THERE are very few managers qualified to deliver a workshop on how to retain a treble, but Brendan Rodgers is certainly one of them.
Winning back-to-back clean sweeps was an unprecedented feat until he swept into Celtic Park in 2016. They were a once-in-a-generation event in Scottish football, dreamed of at the outset of every season yet not explicitly demanded.
Rodgers changed all that, though, and five in the last seven seasons has set a new expectation, one met by Ange Postecoglou before he departed for Tottenham Hotspur. Facing Ross County in Saturday’s Premiership curtain-raiser will be the first step towards doing it all again, and Rodgers wants to make absolutely sure his players are ready for it.
Since returning in June, he has incorporated educating his squad on the ‘pitfalls of success’ into pre-season preparation, keeping them mindful of the traps they must not fall into if they are keep delivering what is expected of a Celtic player.
‘It’s not rocket science,” he explained. “It’s just giving clarity. In any line of work, I think it’s good if you know the expectations from the first day.
“I’m a manager who isn’t pretending to be interested in the players. I am interested in them – and the staff.
“I need to let them understand what my motivations to be here are and what I expect day to day – what I can promise to them.
“Then we can work together and help them be the best they can be. I always think that’s important, to start with clarity from the very first day and then we’re all on the same page.
“I look at the age bracket of the players. I know the experienced ones are super hungry with the likes of Callum and James from my first time here.
“Tony Ralston is another one I know, and he is still on the way up, like a lot of the boys. I can give the players advice on what the pitfalls are when you’ve done a treble.
“I have actually been through that with them over the course of the pre-season. We have done little workshops based around having that success.
“But also what the pitfalls of success are. And what the traps are that they have to be aware of.”
“That’s something I can help with.”
So, when it comes to scaling the mountain then making certain you stay there, is there a single most important message?
“The key thing is that you have to stay aggressive,” said Rodgers. You can’t go timid. In anything. That’s number one - and you find that out from how they defend, from how they run. Do they run the same way and do they press the same?
“That’s when you see it. Everything is based on aggression and your intent. Because when you don’t have that, you don’t quite get there.
“You never get close enough to touch the opponent. I can spot that very, very quickly.
“The beauty here is that the club has done great so far in refreshing the squad. There is competition and that’s always great for players as well.
“But it’s about knowing what’s ahead and having that anticipation for it. You want to anticipate what the issues could be further down the line. That means you can then recap on all of that.
“You’re always trying to deal with pressure by anticipating it. There will be pressure over the course of the season.
“But this is a group that is open to learning and open to understanding what those traps are.”
The aggression Rodgers speaks of is hallmark trait of any top player. The very best teams are built upon it, displaying a relentless intensity in everything they do.
But it is a characteristic that does not always come naturally to certain individuals, but Rodgers is a firm believer that it can be brought out with guidance.
“There are some you can help with,” he continued. “It’s about shining a light on the importance of it.
“I think some people will have it within them, but they might not understand how important it is. It’s adding those little details to their game.
“I look at Liel Abada at boys like that because I think if you can be really aggressive in your pressing then your offensive game will be aggressive.
“There are some things you can’t give people. But there are things you can make them aware of and things you impose on the pitch.
“And, with the greatest of respect, if the players don’t deliver that then they don’t play. It’s a pretty straightforward agreement.”
After James Forrest’s testimonial on Tuesday, Rodgers touched briefly upon the prospect of being here to prove himself all over again. That may seem at odds with a record of winning every domestic competition he entered last time around, but it is seemingly something ingrained within the Northern Irishman.
He feels he has been ‘belittled’ and ‘disrespected’ at times in his career for the fact he has made his way in coaching with only a modest playing background. But he insists that drive helps keep him at the top of his game.
‘I think that’s when I’m at my best,” he said. “I think my journey in my football life, as I sit here today, I’ve probably been belittled a lot and disrespected a lot in my career because I didn’t have any big playing background.
“So there’s always questions around will you succeed, is it because of this. There’s always a reason why. But I feel that’s when I’m at my best, really.
"It doesn’t worry me, though. Don’t get me wrong. I just think in general when anyone has to prove a point, then that’s when you’re at your best, really.
‘It’s that challenge. The number one thing that breeds success is to have that challenge.
‘The challenge to come back to here, especially on the back end of how I left, it wasn’t ideal for many.
"So I wanted to come back and show we can have some great moments again.
