Celtic Manager Brendan Rodgers Discusses 3-1 Victory Over RB Leipzig

Following Celtic’s 3-1 win against RB Leipzig, manager Brendan Rodgers reflected on his team’s performance, stating, “We had the combination of the vibrancy and excitement in attack from the Bratislava game and then the real tactical discipline in our defending from Atalanta.” He emphasized that the team successfully integrated these aspects to deliver “an outstanding team performance against a really, really good sides,” adding, “I tip my hat to the players.” Rodgers expressed particular satisfaction with Nicolas Kuhn’s second goal, noting, “Nicolas Kuhn’s second goal really pleased me because you need to play with real courage to press against a side who have so much speed.” He described the sequence leading to the goal: “We really stayed on it, win the ball back high up the pitch, Reo [Hatate] produces a great piece of skill, then we get a cross into the box, get those wingers coming in, it was a really nice way to finish the half.” The manager also highlighted the quality of their play in the second half, calling some of their football “outstanding.” He pointed out the team’s effective control and management of the game, asserting that “our win was really deserved.” Rodgers believes the victory provides “real, nice confidence,” demonstrating that “we’ve discovered in the last two games we can be really competitive.” He acknowledged the unexpected nature of their recent success, stating, “If you told us after the Dortmund game we’d have four points from the next two games, I don’t think too many people would have said we would have done that.” Despite the positive momentum, he cautioned, “It’s a great next step and gives us great encouragement to go and make the play-off stage, but there is still so much to do.” Rodgers also commended the supporters, remarking, “The supporters were great with how they stayed with the team, they trusted what they were seeing.” He articulated the club’s ambition to “build step by step to make this a difficult place to be,” recognizing RB Leipzig’s quality by saying, “RB Leipzig are a top side, they will say that was a real difficult game for them tonight.” The manager stressed the importance of maintaining humility and focus, concluding, “We have to stay humble in our work, we can’t get too far ahead of ourselves. We played so well tonight, we sit in a really good place, we now just focus on our next game and see where it takes us.”