Manager: The players have set a top standard and we want to win every game | OneFootball

The Celts are on the road again this weekend, with a trip to Paisley tomorrow evening to face St Mirren in league action.

With 10 league games left to play this season, the champions are in a strong position with an emphatic 13-point lead at the top of the table going in to Saturday's 5.30pm kick-off.

The Bhoys go into the match on the back of a thumping 5-1 victory over Aberdeen at Celtic Park on Tuesday night and confidence is high within the Celtic camp.

However, despite the result during the week, there was still a feeling within the squad that the performance could have been better on the night.

And speaking to the media today, Brendan Rodgers said that the relentless quest to perform at the highest level speaks volumes of the culture which exists in the dressing room.

“We’ve tried to set a standard of performance,” he said. “The scoreline was fantastic and when you win 5-1 and still not be overly pleased with elements of the performance, it shows you the standard that we demand.

“The whole point was to get to this stage of the season in the best place that we possibly could.

“I can’t speak highly enough of them, but we’ve still got a big job to do.

“We have the advantage in the league, but for me it doesn’t mean anything. We have to go in to every game to win and perform at the highest level we can.”

Tuesday night’s match saw Alistair Johnston reach a century of appearances for the Hoops, with the Canadian right-back contributing with a solid performance and popping up with an assist in his 100th match.

Callum McGregor also reached an impressive milestone as he bagged his 50th league strike for the club to give the Bhoys a 3-0 lead before half-time.

There was also a first-team debut for 19-year-old Jude Bonnar, who, Brendan Rodgers says, has shown an impressive work ethic to earn his place in the Celtic first-team.

Brendan said: “I worked for 15 years in youth development, so I like to think I know it quite well, and at every club I’ve been at, I’ve always played young players and put them in.

“The path in to any first-team is not meant to be easy. You have to earn the right to come in.

“It’s a nice reward for Jude. He’s done very well with the second team, but not only that, he’s working very hard which I notice and I see.

“He’s technically very good in the game and, for me, what he also showed was personality.

“I like my young players to have the personality to come in to the arena and play for Celtic and he showed all that. So it should give him that bit of motivation to push on.”

Tomorrow will be the third time that the Hoops have faced St Mirren so far this season, with Brendan Rodgers’ men winning the two previous encounters 3-0.

The first of those matches was played in Paisley, and the Celtic manager said that the performance that day had to be good to overcome a good St Mirren side.

Brendan added: “We were very good and you have to be, because Stephen is an outstanding coach and manager.

“His teams are very clear in how they play and they understand their roles. They make it really difficult for you.

“They’re very co-ordinated when they don’t have the ball and when they do, they play a direct game. It really challenges you.

“I felt in the game earlier in the season, we managed that aspect of it really well.

“Our running was hard, we counter-pressed the game well and that gave us a great foundation to play our football.”

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St. Mirren Vs. Celtic - Sat, Mar 1st 2025, 17:30