With Ange Postecoglou gone, Brendan Rodgers is being heavily linked with a stunning return to Parkhead this summer as Celtic's manager search continues.
Just days after winning the Treble, Postecoglou departed Celtic after two years at the club, putting pen to paper on a four-year deal with Spurs in the English Premier League. A number of names are being linked with the vacant role at Celtic, but Rodgers is reportedly a main target for the Hoops with Dermot Desmond 'making two personal calls' to the 50-year-old to try convince him back to Glasgow.
Reports also claim Celtic chiefs held talks with the Northern Irish manager over a return to the Hoops in Mallorca. His first spell at the club provided multiple trophy success before he returned to England with Leicester City. But how would he get on in his first season back at the Scottish champions if he is to return? We simulated the 2023/24 season to try and find out.
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Brendan Rodgers as Celtic manager simulated
To set up this simulation, we used the Football Manager 2023 editor to arrange for Rodgers to return to Celtic on July 1, 2023, using FM23 to run the simulation. We then simulated the 2023/24 season to see if the 50-year-old could defend Postecoglou's Treble.
Rodgers' first job as Celtic boss was to mold his squad for the season ahead, and he opted to target the Premier League, bringing in a few young players on loan deals for the season. Manchester City's Cole Palmer, Chelsea's Malang Sarr and Liverpool's Tyler Morton all joined on season-long loans, whilst Jannick Vestergaard and Charles Aranguiz arrived from Leicester and Internacional respectively.
At the end of the 2023/24 season, Football Manager 2023 put together an overall best Celtic XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics. This is what it looked like:
Full Celtic best XI: (4-3-3): Hart; Johnston, Sarr, Carter-Vickers, Bernabei; Morton, McGregor, Aranguiz; Abada, Kyogo, Jota.
A trio of summer signings started under Rodgers, with Sarr partnering Cameron Carter-Vickers in defence whilst Morton and Aranguiz partnered Callum McGregor in midfield. Alexandro Bernabei was picked over Greg Taylor at left back, whilst Liel Abada joined Kyogo Furuhashi and Jota in the front three.
Celtic's results with Rodgers from the 2023/24 season
Looking to defend the league title, Celtic started the season slowly, winning just two of their first six games of the season and falling behind Rangers in the title race. But, an incredible 19-game win streak at the end of the season saw the Hoops surge towards another league title.
31 wins, five draws and two losses saw Rodgers' side earn 98 points in the simulation, just one fewer than the 2022/23 season. Rangers had a poor end to the campaign and finished with 72 points, 26 less than Celtic. The Hoops scored 80 goals whilst conceding just 22, ending the season with a goal difference of +58.
Celtic also won a cup in the simulation, beating Hearts 2-1 to lift the Scottish League Cup once again. A 2-0 loss to Rangers saw Rodgers' side eliminated from the Scottish Cup in the fifth round, and after finishing second in their group, Celtic were knocked out of the Champions League in the Round of 16 after a 5-0 aggregate loss to Real Madrid.
Overall, the Football Manager simulation predicts that Rodgers could help Celtic continue their success in the 2023/24 season, with the Hoops winning a double in an impressive season. As well as an improved campaign in Europe, the players who arrived under Rodgers starred, showing the 50-year-old's pull in the transfer market.
Do you think Rodgers is the right man for Celtic ? Let us know below!
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