Brendan Rodgers spoke about being under intense media pressure going into Celtic’s impressive 1-0 cinch Premiership win over Rangers at Ibrox.
The Hoops went into the game on the back of a loss to Kilmarnock in the Viaplay Cup and a home draw to St Johnstone and with some key players missing, but Kyogo Furuhashi’s late first-half strike stretched their lead over Rangers to four points after four games.
After the game, Rodgers said: “I understand I have been placed on death watch by the media.
“But whatever the result today I’m an experienced manager now and I’m staying calm.
“But that’s where you are powerless as a coach.
“For me I understand what we have, I understand what we are missing.
“Until we get the level of player back that will make a difference in some of our games we have to keep working and developing and improving and I have absolutely no doubt we will do that as the season grows.
“But listen, it’s three wins and a draw in the league and some of the games have been good, but we are still piecing together a team which will look a lot more like it by the end of the season.”
Rangers were aggrieved at a VAR decision that went against them in the first half.
Celtic defender Gustaf Lagerbielke was challenged by Cyriel Dessers just inside the Hoops half and the Gers attacker raced clear and squared the ball for Kemar Roofe, who took a touch before firing past Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart.
When referee Don Robertson checked the pitchside monitor at the behest of the VAR, he ruled the goal out for a foul on the Hoops defender, albeit it looked soft.
Rodgers said: “Listen, there is enough people looking at it now. As I said to Gus at half-time, ‘you’ve got to learn your lesson there’.
“You’ve got to get the passing going quicker and he maybe needs another angle there quicker. But in saying that, as he turns around, he gets a nick.
“If you are Michael (Beale) and Rangers supporters you are maybe aggrieved. But at that point of the game we were dominating.
“So if we had conceded then I wouldn’t have been so happy.
“But they had a good look at it for long enough, so we accept the decision.”
Amid an ongoing ticket spat between the clubs there were no travelling supporters – Celtic rejected the offer of around 700 tickets, citing safety concerns – which irked Rodgers.
He said: “It’s not the same game. It’s not the same game and it’s such a shame.
“Look, it’s brilliant for us. Our resilience and everything we had to show as Celtic players was there today. As a group we had to withstand a lot, but it’s not the same game.
“When there is not a single supporter there for you then you know you have to be a man. And for this group of players to come and do that and get the victory was absolutely brilliant.
“Listen, I hope between the two clubs we can do that at some point.
“It’s obviously going to be a challenge this year, so it’s another year. But it’s not the same games.
“If you asked Rangers supporters, I’m pretty sure some of their best wins they have seen from their team were away at the other ground.
“Hopefully we will get back to that. Whether it’s 7,000 or 8,000 or whatever, it’s an iconic game, an amazing game.
“And a big part of it is the supporters. So hopefully in time we can get that back.
“But for us today to come here with no supporters and win…hopefully wherever they are, Celtic supporters across the world will be proud of their team.”
World Cup Girlz back in the fold? Gilbert hints at return of experienced players for Brazil friendlies
For the first time in almost nine months, it seems as if Jamaica’s interim Reggae Girlz Head coach Xavier Gilbert will have members of the World Cup squad at his disposal, when they visit Brazil for a two-match friendly international series in June.
The Girlz, who first locked horns with Brazil, and lost 0-3, at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France, went one better at last year’s global showpiece in Australia, as they not only held the South American giants to a goalless stalemate, but also ensured their elimination at the group stage.
By all indications, that performance, and by extension, the fact that the Girlz made an historic appearance in the knockout stages of the World Cup, earned them even more respect from the number 10-ranked Brazilians, who are currently in preparation for this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.
The games, scheduled for June 1 and 4, are expected to assist Brazil in their preparation, while the now 42nd-ranked Jamaicans will get a much-needed test to regain their appetite for international competition, having last sported the nationals colours against Canada last September.
Since that Olympic qualifying fixture in Canada, members of the World Cup squad withdrew their services from national representation, citing lack of payment and mistreatment from the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), among their reasons.
While it is yet to be confirmed how many, if any, of the World Cup players will make the trip, Gilbert gave the clearest indication yet that there might be a few, as he welcomed the games, after not utilizing the last FIFA window.
“It is always important to secure games during the international window. It not only assists in exposing players, but it also ensures the team is active, which helps our rankings, and also our quality of play. Because as you know, the more we play together, especially against quality opponents, the better the team becomes, and we also get to work on different things both offensively and defensively,” Gilbert told SportsMax.TV.
“The expectation is for us to give a good account of ourselves, it has been a while since these players have played together, but the good thing is that they are actively engaged in their respective leagues in Europe and United States. So, it is not like they were inactive, and obviously, it is not the first time they will be playing together.
“So, we just have to keep things as simple or as close to what we did prior to, and during the World Cup, to make sure we are competitive. It is going to be a little bit different, but it’s not far-fetched that we can get another positive result against Brazil,” he added.
Atletico Madrid 3-1 Athletic Bilbao: Hosts close in on top-four finish
Atletico Madrid beat newly crowned Copa del Rey winners Athletic Bilbao 3-1 at home in LaLiga on Saturday as Diego Simeone's side moved a step closer to a top-four finish.
Fourth-placed Atletico moved onto 64 points and have increased their advantage over Athletic, in fifth, to six points with five games to play.
Midfielder Rodrigo de Paul put Atletico in front in the 15th minute with a goal from outside the box. After controlling an attempted clearance from the visitors, his effort dipped just under the bar as his strike deflected off one of the Athletic defenders.
Athletic levelled just before half-time through Nico Williams after Antoine Griezmann lost the ball through a careless pass.
But Angel Correa restored the lead for Atletico in the 52nd minute and later came close to scoring again.
With 10 minutes to play, away goalkeeper Unai Simon inadvertently made it 3-1 with an own goal after Samuel Lino’s effort came back off the post, ending any Athletic hopes of a comeback.
Hull City 3-3 Ipswich Town: Tigers fight back three times to deny Tractor Boys
Ipswich Town missed the chance to move into an automatic promotion spot as play-off-chasing Hull City came from behind three times in a thrilling 3-3 Championship draw at The MKM Stadium.
Ipswich knew a victory would take them second after Leeds United were surprisingly beaten 4-0 by Queens Park Rangers on Friday, and they led on three separate occasions, George Hirst opening the scoring before Omari Hutchinson produced two brilliant strikes from the edge of the area.
However, buoyed by slip-ups from rivals Norwich City and West Brom earlier on Saturday, Hull dug deep to fight back on each occasion, Ozan Tufan and Liam Delap scoring their first two equalisers.
With Liam Rosenior's men 3-2 down with just four minutes to play, substitute Noah Ohio blasted his shot in off the crossbar to punish an error from Ipswich goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky.
The result keeps Ipswich behind second-placed Leeds on goal difference, though the Tractor Boys have a game in hand to come at Coventry City on Tuesday.
Hull, meanwhile, are two points adrift of the top six, with Norwich's goal difference advantage meaning their top-six spot is all but assured. The Tigers will, however, leapfrog West Brom if they beat Plymouth Argyle on the final day and Albion lose to Preston North End.
Data Debrief: Hutchinson's best not enough
Hutchinson was a man who deserved to be on the winning side on Saturday, giving Ryan Allsop no chance with two near-identical left-footed strikes from the right corner of the penalty area.
His goals came from an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.6, and he led all players on the pitch for shots (eight) and passes in the final third (21), also laying on three chances for his team-mates.
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