Aberdeen 0-2 Celtic – Brendan Rodgers Media Conference

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The Celtic Star

·11 agosto 2025

Aberdeen 0-2 Celtic – Brendan Rodgers Media Conference

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers spoke to the mainstream media following his side’s comfortable 2-0 victory against Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Sunday afternoon…

Kasper Schmeichel in control as Leighton Clarkson of Aberdeen stretches for the ball during the Scottish Premiership match between Aberdeen and Celtic at Pittodrie on 10 August 2025. Photo Stephen Dobson PSI (IMAGO).

Goals courtesy of Benjamin Nygren and Reo Hatate made it two wins from two for the Scottish champions at a tough domestic away venue. Three goals – one each from three midfielders – has given Celtic a strong start to the defence of our title but it’s still earlier days.

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Rodgers’ men will now prepare at Lennoxtown this week for a rare Friday night Celtic Park encounter – a first at Paradise in 10 years – against Falkirk in the Premier Sports League Cup last 16.

You can read the Irishman’s full comments post-match on Sunday below where he discussed Kieran Tierney’s sickness bug, the need for more attacking players – our forwards have yet to score this season – and the improved competitiveness of the Scottish Premiership this season.

Aberdeen and Celtic fans during the Scottish Premiership match at Pittodrie on 10 August 2025. Photo Stephen Dobson PSI (IMAGO).

Q: A 2-0 win for your side here at Pittodrie, a difficult place to come. What did you make of your team’s display?

Brendan Rodgers: “We were excellent. Considering the context of the game, with Aberdeen playing their first competitive game at home in the back-end of the cup final, we had really good control and domination of the game. We scored two outstanding goals and could have had more. In the moments we had to be strong, we showed strength and power and kept any efforts at goal to a minimum. I’m really pleased for the players.”

Benjamin Nygren, who scored Celtic’s first goal, celebrates in front of the Celtic fans at full-time. Final score Aberdeen 0 Celtic 2. Scottish Premiership, Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen, 10 August 2025. Photo Stuart Wallace/IMAGO Shutterstock

Q: Benjamin Nygren with his first goal and an assist today. What did you make of his performance?

Brendan Rodgers: “He was excellent. He was the Man of the Match, wasn’t he? It’s the reason we brought him in; he’s a player that can play as an eight, a ten, or off the side, but his intuition is to get in the box and score goals. That’s why we’ve brought him in The first goal was great, how we worked it side-to-side and then penetrated through the middle with him making the run. Kieran shows his quality, beats his man, crosses, and Benjamin finishes it well. Overall, I thought he did well. For the second goal, because Aberdeen are tactically well set up, so we had to entice them out a little bit. Our back four were very good at circulating the ball to then play through their pressure, which resulted in us working the ball into space, and Reo finished it so well. We had other chances, and their keeper made a brilliant save in the middle of the box. Overall, I’m so pleased, and it’s a really good start by the team.”

Aberdeen v Celtic – Celtic Manager Brendan Rodgers during the Scottish Premiership match between Aberdeen and Celtic at Pittodrie on 10 August 2025. Photo Stephen Dobson PSI (IMAGO)

Q: Does that feel like a big victory, given it’s early in the season and you’re still building fitness and the squad? Was it a big statement win?

Brendan Rodgers: “Any time you come to Pittodrie, Celtic-Aberdeen and Aberdeen-Celtic, they are always tough games. Then you come here, you know, whatever stage of the season it’s at, whether it’s the start or end of the season, there’s always a story around this type of game. To come here and play with that authority and personality was pleasing.”

Celtic Manager Brendan Rodgers with Adam Idah at full-time. Final score Aberdeen 0 Celtic 2. Scottish Premiership, Pittodrie. Stuart Stuart Wallace/Shutterstock

Q: You kept faith with Adam Idah today. Do you feel a bit for him? How do you assess his situation?

Brendan Rodgers: “We need to reinforce the top line. Where we are structurally in our defensive numbers, from our back line to midfield, we have a squad that can cope domestically and in European competition. I’m pleased with that aspect. However, I think we need competition at the top end of the field. For Adam, he’s a big, honest boy. He was at his best here when he was really challenging with Kyogo for the position, and that’s something that is important for us to get. In the meantime, he’ll work hard and will always be that reference for us.”

Q: What does he need? Just a goal?

Brendan Rodgers: “As a striker at Celtic, you have to be strong mentally, and you have got to score goals. I have a lot of faith in him, but he really needs that real competition beside him. That’s when you’ll then get the most out of him. He didn’t quite score today, but he worked very hard, gave his all, and he’ll get better as the season goes on.”

Q: Are you confident that competition will come in before Thursday?

Brendan Rodgers: “I really don’t know at this point. For us, it’s something we know we need to do, but in the meantime, we’ll work with the players that are here until our reinforcements arrive.”

James Forrest during the Scottish Premiership match between Aberdeen and Celtic at Pittodrie on 10 August 2025. Photo Stephen Dobsonx PSI (IMAGO)

Q: With a great start to the season with two wins, do you think there will be more competition in the league this season?

Brendan Rodgers: “Yes, I think there will be. We’ve started well. St. Mirren are a good side, top six the past three seasons. It’s not easy to break down a team like that. Hearts have one game a week, so they’ll be there and looking to make an impact. David [Gray] has done well at Hibs, has invested and will look to be competitive. Aberdeen themselves will want to build on winning a cup and being in Europe. Jim [Goodwin] has done a brilliant job at Dundee United, in terms of having to switch a lot of his players about. They’ll be competitive. The guys coming up will be competitive as well. It will be competitive right the way through. My only worry is for Celtic. I want us to be in the very best possible place that we can be in, both domestically and in Europe, and I hope we can achieve that by the end of August.”

Q: Six points and you’re still looking to strengthen the squad. I guess it shows the quality you have as things stand?

Brendan Rodgers: “Yeah, there’ll always be a narrative around me. I heard something the other day about me and about how we don’t play good football. I think there are a number of people who really don’t like me here at Celtic! For me I’m really happy to see how the players are, the current players that we have. Two clean sheets, controlled a difficult game, with our resilience last week, and we’re ticking along nicely. What will make our football always smile that little bit more is that level of player [coming in]. We hope to do that by the end of the month and be in a good place.”

Aberdeen v Celtic – Brendan Rodgers and Kieran Tierney after the Scottish Premiership match between Aberdeen and Celtic at Pittodrie on 10 August 2025. Photo Stephen Dobson PSI (IMAGO)

Q: Is the bonus that there’s still more to come from these players, as it’s so early in the season?

Brendan Rodgers: “Absolutely. Even for a player like Kieran, who played for me the first time I was here. We played a three-box-three, and he was the highest full-back on the last line, while Mikael Lustig stayed behind in the three. He is now coming into a slightly different structure and playing in a different corridor, so those connections will take time. The same for Benjamin Nygren, who scored today and played really well; he’ll be building connections on his side of the pitch, and in other aspects. They will only improve, and the beauty is that they have a great attitude to want to improve, which is what you want.”

Q: Kieran Tierney’s cross for the goal was excellent.

Brendan Rodgers: : “Yes, if you look at last week, that’s what his super-strength is. He’s really good in that 1v1 moment, where he has explosive speed, and his crossing ability is really good. We saw it last week at St. Mirren when he put some great balls into the box. He didn’t quite get the goal. He did well to even come out for the second half, as he was sick at half-time and throwing up all over the changing room. Thankfully, I wasn’t in there at the time! We gave him 15 minutes and then took him off. He’s a top player who is only going to get fitter, stronger, and better.”

Shin Yamada of Celtic tackles Dante Polvara of Aberdeen. Aberdeen v Celtic, Scottish Premiership, Pittodrie Stadium on 10 August 2025. Photo Stuart Wallace/IMAGO Shutterstock

Q: What are your thoughts on Shin Yamada’s development? How is he settling in? Glad to get him involved?

Brendan Rodgers: “It’s about finding moments in games when you can use him. It was important to see him in a game like this, with something on it, away from home, to see his physicality in the game. He has things to work on, but he has a good attitude and wants to get better. He will feel, coming into the game, that he was positive about his play.”

Q: Reo Hatate with a superb finish, are you confident you can keep hold of these guys before the window closes?

Brendan Rodgers: “We’re trying to get players in, never mind getting them out! We haven’t heard anything for the likes of Reo and that. He is one of the few players in that midfield who can make those incisive passes. He’ll give the ball away at times, and that used to really frustrate me when I first started to work with him, but that is the risk he plays in his game. But then he produced a moment like that, which was a brilliant finish. He’s done that up here before, last year. We want to build the squad, and while there are lots of areas I’m pleased with, there are other areas we will focus on and hopefully improve.”

Benjamin Nygren of Celtic celebrates scoring to give Celtic a 0-1 lead. Aberdeen v Celtic, Scottish Premiership, 10 August 2025. Photo IMAGO/ Shutterstock, Stuart Wallace

Q: What was the issue with Kieran? Was it a bug?

Brendan Rodgers: “It wouldn’t have been a curry! The food up here is very nice, and the health in the airport there was good. So I’m not sure it was that. Maybe it was something that he had drunk, or a bug of some sort. Thankfully, he’s okay now.”

Conor Spence