CELTIC manager Brendan Rodgers has expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance in the first half of their match against Gamba Osaka.
Despite conceding six goals in their previous match against Yokohama F. Marinos, Rodgers was pleased with the team’s defensive solidity and the pressure they put on the opposition’s goalkeeper.
The first half saw a starting eleven of Hart, Iwata, Starfelt, Welsh, Taylor, McGregor, Hatate, Turnbull, Forrest, Abada, and Maeda. They managed to maintain control of the game and create several scoring opportunities.
“In the first half, we played some really good football. The Gamba keeper made some fantastic saves, and we worked the ball really well at times. They didn’t have too many opportunities against us, which was good for our defending.” [SunSport]
However, Rodgers admitted that the second half was more challenging. The team, which included Siegrist, McPherson, Lawal, Scales, Bernabei, O’Riley, Holm, Haksabanovic, Vata, Kyogo, and Oh, struggled to match the tempo of the game initially.
“The second half was a challenging first 20 minutes, with the players coming into the game not being up to tempo, so we were a little bit slow. But then, after the drinks break, for the last 25 minutes, we were much more aggressive.”
Despite the initial struggles in the second half, Rodgers saw an improvement in the team’s performance after the drinks break. He concluded, “Overall, it was an excellent exercise.”
As Celtic prepares for the upcoming season, Rodgers’ comments reflect a sense of optimism and a focus on continuous improvement, with a lot of work to under go on the training ground throughout the next two weeks.
