As Brendan Rodgers’ team destroyed Ross County at Parkhead in the Scottish Premiership, Celtic put on a truly professional display.
At Celtic Park, the Bhoys dominated the Staggies for forty-five minutes in the first half, leaving Don Cowie gasping for air.
In preparation for Ross County’s visit, Brendan Rodgers made six changes to his Celtic squad, benching Nicolas Kuhn and Arne Engels.
The Celtic manager was obviously looking to rejuvenate the club following their Champions League efforts against Club Brugge, but Rodgers explains why the Hoops tandem was left unstripped for kickoff by excluding the record signing and his most dangerous attacking threat.
Brendan Rodgers explains why Arne Engels and Nicolas Kuhn missed Celtic’s victory over Ross County.
“I think it’s just giving a freshness to the team,” Rodgers told the BBC, “and I trust the squad for today; we want a big energy in the game.” Waiting for the game is not what we desire.
“We must go out and make it. We will have players for that, who should be able to impact the game and contribute positive energy.
“I think that again, another aspect of where we’ve improved over the course this summer because you need it,” Rodgers added when discussing Celtic’s squad depth.
“You don’t want to fall behind if you’re playing in the league or the Champions League after coming from Europe.
Therefore, you want to be able to alter the game in some way. Thus, the players have performed incredibly well in that regard. They enter the game. Drop-off is not available. They have a strong desire to succeed and the intensity is there.
Although Luke McCowan stole the show, Ross County was another Celtic highlight.
Luke McCowan scored a goal and provided three assists in Celtic’s 5-0 victory over Ross County, demonstrating his exceptional play.
Another player, though, was outstanding and most likely would have won man of the match on an other day.
Rodgers made the alterations at Parkhead yesterday afternoon, and Paulo Bernardo was selected to start for Celtic.
In addition to scoring, Bernardo had three shots on goal and created four chances during the full ninety minutes of play.
The Portuguese midfielder, rated 8.6 by Fotmob, made 48 passes and touched the ball 72 times, with 88% of those passes finding a Celtic teammate.
Bernardo also made four passes into the final third and had six touches in Ross County’s penalty box.
The Portugal U21 captain played strong defence, winning four duels, recovering six balls, and taking four defensive actions.
In addition to McCowan, Bernardo has provided Brendan Rodgers with some food for thought on Celtic’s next matchup against Aberdeen on Wednesday night at Pittodrie.
