Brendan Rodgers vows Celtic will not abandon passing game

Scott Sinclair sees his shot saved in the Parkhead stalemate. Caption: SNS.

Brendan Rodgers’ men are rarely pushed on the domestic scene. St Johnstone almost pushed their ability to avoid defeat in this domain to breaking point, though the Scottish champions were unrelenting to ensure this did not happen.

In the course of their 53-game unbeaten sequence, Celtic have never been behind for as long as they were between Steven MacLean’s weird 41st-minute opener and Callum McGregor’s 81st-minute equaliser. Indeed, the weekend marked only the seventh game of their 15-month domestic run that they have even been behind.

Rodgers understandably pointed to the midweek Kazakhstan excursion – that earned his team a mouthwatering Champions League group that will pit them against Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Anderlecht – for his team’s early  legginess.

The Irishman then took the blame for the tippy-tappy between Anthony Ralston and Craig Gordon that led to the keeper slashing the ball to Liam Craig to set up MacLean, who thought he was offside, to knock the ball into the net for the hell of it, he initially thought.

Rodgers then took aim at supporters who became exasperated with the fact his team stayed true to their principles of passing to pick open their opponents. In doing so, he was disparaging of the entire game in this country. Explaining his remonstrating with supporters behind his technical area, he said that supporters as well as players had to remain calm.

“Or you can play Scottish football,” said Rodgers. “Just smash it up the pitch. It hasn’t got you anywhere for 20-odd years. So you have to play.”

That assertion was fully endorsed by his captain, Scott Brown, as he reviewed a rare occasion wherein the opposition demonstrated wiles and will as admirable as those to which we tend to be treated by Rodgers’ team.

“We play our game no matter what,” he said. “It’s hard to  listen to fans during the game because we are too busy being focused on keeping the ball down and trying to play attractive football.

“That’s what the teams do in European football and that’s what we’re going to find in the next weeks against top teams in the world. You don’t just kick it long and play the percentage game. That’s the old-style Scottish football  and we’re trying to bring in a proper European culture.

“It’s risky, but that’s why we play good football. That’s what we practice every day in training. We build from the back, we deal with the pressure. Sometimes it happens that someone gets a chance if we’re slack, but we did the same thing in the second half.

“Craigy [Gordon] builds it and we pass it instead of just pinging balls up the park long to Leigh [Griffiths]. There’s not a lot of height in the team, so we need to play that way. For the amount of possession we are going to have, it’s  definitely the way. Things like losing the goal on Saturday happen.

“We could all have been in better positions and could all have been more aware of where we were, but it wasn’t to be for that goal and St Johnstone took their chance well.”

The nature of the encounter made it one where a moment of individual brilliance was sought as the Perth side were penned in. Scott Sinclair threatened to provide that, and it is expected that Patrick Roberts will be offering that from Celtic’s opposite flank as a loan deal is expected to be agreed with Manchester City in the final days of the summer transfer window.

“Patrick would definitely strengthen our squad and we know what he brings to us,” Brown said.

“There is that excitement and, when teams are camped in as were St Johnstone, he can beat a man standing still with his body movement. The ball moves a couple of yards and he puts one in the top corner. But he’s a Manchester City player, we can’t wish for things which may not happen.”