Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has opened up about the increased difficulty of clinching the Scottish Premiership title this season, comparing it to his initial term at the helm when Celtic achieved an unbeaten league campaign in 2017.
Rodgers, who guided the Hoops to a historic invincible treble that year, acknowledges the current season’s unique challenges and admits that securing the title under these circumstances would offer a different but equally gratifying sense of achievement.
The quest for the league title has proven to be a sterner test this time around, with Celtic facing unexpected setbacks.
Despite holding a lead over rivals Rangers, dropped points against various teams have allowed Rangers to close the gap, setting the stage for a tense title race. Making it more frustrating, Celtic have taken maximum points from Rangers this season.
Rodgers highlighted the contrasting dynamics between his two spells at Celtic, particularly emphasising the squad’s differing attributes and the hurdles they’ve encountered this season.
As quoted by RecordSport, he said: “It’s a lot harder. It’s been a lot harder. Particularly that first season we were in a rhythm and a flow, it was a great group of players, they were robust, they were physical, they were strong and technical.
“We had a real good mentality in the team. This year has been different.
“We’ve got some outstanding players with real quality but we’ve never been able to piece that altogether. But in the future we will but in the meantime you have to win.
“It might not be as cohesive or as fluent for all those reasons but you still have to find a way to win and that’s what this team is doing.
“Would it be as satisfying (as 2017)? In a different way yes. It just feels like there have been so many roadblocks in the way this year.
“But that’s the challenge of being a manager. There are different roadblocks.
“There have been lots of little times along the way where it has been challenging. But that’s what it’s about.”
