As the Cheltenham festival came to a close for another year yesterday, it was perhaps an appropriate time for Brendan Rodgers to draw an analogy between Celtic’s season and the record-book winners throughout the week.
His side have hit hurdles more than a few times this term and have had to deal with a number of injuries along the way, unrest in the stands, the conflict in the Middle East affecting player availability and more than a few obstacles along the way. one of the star wingers and a disappointing January transfer window.
But both he and his team are still standing and are still in this title race as the two favorites return home. If Celtic win, Rodgers insisted no one will remember what happened to his players beforehand.
READ MORE: Rodgers bemoans Celtic’s chances as Scales becomes latest victim
Of course, he is in a position we are not used to at the moment, being the one following the leading Rangers rather than being the frontrunner. But that doesn’t bother him as he tries to project a level of stability to his men in this season of change.
“It doesn’t make much of a difference to me,” Rodgers said.
“It’s all about how you finish the race. That’s the important part. For whatever reason there was a lot of noise and everything at the beginning of the season.
“But ultimately it’s part of the season and if we win the league and the Scottish Cup I’ll be interested in what the thoughts are on that.
“But my only thought is that the team is going into a really exciting period, getting these players back and dealing with the pressure of the final game period.
“It doesn’t really matter to me whether I’m the hunter or the hunted. It’s about performing and reaching the finish point you want to finish. I’m just thinking about the game [on Saturday]St. Johnstone.
“It looks like we’re in a really good position where it looks like we’re going to have a strong squad for the race. I’m really looking forward to it because it’s been good, it’s been a challenge in so many different ways, but that’s why we’re here – to overcome those challenges, to come together and do as much as we can.” to finish strong.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing the team perform against St Johnstone. I know what kind of game it will be but I can’t wait to see us deal with it and play with the intensity we want to get the three points.
“Then we will draw a line under that, we will recover and hopefully the international players will come back healthy.
“Then we come to the last part of the race, which is the most important part. It’s always about how you finish.”
One thing that will help Celtic finish strongly will be the inclusion of Cameron Carter-Vickers at the heart of the defense and will line up against St Johnstone this afternoon after missing out on the winner against Livingston in the Scottish Cup.
Rodgers is delighted to have him back, not only because of the confidence he brings to his backline, but also because of the impact he has on the rest of the team and the way Celtic play.
“He is a very big player for us,” he said.
“That tells you what level he is at because he makes all the players around him better. That’s when you know you’ve got a really good player.
“His pace, strength and knowledge of the game defuse danger and gives confidence to the rest of the team.”
Rodgers has worked with some top defenders throughout his career and is confident Carter-Vickers will be a reliable fit among them once he gets a chance to evaluate him properly through consistent flow of play.
“I’ll see you after a while,” he said.
“I didn’t have a lot of time to work with him.
“There is no doubt that he gained a lot of experience on loan at different clubs while he was at Tottenham.
“He has found a home for himself here and is a player you can trust with your life. He is very strong, very brave, but he can play football and he knows football.
“You still have your best years ahead of you. Fortunately, that can happen at Celtic. He’s signed a new deal and now it’s just a matter of getting over this inconsistent injury spell.
READ MORE: Celtic’s hopes depend on the fitness of injured Carter-Vickers
“He’s never experienced anything like this before and thinks it’s due to knee surgery. This happens sometimes. It’s been an injury-filled season for him but hopefully he can stay fit over the next few months.
“Then if he performs well in pre-season he will be ready to go again.”
A few weeks ago, Rodgers was optimistic that the Celtic medical team had gotten to the bottom of the ongoing issues affecting Carter-Vickers, but the defender has another fear but is not worried about his long-term fitness and would rather err on the side of caution. We must be careful rather than lose him for a longer period of time.
“Harmless moments led to him coming out,” he said.
“He felt something during the warm-up at the beginning of the season and then thought he was fine.
“He did a sprint at Aberdeen and kept sprinting and felt it wasn’t right. That didn’t feel right in Ross County either.
“Of course we are looking closely at the management of this. This time last week he threw a pass at practice and felt something again.
“I think it also has to do with having experienced this feeling before. Six months ago you wouldn’t even think about it.
“But the fact that you’ve had a few injuries makes you think a little bit. We didn’t want to take any chances with him last week because our previous experience told us that when he feels something and keeps playing, we end up in a worse situation.”