Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers last night welcomed the arrival of a furious fortnight that has the potential to shape the entire season and praised his players for entering it in such relentless style.
Rodgers made six changes from the side that drew 1-1 with Club Brugge in the Champions League for yesterday’s visit of Ross County and saw his side win thanks to first-half goals from Liam Scales, Luke McCowan, Paulo Bernardo, Callum McGregor and Adam Idah.
Currently five points clear of Aberdeen having played the same amount of games, the Parkhead outfit can put one hand on the Premiership title by winning at Pittodrie on Wednesday night.
Then, after playing host to Hibernian next weekend, they go to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League — knowing a positive result would more or less secure a play-off place — and follow that up with the Premier Sports Cup final against Rangers on December 15.
Rodgers is energised by the prospect of his squad being tested to the full and was delighted by the standard of the performance against County with so many established first-picks left on the bench.
Addressing the challenge of the next two weeks, he said: ‘We are really excited by it. These are the environments that we want to be in.
Celtic stars Johnston, Scales, McGregor and Bernardo are all smiles during the rout of County
Brendan Rodgers was thrilled by the performance of his side after resting several key men
Adam Idah rounded off the scoring with an expertly-placed finish before the half-time interval
‘We are trying to develop a team that is going to challenge on all fronts. That is the confidence that the team have at the moment, but I think what you saw (against Ross County) is the real humility of the team.
‘We make the changes, the players come in and work tirelessly to the structure that we want. With all these games coming up, we need that.
‘It was so good (against County). It was everything that you would want as a coach. From the very first whistle, you saw the hunger, determination and the mentality to impose our style on the game.
‘Scalesy gets us off to a great start. We were relentless after that. We played equally as well in the second half, but you have to give credit to the goalkeeper.
‘I was so impressed with the mentality of the team. This is a really strong sign we’ve sent out. The team is in a really good place but we will never get carried away.’
Asked about the potential of putting greater daylight between themselves and second-placed Aberdeen, Rodgers replied: ‘Yes, it is another opportunity to go there. It is a great atmosphere. I enjoy the games at Pittodrie.
‘They are great challenges, always. For us, we know we will go in with a really fresh squad, a confident squad.’
Rodgers knows the demands and made a point of reflecting on a 1-0 win against County last season — at the tail-end of January — in which the home support made their unhappiness with the standard of the display known.
Luke McCowan celebrates his goal and later revealed his current go-to show on Netflix
A bad day for County keeper Ross Laidlaw was compounded by a serious ligament injury
‘Listen, it is not lost on me,’ he said. ‘We got booed off here last year.
‘We actually won 1-0, but what I know from my time — and, obviously, from knowing Celtic — is that it isn’t just about the scoreline. It is about the performance.
‘I think what is great is the consistency now and how, from those moments of last year, this team is evolving and developing.
‘To come and play with that energy and mentality and quality, that is really pleasing.’
McCowan was named man-of-the-match on his return to the starting line-up and delivered three assists in addition to his goal. The former Dundee man reckons the win showed that Celtic have a squad that is definitely strong enough to fight on all fronts.
‘The performance was top level,’ he said. ‘The squad’s massive. It’s full of unbelievable quality.
‘It’s about spurring everybody on, it’s about pushing each other, getting the best out of each other.’
And McCowan insisted, ahead of this week’s trip to Pittodrie, that there has been no talk among the players about stretching ahead in the title race. Their only subject matter, he says, is what they are streaming on TV.
‘No, we’re not talking about anything like that. We are talking about what are watching on Netflix,’ he smiled. ‘I’m watching Starting Five.
‘So, no, the boys don’t look at that. I don’t anyway. You don’t sit and think about league tables and whatever.’
Staggies boss Don Cowie had to replace Ross Laidlaw just before half-time following a collision with Idah and has revealed the keeper will face a scan on a suspected medial collateral ligament injury in his left knee.
On the result, he said: ‘We are playing against a Champions League team and it’s having the reality that, if they play well, it’s a really tough afternoon. They had a 15-minute spell where they didn’t let us breathe and were relentless. Yes, we can stand up to it better, but they are a top-quality team.’
