Brendan Rodgers has admitted that Celtic’s 3-0 defeat to Rangers at Ibrox was the poorest derby performance across both of his spells as manager.
It was a bitterly disappointing loss for the Hoops, who registered just 1 shot on target.
The loss is hard to take, but to lose in such a way is even harder to take.
The performance ended Celtic’s unbeaten start to the season and opened 2025 with a loss, having only lost two games in the last 12 months.
Speaking after the match, Brendan Rodgers was asked if it was the worst derby display he’d seen from to his side, something he answered honestly: [TCW]
“Yes, I felt it at half-time. I’d mentioned to the players I didn’t think we could be any worse in the second half.
“A little bit better, but not much better. And two, I’ve got experience of coming from behind when we’ve been here, so I know we can do it. But we never really had that reaction today, I didn’t feel that.
“I didn’t think we were so aggressive and had that quality in our game, and that precision in our passing in order to hurt them. So yes, probably over the course of the couple of spells, that performance certainly wasn’t up there.”
There is clearly a lot of disappointment and frustration within the Celtic camp after a rare off-day in what has otherwise been a commanding season. While the result doesn’t threaten Celtic’s strong position at the top of the Premiership, it serves as a stark reminder of the standards expected in Glasgow derbies.
With a game against St Mirren at Parkhead in just a few days, Rodgers and his players will be desperate to bounce back and ensure this performance is an outlier in an otherwise successful campaign. Fans will hope to see a swift response that reignites the Hoops’ title charge and restores their dominance.
Morocco
