Brendan Rodgers is convinced that Celtic are ready for the title ‘ultramarathon’ after watching his men stand up to a Kilmarnock barrage at Rugby Park and emerge with three points.
Rodgers’ side have won plaudits this season for the thrilling attacking football they are playing, and no more so than in the hugely impressive win over RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
The champions showed a different side to their game though as they were tested to the maximum by Derek McInnes’s Killie outfit, digging in to claim the win thanks to goals from Callum McGregor and Nicolas Kuhn, and an outstanding display from goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.
His players will now enjoy a short break before throwing themselves into the hectic festive fixture list, and Rodgers is certain that he has the strength in depth within his squad to cope with whatever challenges are thrown at them over the critical Christmas period.
“It was a brilliant win for us,” Rodgers said.
“It was never going to be like last Saturday or Tuesday.
“You know, Kilmarnock, what they do, they do exceptionally well. Very direct. They get it forward. There have that combination that gets up there and you've got to fight.
“And for that, the players deserve a huge amount of credit because they showed another side to the team. So, I’m pleased.
“As I said, it's a pressure game that Kilmarnock play and if you can't stand up to it and you're not strong enough and you're at duels and as a team, then you can come unstuck. So it was a fantastic win for us.
“I said to the players before the game that in life it's really all about staying on your path. And sometimes that can be difficult but by staying on it you get your rewards in the end.
“I think this team is just consistently staying on the path, learning, developing and improving and playing some amazing football. But also having the dig in the bite that you need to keep clean sheets.
“So I think we're in a really good place. We obviously have a little break now, come back to the absolute ultramarathon spell where every single player will be needed. But it's so exciting.
“There's no rest. There's no breather. But we're fit and ready for it. We'll keep working, keep developing the players. I think that's what's key.
“The games are great and the wins and everything but it's developing the individual player, because I always say it's the individual to get better, and then by consequence the team improves. So, we'll keep working at that.
“Lots of the players are going to get lots of game time over the course of the coming months and we will need it.”
Rodgers thinks that a mark of his team’s development is that they would likely have buckled under the pressure Kilmarnock put them under this time last year, when they did indeed lose at Rugby Park.
“We would have suffered more,” he said.
“I think that we did lose [these types of games]. That was the reality. We lost in that first six-month period. But now I think you see the difference in the team and the structure and the togetherness, the spirit, everything that you need to win a game like that.
“Because like I said, you come off the back of two absolutely brilliant wins. You've got to come here, it's not going to be all about the football as much as you want it to be.
“It wasn't, but it showed another side to our game, which is very important to have.”
When Kilmarnock did get through the Celtic backline, they couldn’t get past Schmeichel, who rolled back the years by denying the hosts with several eye-catching stops.
“Kasper made some great saves,” he said.
“You could see him with the ball as well, how he could play through the pressure, which is important. And at times we could have held it up better to allow us to join in more.
“And then like I said, he was tested and had to make saves. I know that's what he's world-class at. His shot-stopping is unbelievable. So, he was a big reference for us.”
