Brendan Rodgers Reveals Personal ‘Hurt’ from Rangers Defeat Driving Celtic

Brendan Rodgers discussed his reaction to Celtic’s 3-0 defeat against Rangers at Ibrox on January 2nd and how it has affected the Hoops squad in the three games since.

With Celtic comfortably beaten that day, they have bounced back with three wins from three, taking their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership table to 18 points, scoring nine goals and conceding just one in that time, whereas Rangers have drawn their two games since.

Rodgers discussed just how disappointed he was with his players at Ibrox when asked, ‘It’s been the ideal response since the Rangers game, hasn’t it?’

He said: (The Celtic Way), “Aye, aye. We were awful on that day. Goodness me, it was never a Celtic team playing that game.

“Nowhere near a Celtic team. Through the years, the eras of competition and that. But we know that.”

Soccer Football – Scottish Premiership – Rangers v Celtic – Ibrox, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain – January 2, 2025 Rangers’ Robin Propper celebrates scoring their second goal with teammates Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff

The Irishman then further reflected on how the defeat affected him personally when asked by a reporter, ‘I see you shaking your head too. Does that hurt you?’

He said: “It always does. You lose any game, but especially a Celtic-Rangers game in the manner that we did.

“But listen, it’s a learning opportunity. We know we can’t be there again. The response has been great. I think you see the commitment of the players.”

Celtic have shown their class since the Rangers game to extend their lead at the top.

The game at Ibrox will be by no means forgotten by supporters due to the convincing nature of the defeat.

However, given the Hoops have only lost two games all season, with the other coming against Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund in the same competition, the match against Philippe Clément’s side was clearly a one-off, and Celtic already look to have learned from it.

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