Glasgow Derby: “The best of ourselves and win playing very good football,” Jota

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The Celtic Star

·12 de marzo de 2025

Glasgow Derby: “The best of ourselves and win playing very good football,” Jota

Jota spoke to Celtic TV ahead of Sunday’s Glasgow Derby with a snippet of the interview available now on YouTube with the full interview available on Celtic TV. Here’s what Jota has been saying as he looks forward to another Beautiful Sunday…

(Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

“It has been an amazing time with the lads and just getting back together to see some familiar faces,” said the 25-year-old about settling back into life playing football for Celtic.. “It has been a really great experience in these first matches. I really like the way things are going and I just can’t wait to see what else we can bring.

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Rodgers gives players lots of confidence

“Brendan is someone that gives us a lot of confidence, but a lot of responsibility as well. He demands a lot from us because he knows that we are capable of it. The standards are quite high.

Joao Neves Filipe Jota of Celtic celebrates scoring the second goal during the Cinch Scottish Premiership match between Celtic FC and Rangers FC at on September 03, 2022 Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

“I really like the way we train, the way we play and then, as a group, we are all very together and we fight for the same thing. So, in the end I think the connection between the coach and the players has been really nice,” Jota said.

Asked if he felt that he was evolving as a player under Brendan Rodgers, Jota was emphatic in his response. “100% and if I didn’t think that I think something would be wrong. With experience and as the years go by you start to realise specific things about yourself mentally and physically and if you’re smart enough you start to connect all that on the pitch and jus do your daily things, I am no different to that and I try to do it.

“I think I am more mature and I am more aware of what I have to do on the pitch.

Winning Glasgow Derby is a very special feeling

Asked about what makes the Glasgow Derby so special to play in Jota said: “I always say for people to realise exactly what this game is about, they need to be here and for the players to have the opportunity to actually be involved in the game is something different and it’s a very special feeling.

Jota of Celtic celebrates after scoring only goal of the game during the Scottish Cup Semi Final match between Rangers and Celtic at Hampden Park on April 30, 2023 i(Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

“It’s something that every player should feel once in their lifetime lucky for me I’ve had the opportunity to play a lot of them and I want to play many more. I am just so excited about it.”

‘We have our philosophy, we know what we have to do’

Wile it’s all about Celtic, but we’re playing a team that could be known as a wounded animal, give their recent domestic form. “Every game is a different game but we tend to focus on ourselves, just because it’s a big rival doesn’t mean we’ll do things differently. We have our philosophy, we know what we have to do. We have to stick the principles and be ourselves during the game and hopefully everything will be okay.”

Asked what makes the Glasgow Derby extra-special Jota talked about the atmosphere making it just a notch below that Champions League feeling.

Photo by Luke Nickerson//Shutterstock – Jota of Celtic scores his sides third goal Celtic v theRangers, Cinch Scottish Premiership,Celtic Park – 08 Apr 2023

‘Atmosphere. That’s the first thing that comes to mind’

“Atmosphere. That’s the first thing that comes to mind,” Jota said. “I would say that the feeling of the Champions League is something different but right next to it would be the games against (the)Rangers. On the atmosphere, everyone comes and you can feel that it’s different. It’s like ‘okay, today is the Derby and let’s go for it’.”

Finally Jota’s message for the supporters ahead of the Glasgow Derby: “Keep on supporting us so that they can be excited about what we can do on the pitch. From our behalf as players, guaranteeing that we are going to give the best of ourselves and to win obviously but win playing very good football.”

Jota celebrates after scoring only goal of the game during the Scottish Cup Semi Final match between theRangers and Celtic at Hampden Park on April 30, 2023. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)