Brendan Rodgers has discussed his decision to substitute Auston Trusty for Liam Scales at halftime in the Premier Sports Cup final win over Rangers this afternoon.
With Trusty having no injury, it was a tactical move from Rodgers.
The Irishman revealed his thinking behind the unusual centre-back change at halftime post-match, which would have come as a surprise to everyone watching the game.
He said: (Premier Sports), “I thought we had no cleanliness in our buildup at all; it was so clunky. We couldn’t get through the pitch, and we looked a wee bit edgy. I didn’t like that, but how we cleaned the game up was better.
“Scales has been brilliant, to be fair. I just felt that he’s had experience in playing in finals for us now, and he was able to clean the game up. We can penetrate and get it forward quicker.”
In the end, Celtic won the game on penalties, with a momentum shift after Scales came onto the pitch.
It wasn’t his best performance in a Celtic shirt, but when he came on, the game shifted in the Hoops’ favour.
It says a lot about the depth at Rodgers’ disposal that he can bring on a centre-back at halftime in a Glasgow Derby cup final.
With Scales pushing CCV and Trusty for a starting spot, the Irishman was able to come into the game at halftime and make an impact.
