Scottish champions Celtic have spent the past week in Dubai on a warm-weather training camp. The club currently lead the Scottish Premiership by 19 points after 20 matches and, having won the Scottish League Cup in November, have ambitions of securing a first treble since 2001. Below are some exerts from an interview conducted earlier this week with Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers.
Did the break in the league almost come at the wrong time, since the club are going so well in the Scottish Premiership?
“Sometimes you can think it can break your momentum, but for us we needed it. We came off the back of a nine-game period in December, which was very taxing on us. We needed it in order to recover, but also to work on aspects of our game where we can improve. So for us it allows us to go back refreshed and then hopefully pick up the intensity and then we go again. We want more, but if you want more you have to be better so that means you have to improve and that’s something we will do in the second part of the season.”
Is complacency the biggest threat to your clinching the league title and perhaps the treble?
“It’s something that we take and put in place strategies in order to avoid that. It could be, but certainly won’t be for us. It’s something we’ve prepared for; your talent alone is not enough at a club like Celtic. You have to work, you have to be able to work hard. So for us that’s something that we never disrespect. There’s always ambitions for us to become better. Like I say, Celtic is a club easily where if you’re a talent you can be protected, because of other players around you. But if you want to reach levels that we want to reach you have to push yourselves every day and you have to be at your best. And unfortunately that will mean some players will have to miss out, because they don’t quite have that relentless attitude. And that will always avoid complacency.”
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■ Celtic in Dubai: Rodgers on Kouassi Eboue's imminent arrival
■ Photo gallery: Celtic take part in Dubai training camp
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How do you reflect on your first seven months at Celtic?
“I’ve just thoroughly enjoyed it, it’s been great. It was important for me when I left a club like Liverpool to one, have a breather, but then my next job I needed pressure. And there’s a pressure at Celtic. It’s a huge club, there’s an expectancy to win every game. The only thing that Celtic doesn’t have is the propaganda, which is the Premier League. In every other aspect of football, Celtic is a huge club: fan base, stadium and history. They have a fantastic history. What it doesn’t have is the opportunity to play in the Premier League.”
Is it inevitable that Celtic’s future will be outside Scotland?
“I don’t think so much about it to be honest. I think strategically, that’s for other people to look at. All I know is, is that whatever league Celtic is in, it’ll be one of the biggest clubs there. Historically, it’s a very prestigious club worldwide. You look at the Premier League, if you finish bottom of that you get £100 million (Dh447.4m), and if you win the Scottish Premiership you get £2m. Whatever league it be in, the league is a better league for having a club like Glasgow Celtic in. It’s an iconic club worldwide and obviously one that could really grow and grow.”
Does qualifying for the Uefa Champions League last 16 next season represent your No 1 target?
“The No 1 target is to win the league in order to have the chance to qualify, and then qualification second, and then obviously once you qualify, third is to try and get out of the groups because of the finances and everything else that’s involved with other clubs. But it’s a fight and that’s exciting for us. We still have a bit if work to do. It’s very difficult; you could be a fantastic team and still not get through. But what’s important for me is building and growing the club. And what’s important first and foremost for that is qualifying for the Champions League. And to do that you need to win your league. It comes hand-in-hand really. But Champions League year-in, year-out is what we strive for.”
How important has the backing of the Celtic board been to you thus far?
“They’ve been amazing. From when I first met them to discuss the job, they’ve been 100 per cent behind me. So I can have no complaints. Peter Lawwell, who I work very closely with on a daily basis, has been first class. Dermott Desmond, a major shareholder, has been first-class, as well as all the others. There’s a high level of intellect at Celtic and I’m able to tap into that. That’s really helped us all.”
Did you expect Moussa Dembele’s first six months at the club to be so successful?
“The reason we brought him in was because we thought he could make a real positive impact. Of course, you never know 100 per cent, but what he’s gone on to achieve hasn’t surprised us, because of his temperament and his quality. He really has a big-game temperament and I think he’s one that will continue to show that.”
Would you like to manage again in the Premier League in future?
“I’m not really worried, I’m not bothered. Football’s a global game. I’ve been there; I’m happy not to be there now. I’m enjoying my experience with Celtic, a huge club. If I go back there one day, great, if I don’t, there’s no drama. It’s been nice watching it from a different perspective for the first time in a few years. I’ll be coaching for another 20 years. I’ll enjoy the travel and see where it takes me.”
You were close to signing Dele Alli at Liverpool. How do you view his progression at Tottenham Hotspur and has his ascent surprised you?
“You can’t say fully, but he was a talent — that’s why we wanted to get him in. He’s a big talent. He’s gone on and progressed very well. He’s got a nice coach there in Mauricio Pochettino, who’s given him the chance to flourish and develop, and collectively within the team, he’s flourished very, very well. I’m delighted for him, he played a lot of games as a young player in League One and he’s made that jump from League One into the Premier League and as you can see he’s coping very well. And coping on the international stage too.”
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