Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has made it clear that he takes full responsibility for team selection at the club, distancing himself from the sports science-led approach that has landed Rangers manager Philippe Clement in hot water.
Speaking ahead of the eagerly anticipated Glasgow Derby at Ibrox on January 2, Rodgers reaffirmed his belief that managerial instinct and accountability must take precedence.
Rodgers stressed the importance of collaboration with sports science teams but emphasised that decisions on team selection remain his alone.
The Celtic manager explained that while he values input from his backroom staff, his approach is rooted in balancing data with human intuition.
“It’s like any sector of my club, whether it’s coaching, medicine, sports science, our welfare team,” he told Celtic TV. “I’m always there to listen but ultimately you make the judgement as a manager – that’s what you get paid for. You get paid as a manager to listen to opinions but ultimately the beauty of being a coach and a leader is that you decide. I’ve got a brilliant sports science team here that will give me all the information I ever need if I want it. And like in anything, I’m open to it – but I’m not driven by it.
“I’m driven by talking with players and getting a feel for them because we all have moments in our life that you may not want to do something. But you get somehow dragged to it and you go ‘okay’ and then you quite enjoy it. So for me it’s more about feeling. I repeat, I’ve got a brilliant sports science team that knows how we work and we know we have to push players sometimes.
“It might not sit well and might not look nice on a number, but this game is an art, and it’s about feeling and emotion and it’s about working with the players and sometimes pushing them over a hill when perhaps they don’t want to go there. But that push gets them over and when they get to the other side, it’s a great place.”
Rodgers’ comments come as Rangers boss Philippe Clement faces backlash for admitting that his team selection was heavily influenced by the recommendations of his sports science department. Clement’s strategy became the subject of ridicule after Rangers dropped five points in two Premiership games over the festive period, including a loss to St Mirren and a draw with Motherwell.
The Belgian manager claimed that the sports science team had advised against starting certain players, only for him to introduce those same players at halftime when his side was trailing.
Celtic head into the derby 14 points clear at the top of the Premiership, having maintained their unbeaten domestic record throughout the season.
