""We're nowhere near our level, I can be clear on that," he told BBC Scotland after his side came from behind to beat Motherwell in stoppage time in a five-goal Scottish Premiership thriller. A disgruntled home crowd watched on as Celtic were ahead, level and then behind before a gift from goalkeeper Calum Ward allowed Benjamin Nygren to equalise. But, with the Parkhead club heading for a third straight game without victory, Daizen Maeda's 92nd-minute header changed the mood."
""Clearly it's a very important win for us," he added. "The players showed an unbelievable amount of heart. "We showed a real strong mentality and real competitive grit. Even though we're not at our levels we've shown in the past, you still have to win." Rodgers praised the impact of his substitutions, with Nygren slamming in the equaliser that was gifted to him and Michel-Ange Balikwisha setting up Maeda for the decisive goal."
"Japan forward Maeda has been a shadow of the player that netted 33 goals and provided 12 assists last term, scoring just twice in 12 games prior to this weekend. Rodgers revealed transfer speculation has impacted the 27-year-old, who wanted to leave Glasgow in the summer. A potential departure was seemingly blocked by the club hierarchy in a transfer window that sparked fury among the support. The Celtic boss suggested the mood around the club is still not quite right but hailed Maeda's commitment"
Celtic came from behind to beat Motherwell with Daizen Maeda's 92nd-minute header in a five-goal Scottish Premiership thriller. Brendan Rodgers judged the team's early-season displays unconvincing and said the squad are not at their usual level. Rodgers highlighted the players' mentality, competitive grit and the positive impact of substitutions, with Benjamin Nygren equalising and Michel-Ange Balikwisha creating the winner. Maeda had only two goals in 12 games after a 33-goal season the previous term. Transfer speculation and a blocked summer exit reportedly affected Maeda and contributed to unrest around the club. The victory kept Celtic unbeaten in the league and moved them within two points of Hearts.
Read at www.bbc.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]