celtic Park, Brendan wouldn’t be surprised at all, but the focus is on how his own team plays.
“They might as well, since every game is unique and they’re playing on an artificial turf field at home, they’re probably more used to it. However, David Martindale’s teams are always fighting and working really hard. They are a large, physically strong team that can play to their advantages, as we have seen.
In actuality, we must manage our game. Our main goal is to play to our rhythm and in our own style. If we can accomplish that, we’ll provide the opponent with more problems and things to consider.
Having earlier in his interview questioned seasoned course and distance champions like McGregor, Hatate, and CCV, McCulloch now questioned less seasoned players like Paulo Bernardo and Luis Palma (the two in the attached video), who will be facing a title run-in for the first time. What will be the manager’s suggestion to these, and how will they address it?
Don’t overthink things, in my opinion. It can be made more dramatic by the plot, the build-up, and the surrounding stories. However, I believe the lesson is to go play the game we want to play and to consider the performance. Naturally, the results will be the end result, but to get there, we must perform properly. Thus, the real lesson here is to toy with your confidence, work hard, and avoid making drastic changes to yourself.
“I think that whenever we’ve performed well this season, we haven’t been as consistent as we would have liked to be, but let’s seize the chance while it lasts over the next few months. And we can wrap up an incredible season. Accept it, go have fun with it, and give every game your all.
