Brendan Rodgers reckons Celtic hit the wall in Dundee – but they are ready to smash through the next two season defining obstacles.
The Hoops kick-off their Scottish Cup campaign against Kilmarnock this evening before squaring up with Young Boys for a place in the Champions League knock-out stages. Rodgers admitted his men took a dip at Dens in the six goal thriller – but he’s convinced Celtic will back on high again for the huge days on the horizon. The Parkhead boss – who will have Daizen Maeda back fit – said: “Listen, we have to accept criticism.
“But if you look at the bigger picture of what the players are coming off, I think there’s also respect in that there comes a point in a season where any team, no matter how good a season you’re having, or no matter how bad a season you’re having, you’ll hit a little bit of a wall. It’s natural. It doesn’t matter how good you’ve been playing or not, you’re going to hit a little wall. And I felt that probably on Tuesday, on that seventh game in 20 days, was maybe that point.
“We have to accept the criticism, whether we like it or not. When you draw a game or lose a game, it’ll sting. But for us, it’s all part of being at a big club. You have to accept it, whether you agree with it or not. We have to deal with that and then move on to our next game. And that’s what our idea is.
“The players have done really, really well. So we now have a little point where we have that extra day of recovery going into Kilmarnock and then we don’t play until Wednesday.
“That allows us to virtually reset again and come out of what was a really, really, really tight, busy, hard schedule. From a physical perspective and a mental perspective, we’ll be ready. And if we have to go with team on a Saturday, then same team on a Wednesday, it won’t be a problem for us.”
Rodgers has celebrated some memorable Scottish Cup triumphs with three winners medals in his two spells. He’s determined to spark another Hampden charge and said: “We’re not defending it – we have to win it.
“And for that, we want to go in and attack the game and play to the level that we know we can. We’ve won a trophy, we’ve got two more to aim for, and of course it’s the next game.
“Our focus is very much on looking to get it off to a good start in the competition, one that this club is synonymous with. The final is an incredible occasion. It always comes on the back of a really long, arduous season with a lot of work.
“But as a game, it’s a great climax to the season. And obviously, of course, if you’ve won it, like we did last season against a great rival, then it makes it extra special. If you can get to the final and win it, then it can be a great end to your season.”
Celtic hit Killie for four on the opening day of the league campaign at Parkhead but Rodgers has faced Rugby Park gaffer Derek McInnes enough times to know it won’t be a breeze tonight. He said: “He’s a really good manager who’s got a lot of experience. And especially up here, he knows what it takes to win games. His teams are always difficult to play against.
“They’re well-organised, well-motivated. They work very hard. It’s a really tough game against them. Obviously, we played earlier in the season as well at home and played well and had a good scoreline. But it’s a cup game. So, we have to be ready to play against them.”