Why Celtic will be in a 'good place' according to Rodgers

In terms of transfers, you have Arne Engels and Auston Trusty about to come in the door. What's the latest you can tell us about them?

We are in a really good place, in terms of that. We hope by the close of the market we will have some numbers signed, sealed, and delivered as well as making our squad stronger. I think that is always the goal. I entered into this window and said that we wanted to make the team stronger and hopefully by the close of the market, that is the case.

If you do bring in Engels and Trusty would you say your squad is stronger from where it was at the end of last season?

I don't want to pick any names until they are signed but that is the aim. We don't want to just regenerate the squad, we want to improve the squad. I believe come the end that will be the case. As I said before there has been a lot of hard work going on behind the scenes, of course, things don't happen until later on either through availability or a club not willing to sell a player but there has been a lot of movement in the last four or five days and thankfully for me, the club have been great in trying to push these deals through.

The calibre of players you are bringing in and the level of quality you have been looking at suggests that is why it has taken so long for them to come in, would that be fair to say?

Yes, quality always takes a little bit of time. I think we always wanted to improve. That was the key. The guys that have been here have been brilliant for me in the opening games of the season but we want to continue to progress and that is key for us. The players we have identified and brought into the team will really supplement the squad and they have been great for us. If we can add a number before the end of the evening then we will be in a really, really good place.

If it is just two players - a defender and a midfielder - would you be happy with that? Before Matt left you said you wanted a certain number.

I am not going to give you a number, you've tried desperately to get it. I am not going to do that and I repeat that by the end of the evening, we will be in a really good place.

If you get the players in will any of them potentially be involved at the weekend?

Yeah, they could be. A number of players we have been looking at have been playing and they are up to speed. We will always do an MOT on the players whenever they come in just to see where they are at anyway. Most of the players we are looking at will be in a good place.

What are you expecting from Rangers this weekend as they have a different squad from last season?

The challenge most of all. People can sometimes assume that when you are doing well and everything is going great you can just turn up and win. That is a very dangerous way to think and that's why at Celtic we never, ever do that. We are in a really, really good place as a team from a football perspective. The level that we are playing at with and without the ball is really pleasing. We come into these games. They are different as they are emotional games. What I have always tried to do with these games is to focus on the performance and the players have prepared really well all this week. Rangers will come in and it will be a tough game.

What did you make of the Champions League draw and what will it do for the teams' chances if you get the quality in that you expect?

It was absolutely brilliant. We all love the draw and everything else before. I thought it was really well done. The teams that we have drawn are fantastic. We are playing against the Champions League finalists, the Europa League winners, amongst the other teams.
It is so exciting from a manager's perspective as well as the players. We will get a chance to play against the best in Europe and there are some exciting cities for the supporters to go to. We are here for the football and we want to make a mark in that tournament. It was a great draw and the different teams and different thoughts around it all but it is really exciting for us.

Do you have a fighting chance when you look at those teams?

That's the plan. We are not there to participate in the competition we want to be competitive in it. We have to remember it is the elite level of club football. People will look at some teams and think that's easy but that is not the way football works. For me, it is a brilliant draw and I am really excited by it. The players and staff will be too when it comes.

Cameron Carter-Vickers was not at training. Is there an issue with him?

No. We just gave him a wee recovery. We sometimes do that with players who are overloaded and we measure and monitor that. We can take one or two out and give them a recovery day having worked hard all week. He's fine.

Celtic could break their record transfer fee with Engels. Are you encouraged by the level of ambition the club has shown this week?

We will see when the market closes.

Matt O'Riley left and he took with him a lot of goals and assists. You have brought in Bernardo. Midfielders are more than just goals and assists. Can you speak as a manager about what challenges you face when you bring in a new player to a well-functioning team where relationships exist and there is a natural rhythm? The connections around the pitch can get disrupted a wee bit, can't they?

It is a brilliant question because that is why your recruitment is so important. We want to bring in players who fit the rhythm of the team, the connectivity within the team and who suit the style. It is not just about players. It is about the right players. That is so important. That is why it does take time. There are lots of good players but not every player can fit into the system of how we work or fit into the structure and are ones that we feel can elevate the team. As you see in the early part of the season the team is functioning so well but we can never take that for granted. We always have to provide competition for the players that are here so we have depth in our squad as we go deep in a lot of competitions. There are high-intensity games like those levels in the Champions League that can take so much out of you from a physical capacity. What also helps is having five substitutes in the modern game you can make those changes and you can bring players in and out of similar quality that keeps the rhythm and keeps the intensity in the game. Bringing in players that fit is the key to the recruitment team.

You mentioned competition for places. You have brought in a left-back (Alex Valle from Barcelona), Greg Taylor has been Celtic's first-choice left-back for the past three seasons and did really well. He now has competition in that position. How important is it for you that there is competition for places and does that push the rest of the squad on if they know there is competition behind them?

I think at a top club it is vital. It also has to be expected. When you are at a club of this status and size you need to know that there is competition. I think most players know that. Greg Taylor has been brilliant for Celtic. I have to say for a guy that came in for a couple of million pounds from Kilmarnock, what he has given the team over the time before I arrived. I have seen him over the time I have been here he has been absolutely brilliant for us in terms of how he plays the role and how we want him to play it. He has been absolutely first-class. I love Greg as a player and I love him as a person. He is a good guy, very conscientious and robust, he trains every day and he plays most games. Ultimately you need competition and you need to be able to take a player out to give them a rest and a breather. Competition is very important, especially at the biggest clubs.

There’s been a lot of talk on incomings, but are there any players that could potentially leave before the end of the day?

I think it’s a revolving door really. For some of the players, they need to go and play. For the likes of Gustav Lagerbielke, who has gone out, and a few others that will go out and play. It’s just been a case of getting the squad to a manageable level, but it’s young guys’ careers and they want to be playing football. At a club like Celtic, if you’re not playing then you may only want to do that for a certain period of time, before going and getting your career going again. There might be a little bit of movement over the course of the rest of the day on that.

The development has been clear in the team so far this season. What has pleased you most about how the team has come on?

Our pressing. I’ve always said that passing the ball and pressing are like twins. When you press the game well you pass the game well. In the first six months of the season, I felt that they weren’t doing either very well and with enough consistency. That started to pick up in the second part of the season and then it really picked up in the last three months of the season. You guys probably look at and analyse the games - we’ve had three shots against us in the three games - that tells you how hard the teams are pressing and working together. That then elevates the football. Our mantra here is to respect the 30 per cent because that’s the most important bit - the bit when you don’t have the ball. That was why it was so nice last week when Stephen (Robinson) talked after the game because he wanted to change his team and probably wanted to go physical and set-pieces, but we did the dirty side of the game. The top players do that - some people call it the easy side - and it’s stuff that people don’t notice and understand - but it’s key from a coach and players’ perspective. The pressing side, the aggression and the compactness of the team - that all brings the football to another level. That’s been the most pleasing part for me.

Do you think Celtic will be better equipped for the Champions League this season, not just the squad but the tactical evolution and improvement in the team?

I think so. We tried some things in pre-season against Man City and Chelsea that worked well for us against a calibre of opponent that will ask different questions of us, so we looked at things tactically with slight little tweaks and adjustments that can work well for us. This is what I love about this team, the constant evolution of the game and the constant improvement. They’re more accustomed to me now and what I demand and want. There’s a real focus and clarity, and you see that on the pitch. I’m really excited by the Champions League and what that can bring. It’ll be really positive.

In terms of the draw, does that open up a new opportunity for Celtic? You’ve got some good calibre teams in there but the home games in particular - people may look at that and see that the draw could have been worse. 

We’ve been here before! The key thing is not to underestimate and not to assume because we’re playing Club Brugge that they’ve maybe not got good players there or RB Leipzig. There is nothing easy in this level of the competition. Okay, you may not be playing the team that’s won 14 times, but it doesn’t mean the other teams aren’t any good. What it does give us is that confidence in our game. It does give us an opportunity to make our mark at that level. That was always what we wanted to be able to do. The home games will be equally as tough in different ways as the away games. Some of the glamour and big ties have maybe be seen to be away, but the home games will be tough games for us. We will be ready, and we’ll have the support, and the stadium will be on absolute fire. I cannot wait 

Can you describe what this week is like for a Celtic manager when you’re preparing for a derby, trying to get signings in and the UCL draw? Do you delegate things or are you front and centre? How do you manage your week?

There’s no getting away from it, it is a very tiring week. I’m very fortunate here because I’ve got amazing staff. The manager sits here and does the press and everything else and manages everything but I’ve got brilliant coaches that manage the coaching aspect of it really well. I’ve got a recruitment team that has worked tirelessly every single day, and then I manage it all. It’s time, it’s a long day, but it always is. We’ve got Celtic-Rangers at the end of it all. It’s a great life and I cannot complain.

How much does it help you and the players that your derby record has been so good?

No matter how many, I treat it and ask the players to treat it like their first game. The experience that lots of the players have had in it is great, but you cannot assume that you can just turn up and play in these games, regardless of your record in the past. You have to have a real focus and a real clarity on what it is that you want to do, but I think we have a nice rhythm. For us, we prepare for a big game in every single game that we play. Our preparations are always the same. It’s been the same, we’ve been very focused and detailed, giving clarity to the players and not being overly tense in the preparation but just bringing that calmness to it all. We’ll look to deliver it at the weekend.

Does the first derby carry more significance in a season, do you think that way in terms of putting a marker down?

I think every game is. Whether it’s the first one or the last one. Every Celtic-Rangers game means everything. I think for me, it’s important for us to look to continue with our momentum and our mentality going into these games has been very good. For us, we want to perform, and that’s a process. That’s our only focus, and then we look to see what the result brings.

In periods of time in the past with Derby matches, there have been times when maybe Rangers looked weaker or stronger. You’ve dealt with both similarly. Is that something you take into account now, when you’re big favourites going into the game?

That story is never created by us. That will be created by you guys (the media). As professional football players and coaches and managers, we prepare for the game, and these games in particular - there’s a different psyche in them. For us, we’re coming into it in a really good place, but we’re never assuming that we don’t have to do the work. You have to do the dirty side of the game and be together and unified. Then, you need to bring your football in and see how difficult you can make it for the opponent.

Do you still get a buzz from these games?

Every single one. I feel it is always like my first game because I know what it means to everyone. I understand the feeling and I understand the journeys of the Celtic support. I know what it means. We’ll go into it and be ready for a tough game. It’s the first one of many this season and we’re really excited by it.

Martin O’Neill was saying even after winning these games you feel a mixture of relief and joy. What’s your initial emotion been after a victory?

There’s always a satisfaction whenever you win - whether you’re a favourite or against the odds. Winning any Derby game is always special. My feeling is always happiness and joy, then it’s about reflective analysis of the game to see areas of improvement and where better is required - and look to take that forward. You’re going to have millions of people watching this game, wishing and loving to be a part of it. My feeling is I’m very lucky to be right in it. That’s my approach every single time. We’re in it to win and play well so that’s a good feeling if we can do that at the end.