Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers may have put off suggestions of a “statement” being made in Saturday’s Premier Sports semi-final win versus Aberdeen – deep down, he’ll know it was just that.

Indeed, a hat-trick from Daizen Maeda, as well as goals from Cameron Carter-Vickers, Kyogo Furuhashi and Nicolas Kuhn ensured that Celtic booked their place in the League Cup final on Sunday, December 15 – where they face Philippe Clement’s Rangers. 

Saturday was a performance by Celtic that embodied everything good about the club on the park. The supporters came in their thousands, expecting the league leaders to put on a show, especially after the poor display three days prior against Dundee at Celtic Park in the Scottish Premiership. To call it a show would be an understatement, as Rodgers’ side put on a festival of football for their loyal fans – as well as a night of pain for the travelling Aberdeen contingent at the national stadium.

From front to back, Celtic were magnificent. Rodgers made some big calls concerning team selection, but they all paid off on the night to his side’s benefit. Auston Trusty was preferred to Liam Scales alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers, while Alex Valle started ahead of usual left-back Greg Taylor. Based on their respective performances against the Dons, you could say that the benched pair have a bit of work to do to claw their way back into the starting line-up, as the two starters were immense.

At just 20 years old, Valle carries himself as a footballer with wisdom beyond his years, as well as an attitude on the pitch that Rodgers looks for in young player. It has taken him a bit of time to adapt to the Scottish game – as well as his manager’s inverted style of play – though Valle is now thriving in this team at left-back. Barcelona – specifically La Masia - you’ve done it again.

Trusty faced fierce criticism after Falkirk and Borussia Dortmund respectively over the last few months or so, but those naysayers are an awful lot quieter after a stellar October for his new club, after making his big-money £6 million move up north from Sheffield United. Atalanta in Begamo was the making of Trusty, as his performance in Italy caught the eye of those watching Celtic in the Champions League. Keeping a clean sheet on his European travels, he has since managed to do so against Motherwell, Dundee and Aberdeen, playing every minute since starting in place of Carter-Vickers due to injury. Now that he is back, the all-American partnership is looking strong – albeit, two and a half games in.

Providing a stellar assist for Celtic’s sixth on the night, Alistair Johnston turned provider – temporarily (hopefully) hanging up his goalscoring boots at Hampden to allow his forward players to garner the spotlight. Having both he and fellow North American Carter-Vickers fit and firing can only make Rodgers’ side stronger in the long run, as Celtic can rely on these players dropping 7/8 out of 10 performances week on week in all competitions. If both can maintain their availability, you get the feeling that another special season may be transpiring at the club. Their recent goalscoring exploits is just an added bonus, in all honesty.

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Though no goals directly came from this position at Hampden, the midfield for Celtic was pivotal in the semi-final. Callum McGregor returned to the squad following a two-game absence due to injury, though his influence was largely overshadowed by those in front of him in the shape of Arne Engels ad Reo Hatate. With two assists on the night, Engels – like Trusty – sent a message to the doubters – a statement performance, perhaps? Indeed, with his pinpoint accuracy for Carter-Vickers’ opener, as well as a stabbed lay-off to Kuhn, he looked every inch an £11 million player at the national stadium. Drive, grit and determination, all of those mixed with his undoubted talent made for a standout performance by the Belgium international, yet even he was overshadowed by the man alongside him!

It was a joy to watch Hatate strut his stuff at Hampden last weekend. When defending the midfielder following sub-par performances, you look back to performances like Saturday’s, when he can single-handedly run a game with his technical ability in the middle of the park. This was the case at the weekend, as he tackled, intercepted and glided his way to another Celtic victory – a performance which both pundits and supporters were raving about at full-time. When he is on form like this, an unplayable force is present in Celtic’s engine room.

Though it SHOULD be the case with Celtic’s embarrassment of riches in the forward areas, five out of Celtic’s six goals came from the combined efforts of Maeda, Kuhn and Kyogo up front. It was both relieving and encouraging to see all three hit the back of the net, especially Kyogo, as his season has been admittedly up and down form-wise so far. With Maeda and Kuhn especially, Celtic have scored 16 goals through just these two individuals. The Japan left-winger looks to have gone up a level in his second season under Rodgers, while Germany’s Kuhn looks a completely different player this season. Now that all three are scoring, it makes the club’s attacking areas even more devastating.

Observing the five substitutes that came on in the second half versus Aberdeen, Rodgers now has that strength in depth that he has been looking for – a “statement” in its own right. Indeed, the manager was able to call upon Taylor, Paulo Bernardo, Scales, Adam Idah and James Forrest in the latter stages, both to chase more goals and to rest some of his starters from aggravating needless injuries. In any other time in the past 10 years, Bernardo would be getting played every week in near-enough every game, though this midfield is awash with talent – it is no shame being a rotational player, and his time will come. 

After firstly the disappointment of that 7-1 battering by Borussia Dortmund, then the 2-2 draw with Aberdeen in the league later on in the month, there were worries that Celtic may have hit a downturn in their form. However, this four-game stretch from Atalanta to Aberdeen has ensured that this was only a momentary blip in what is set to be a long and bruising campaign for the club on four fronts. 

With domestic bragging rights in the cup over Aberdeen, as well as a nine-point lead in the Scottish Premiership over Rangers, Celtic have managed to put out statements galore in the past few weeks. Time will tell if they can do the same in Europe on Tuesday versus RB Leipzig in the Champions League at Celtic Park.

You would not bet against them at this stage.