Why Celtic manager Rodgers thinks this player will succeed

Is there ever any frustration when a break comes along after you have had such a good start to the season or is it good to take stock and restart?

We know the calendar. What was important was that we had a good pre-season so we could then lead us into a good start. We have had a fantastic start. The mood is good and we are ready to go again.

Did everyone return fit and well and good to go?

Ali (Johnston) and Jesse (Marsch) were sensible in terms of how he felt in the game and took him off and sent him back. It was just as a precaution really. He felt a little tight but he felt a similar niggle going into the Rangers game as well. We need to protect him. He has travelled and gone away and felt a little bit of tightness in the game but they managed him well. So, we brought him back and he's trained well.

You have been through this calendar many times does it ever become an extra challenge to pick up from where you left off before the break? Do you find that seamless?

It is always a challenge. You just have to reset everything after you have spent so long with the players and we brought new players in during the final week of the window. It is still very early stages of the season and you just try and recalibrate everything when everyone comes back in order to get that rhythm again. The mood is good in the team and we have set our objective over the course of the next six games and that is to continue to be a really difficult team to play against.

Can you see the benefit of the break sometimes for Arne Engels who goes away and becomes a Belgium international? Will you see the fruits of that going forward?

He is a very young player. It was great for him being a young player who has played a lot of games in the Bundesliga. He was on the way to a talented Belgium squad. It was really nice as we brought him in and he got his first cap and his first feel of being a Celtic player in a Rangers game and now he's back and motivated to do well like the others.

How important is this block of fixtures as this is the one where Champions League football enters the equation?

Over the course of next week, we are in three different competitions - all at home - and we are all excited by that. The next game mantra is still very much in our thinking.

Is this where the quality that you spoke about and brought in during the final week of the transfer window is brought to the fore when you have so many important games? You have that strength in depth and is that the scenario you were talking about when you said you needed that quality in?

I think the strength for us is that it will serve us well over the course of the season. It is not just for now. It is a really long season and there is another break in October which we have had for a number of years up here. There is international football for a number of players. Having that depth of squad to keep the rhythm, intensity, speed and functionality of the team is important. I am really pleased as we did really well in the window with the players that we brought in and I am really happy with that but we still want to improve going forward. The players we bring in will improve and get better and the squad is looking strong.

It is still early but do you feel that fresh injection of energy around the first team squad and the levels going up on the training ground?

I think the players who have been here all the way through when we didn't make signings have been fantastic. If you saw the level we were at in pre-season then it was a really high level. At this stage, those guys continued that into the league and we have brought in other guys to strengthen that. That puts us in a good place to develop the talents and keep them improving but also importantly make them fit into our structure. I think it always brings that new energy when you bring in other players and good players as that always helps the squad.

How excited are you by that, then?

Very. It is what I have done all my life. I enjoy that aspect of it. I enjoy the coaching and development side of it all. We have brilliant staff here and on the coaching field also who will help these guys improve. Off the field, they are coming into a great family here at Celtic and I know from speaking to guys like Kasper - who has been around a long time - and I know how excited he is about being here and what he has felt since he has come in. I know the younger players are going to feel that as well. It is a really exciting period but it is still so early in the season and we keep our focus on improving.

A word on Alistair (Johnston) as there are reports about contract negotiations with him and his representatives. First of all, is that the case and how important would it be for him to extend his stay?

There is nothing that I am aware of. We would love to have him here for as long as we possibly can. He has three-and-a-half years left on his deal and he is playing ever so well. He has his power, strength and running ability and he is in a really good place. Naturally, as a manager we want him to be here but that is something that is between his representatives and the club.

You have talked before about the benefits of Callum (McGregor) getting an extended rest now that he has quit international football. Was it good to have him around for a bit longer during this break? Did he help ease the new players in as well?

I thought he looked great. He had a few days away and he looked fresh and amazing to be fair. He was here and he did some training and we gave him some recovery time. Hopefully, he can keep the sequence of goals continuing. He is an absolutely brilliant player for us and a leader on the pitch and it was nice to have him about but most importantly having him fresh and ready to meet the challenge of the next six games.

He has just won his first Player of the Month award. That may be surprising but that just goes to show what is expected of him and the consistency level at a club like this, doesn't it?

I am surprised by that. What I love about Callum and it is also what this club brings you. Being at Celtic is all about a culture of winning and to be a winner there is a process involved in that. That process is training and when you are in the programme for long enough what you will be is a player who is super fit, intense and consistent and that's Callum McGregor. That all comes from being a Celtic player. You need the intensity to be here, you need the focus, and you get that fitness. The other Celtic boys here the likes of Tony Ralston, Stephen Welsh, James Forrest - that's what they bring. Callum as the captain really typifies what being a Celtic player is. Performing consistently at the level that I know these guys have been at from when I was up here the first time then it is a surprise that this is Callum's first Player of the Month award and that fact is correct.

Can I ask you about Alistair as you will have worked with a lot of top full-backs in your time? Is he showing signs that he can be one of the top ones that you have worked with going forward with the way he has been playing?

There is no doubt. He possesses so many qualities. His hunger to win and he has robustness and power and strength. He is hard to beat on a one-on-one and he now totally understands how I want to work and he can release himself. He can march and go forward and test the mentality of his marker and you see it now he is also scoring goals and creating goals. Ultimately, he can defend well and he has that hunger to defend. He is a really good guy and I am really enjoying working with him and he will still get better. If you think of his journey back home in the MLS and to here and being an international player, he is only going to improve and I can see that in him during my time here.

You spoke after the Hibs game in the League Cup about how the counter-pressing set a platform for you that day. How much pride do you take in the team’s defensive efforts, because there’s so much focus on your team going forward?

That’s the dirty bit that doesn’t get noticed so much from the stands. From a coach and player’s perspective, it’s everything. For me, the defensive philosophy coincides with the attacking philosophy. You need to be good in that defensive side and your structure. Being defensively sound gives you that opportunity to attack more. That’s what we’re seeing over the course of the season - that aggression and winning duels, as well as winning second and third balls. All of that dirty stuff allows you to attack more. If you neglect that side, then you don’t attack the same. Why? Because you won’t have the same amount of time on the ball because you’re defending more. The better your counter-pressing and defending and how tighter you are, the more synchronised you are - this gives you the opportunity to score more goals. That side of it I’m so happy with at the moment.

Is there a pride from back to front with the players on how you’re keeping clean sheets? There does seem to be an edge to them.

That’s the edge that we want to have. We made that agreement in the summer that it’s defending first, and that’s not a negative because it helps us attack better. All the work we did throughout pre-season over the course of it and fine-tuning things where we could press well. We want to keep clean sheets ideally but you can’t always do that. We’ve shown over this opening period that that is the mantra. For any of my teams, that always has been the case. Pressing well allows you to pass the ball well and create opportunities.

How is a Reo Hatate after travelling on international break with no minutes? Is he frustrated?

I felt a wee bit for him. I saw in the first game that he wasn’t involved and Daizen was - and scored, which was great. Then, he wasn’t involved in the second game and I was disappointed for him because he had gone out there and trained and travelled. He’s come back and still been positive. He’s going to work even harder and just try to be as consistent as possible. Hopefully, that will be a great motivating factor for him in these next number of games.

It does seem a bit strange that Kyogo doesn’t get picked and Hatate is not being used - is that a concern?

Or Japan must just have a really good squad! I think you have to respect that. Japan are a leading country and have some outstanding players. You look throughout Europe and in the premier league - some top players. You have to respect that. You look at Kyogo and his running and how he’s developing, he’s been sensational, really. If Reo can add consistency to his game, then that will elevate his opportunities to play. We know about the good players, and it’s not about proving people wrong, but you’ve got to prove your point all the time and see where it takes you. Hopefully, they can continue to do that and they get the opportunities. If not, we benefit from it in a way because they’re fresh. Japan have a really good squad of players. 

What have you made of Hearts this season? They had a good season last year but are finding things a bit more difficult this time around.

In terms of points, it’s probably been a challenge for Steven, with European football as well. They will improve, and I don’t have any other thoughts on that other than they will improve. It’s still very early on in the season. I believe I’m right in saying Steven signed a new contract in the summer, so he clearly feels wanted and appreciated by the club, so they want him to continue with the work. They’ll be expected to improve, but I’m pretty sure they will. For me, we just have to be ready for a really good game. We’re in a really good mood to keep our performance levels as high as possible and make it as difficult as we can for Hearts tomorrow.

You said part of your job is about keeping players focused and alleviating external pressure. It’s a big week ahead, is that more difficult in a week like this with three competitions being played?

For people outside and yourselves and supporters, it’s amazing and you do look ahead. This is the boring side of coaching because you have to focus on the next game. I can tell you with lots of experience that it is what we focus on. We haven’t mentioned Bratislava - yes, I’ve watched them and a number of games - but with regards to the players, no, our focus is getting everyone back. This was our first day back together with the whole squad. We’ve had to reset and recalibrate everything again and just focus on our performance tomorrow. After that, we can think about Wednesday and Sunday. When you look into the future, it’s three great games for us in three different competitions.

Any update on Greg Taylor’s contract situation?

No, not yet. I hope we can get something organised and done on that because he’s a fantastic player for us. He makes that position work how we want it to look, and he’s first class. He knows we want him to stay and hopefully, between his reps and the club, we can organise that. He is a player that I really rate and I’ve seen him grow from the outside looking in. I really like everything about Greg, his personality and I love his spirit. I love how he plays the game and he plays like a midfielder coming from that outside position into the pitch. He makes it difficult for the opposition and he is technically strong for a player who is small in stature. He competes in his duels and wins headers and does a lot of good things in the game which I like and appreciate. I really hope that we can tie him down. In this period, that would be a real priority for us to get something sorted.

On VAR, we’ve seen Willie Collum giving transparency on decisions - admitting Celtic were on the wrong end of a decision in the first week. As a bigger picture, how helpful do you feel this will be in Scotland?

I thought it was great, and at the time I spoke with Willie about the free-kick. I felt at the time it was a penalty, then I spoke with him on the Monday, and I have to admit he was very, very clear on his thoughts. It can only be applauded - I think the whole thing about transparency is what we want. He’s coming out, he’s calling it as it is as he’s just come off the field as a referee, so he knows the temperature. His experience will help, and I know he’s trying to have an educational programme, because there aren’t many top referees up here, and I say that in the nicest possible way. Guys like Willie and others who have experience will help those guys coming through. I thought it was open, and honest, but he can’t do that every single weekend. Your phone lines would be really busy! He can do it the way they’ve planned to do it like every month or whatever. I thought it was good, and honest and it will help the referees increase their standard and level.