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.

Will it only be in the future he’s fully appreciated? “Yeah, I think so. You normally are judged when you move on, you’re sometimes judged harshly when you’re still in post. I think if you look at the longevity of his career, to have played through the many, many players that have been here. You think of the wingers that have come into the club over the years he’s been here, for him still to have been the stalwart and a really, really important player. I think people were surprised when I said he was the best winger here but I think you see now what I was meaning. How he looks after the ball, his game understanding, how he protects it. He’s one of the best wingers I’ve ever, ever worked with at receiving the ball close to the line. Because he very rarely loses it. He can create goals, score goals. I think now the challenge for any players when they grow older is the intensity, especially in a team where intensity is the demand. But that doesn’t take away the contribution he can have. And I see it every day in training.”

Callum McGregor fitness

“He’s certainly getting there. I think the plan with Callum wasn’t to chuck him in. We know how important he is but you have to also look after him as well and manage his minutes, and that’s what we’ve been looking at doing. He’s looking like he’s getting up to speed. He was out for a long time before the Rangers game and came in had only had a couple of days training. So he did so well to even make that game. I see him every day in training and he’s looking much sharper and brighter. His fitness is really coming on.”

What to expect from Dundee

“I think they’ve had good results right the way through the season. I think Tony’s done a brilliant job, him and his staff. There will be stronger squads in the league that will feel they could’ve made the top six but I think the likes of Tony, Stephen Robinson at St Mirren and Derek McInnes at Kilmarnock, they’ve really shown their coaching and managerial qualities. In particular Tony coming through in his first season as a manager, the job he’s done is absolutely brilliant. I expect them to play how they’ve played all season which is with a collective spirit, work really hard for each other and give any team problems. We’ve played really well this season against Dundee but it’s no guarantee of anything. The only guarantee is that we have to be focused. And if we are, and show focus and ambition, it gives us the opportunity to get three points.”