Bizarrely, Celtic boss challenged on substituting all three Japanese players | OneFootball

Watch Brendan Rodgers’ media conference in Zagreb last night after the goalless draw with Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League where the Celtic manager is asked a very strangest question…

“If we’re honest as a group we know that there was more there for us there,” Brendan noted, but also made the excellent point that given our experiences as a club in the Champions League, to have nine points after six games in the old format we’d all have been absolutely delighted.

Despite Celtic having so much possessing Kasper Schmeichel was called upon to make a hugely important save late in the game. Brendan talked about how Dinamo defended so deeply to restrict Celtic while the manager accepted that his attacking players weren’t quite at the level last night.

“The players have given everything,” Brendan Rodgers

Daizen Maeda during the UEFA Champions League match between GNK Dinamo and Celtic FC at Stadion Maksimir on December 10, 2024. (Photo by Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images)

There’s a bizarre lost in translation moment where the Croatian journalist appears to question the Celtic manager substituting Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Kyogo and wanting to know if that happened because of their nationality.  A bemused Brendan Rodgers eventually explained in response that it was tactical and had nothing at all to do with the players being Japanese!

Reo Hatate of Celtic is challenged by Lukas Kacavenda of GNK Dinamo during the UEFA Champions League match between GNK Dinamo and Celtic FC at Stadion Maksimir on December 10, 2024. (Photo by Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images)

Another Croatian journalist pointed out that Celtic were effectively playing a Dimano B team last night because of their injury situation.

Kyogo Furuhashi with the ball during the UEFA Champions League match between GNK Dinamo and Celtic FC at Stadion Maksimir on December 10, 2024. (Photo by Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images)

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