Celtic can nonetheless take “a number of positives” out of their pleasant with Ajax regardless of dropping 5-1, says Brendan Rodgers, though the supervisor confused it’s “additionally a reminder of the work we nonetheless should do”.
The match in Italy was the semi-final of the Como Cup and Celtic will now face Asian Champions League winners Al-Ahli in a third-fourth play-off on Saturday.
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“I do not suppose it was a 5-1 sport,” Rodgers advised Celtic TV. “For the primary 60 minutes of the sport, we have been superb and the third purpose we gave away.
“However we had a number of actually good moments – scored one however ought to have had extra.
“The purpose we scored was very, superb – then, I felt, within the final half-hour of the sport, we gave the ball away far too simply and we misplaced out in too many duels.”
Rodgers advised that fatigue from pre-season coaching had performed its half because the Dutch aspect rattled in three objectives within the remaining half-hour.
“So we will see the gamers are working very exhausting they usually’re getting leggy in among the video games as a result of we’re pushing them in coaching,” he mentioned.
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“Generally you get that after which the 2 objectives proper on the finish are disappointing as a result of they’re photographs from outdoors the field that we must always do higher with.
“However, total, a number of positives from it but in addition a reminder of the work we nonetheless should do.”
Al-Ahli, as a substitute of hosts Como, will now be Celtic’s remaining pre-season opponents earlier than they start their defence of the Scottish title.
“They’ve high quality gamers – gamers who’re individually superb,” Rodgers mentioned of the Saudi Arabian aspect. “They spent some huge cash on high gamers, in order that might be an excellent sport.
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“That is why we got here out. Irrespective of the way it turned out, we have been going to get two actually good video games.”
Celtic followers, are you involved by the end result with the Scottish Premiership kick-off simply over every week away?
[BBC]