Brendan Rodgers has given his verdict on the Hoops’ pre‑season programme as preparations turn towards Sunday’s Scottish Premiership opener against St Mirren at Celtic Park.
The Hoops played seven matches across Scotland, Ireland, Portugal and Italy, returning four wins, two defeats and a single draw. Along the way, Rodgers rotated his squad heavily, handed minutes to returning players and new signings, and tested his team against a range of opponents.
A strong 4–0 win at home to Newcastle and a solid 2–0 away victory against Sporting CP were among the best moments. The only real setback came in Como, where Celtic were well beaten 5–1 by Ajax in the Como Cup semi‑final, a result Rodgers says still sticks with him.
With the league campaign just days away, Rodgers stressed that the pre‑season fixtures were more about building fitness, integrating tactical ideas and fine‑tuning relationships on the pitch rather than purely chasing results.
He said: (Celtic TV), “I think that all the games were really good for us. My only disappointment, if I was being critical, was the second half against Ajax. But apart from that, we thought we were very good in the games. Built the fitness up on that first evening at Queen’s Park, which was great.
“Worked our way through and we finished in a really good place. So there was a lot of planning, a lot of preparation went into it. But it was a really enjoyable pre-season, a lot of hard work.
“We got some of our ideas across in our trainings and now we can’t wait to get started for the competitive stuff.”
Rodgers’ thoughts come after a busy summer where Celtic mixed trips abroad with hard work at Lennoxtown. He and his staff focused on making the attack more fluid while improving the defence after the heavy loss to Ajax.
The squad’s depth has been tested, with players such as Johnny Kenny, Yang Hyun‑Jun and Luke McCowan making strong cases for regular involvement. The return of Kieran Tierney, meanwhile, has injected fresh energy into the side and bolstered options at left‑back.
Sunday’s visit of St Mirren will provide the first competitive test of Celtic’s readiness. Rodgers will be looking for his side to carry their pre‑season sharpness into the Premiership curtain‑raiser and set the tone for the campaign ahead.
With Champions League qualifiers also on the horizon, the Hoops know a strong start is vital.
Rodgers appears confident that the work done over the past month has laid the foundations for another title win, but now, the talking stops and the real action begins.
