Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has sent a message to those on the fringes of his Celtic squad, explaining how every game isn’t just about the starting XI.
It comes after the Hoops romped to a comfortable 3-0 victory at Fir Park yesterday, in which the boss shook up his starting team.
Captain Callum McGregor missed out through a late injury, so Luke McCowan came in. Paulo Bernardo replaced Arne Engels, with James Forrest and Kyogo Furuhashi also returning to the frontline.
Despite making four changes to the lineup in Bergamo, there was no drop-off in Celtic’s performance levels.
A shaky opening few minutes were soon swept aside as goals from Luke McCowan, Alistair Johnston, and substitute striker Adam Idah sent the Bhoys on their way to victory.
Boss Rodgers must use his full squad, particularly during the current arduous period of fixtures, and that was the message he sent out post-match at Fir Park yesterday.
He said [The Celtic Way]: “I’ve told all the players that they all have a role to play: don’t ever think it’s just about the XI, because with how we work, and with the number of games, the energy we have to put into games, they all know they have a big contribution to make.
“We were able to rest Arne [Engels], who’s come in as a young player and played so many games, the distance he covered in midweek was huge.
“Having the ability to be able to do that, I’m very grateful to the club for getting the players in that allow us to do that.”
Celtic’s squad depth will be put to the test over the next week because, starting on Wednesday against Dundee, the Hoops have three games in seven days.
The likes of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Greg Taylor returning to fitness at such a juncture is hugely beneficial for Rodgers, too, as he aims to make progress on both the domestic and European fronts.
