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6 Brendan Rodgers Celtic presser takeaways including James Forrest love-in

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6 Brendan Rodgers Celtic presser takeaways including James Forrest love-in

We’re into the business end of the season and Brendan Rodgers has already spoken about how his Celtic team “come alive” at this point when it’s soon time for trophies to be handed out.

And as we head into the post-split fixtures the Northern Irishman will be looking for his players to once again prove that to indeed be the case. They start with a trip to Dundee and as Rangers found out to their cost in the last league outing, that can test you to the fullest.




The Hoops were far from convincing as they edged past Aberdeen on penalties to reach the Scottish Cup final and will require a more controlled performance to take three points against Tony Docherty’s side, who still have Europe on their mind after securing top six.

The Dens Park pitch will come into focus but Rodgers insists he has no fears. That’s one of our six takeaways from the presser below.

Maeda fitness

“I think initially we might’ve been thinking it was his season over but he’s been out on the pitch. He won’t be ready for this weekend but we have a feeling we’ll see him at some point before the end of the season which is great news. What does the time frame look like? Don’t know. He’ll finish off the beginning of next week doing his rehab on the grass with the medical team and we’ll assess it from there. It’d be a massive boost for us because he hasn’t missed that much. So fitness-wise he wouldn’t have lost a great deal even though he’s a machine physically. Someone like him provides us with a great intensity in the game and that inspires others.”

Kitman blast

“Stevie got a wee bit of a blast from me, didn’t he? Bless him. He’s a good guy, Stevie, Celtic daft. Celtic mad. But you’ve got to know your place.”

Dens Park pitch

“Not really, no (does it come into focus). I watched the Rangers game and I actually thought it needed a wee bit of water on there! I have to say in all the time over my two spells when I’ve been at Dundee the pitch has always been in a really, really good place. I did go up there earlier in the season to see Cammy Kerr’s testimonial game and it was a little bit slippy then and that was early in the season. But I don’t have any worries about it. The weather has been good and I’m sure if it needs a little bit of water they can stick that on.”

James Forrest influence

“Very, very important. I think he’s a certified winner, he knows what it takes and having someone of his ability and stature around the team is very important at this stage. I think you’ve seen it in a number of the cameos he’s produced recently. He didn’t get as much game time in parts of this season that maybe he felt he deserved. We were giving other players a chance that we brought in. But the longer it goes on you see his qualities and what he brings to the team. His mindset and what he brings to the pitch and that calmness as well as the quality will be really important for us. He’s a remarkable professional. From the first time I met him in 2016 there were some noises about him moving but I never felt that at all. His professionalism, his focus is absolutely phenomenal. How he looks after his body, prepares himself, has never wavered. I was never, ever going to rule him out because I know what he gave me my first time here and in spells this time round. He’ll be instrumental figure for us on the pitch and off the pitch.

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