“Brendan Rodgers Hits Back at Celtic Critics: ‘We’re Not Robots’ – But One Brutal Truth About Rangers Defeat REALLY Hurts
Brendan Rodgers acknowledges that his Celtic players aren’t robots, but he insists they can’t escape responsibility after being outplayed by Rangers.
Rodgers watched helplessly from the sideline as his team suffered a 3-0 defeat to their rivals, narrowing their lead at the top of the league to 11 points. While the title race is far from being back on, this first loss of the season served as a reminder to Celtic that there is still much work to be done in their pursuit of a fifth consecutive Premiership title. Goals from Ianis Hagi, Robin Propper, and Danilo made the difference at Ibrox. Although Rodgers was understandably disappointed, he refrained from criticizing his players, reflecting instead on their lack of intensity.
“Very disappointed with both the performance and the result. The best team won today. They had an edge we didn’t have. We made too many mistakes. I said before the match that it wouldn’t matter if we were 50 points ahead—Celtic vs. Rangers is always everything. But we didn’t play with that drive and character,” said Rodgers.
“This is a wake-up call about what it takes to win a game. We couldn’t control the midfield. There were too many sloppy passes, too many giveaways. We need to reflect on this match. It’s not pleasant, but we have to analyze it and improve.”
“Our performance was poor. We made too many errors, especially in the first half with the ball. That invited pressure. We trapped ourselves in difficult situations.”
“After they went 1-0 up, it gave the stadium a boost. Rangers were the better team today. It was uncharacteristic of us. We weren’t aggressive enough without the ball, losing too many duels, which allowed them to break out of pressure. Our play on the ball was too slow.”
“It was a disappointing game. I’m not sure if the 14-point gap had any effect on our mindset, but it shouldn’t have, though it could have subconsciously. We didn’t play well, and Rangers deserved to win.”
“It was just one of those days. They’re not robots. The energy in the stadium was different. They wanted to prove a point after not beating us, and with their position in the league, there were many factors at play.”
