Brendan Rodgers’ return to Celtic caught many by surprise, considering he didn’t leave the club on the best terms when he took the Leicester City job in 2019. Despite the initial bitterness from fans, Rodgers received a warm welcome upon his return to Parkhead, where he faced his toughest challenge yet. The 51-year-old had previously dominated during his first stint at Celtic, but now he was stepping into the shoes of Ange Postecoglou, who had also achieved success with the team.
Throughout the season, there was plenty of noise surrounding Celtic’s performances, title hopes, recruitment, and criticism aimed at Rodgers personally. After a hard-fought 3-2 victory over St Mirren, Rodgers opened up about the personal criticism he had faced, emphasizing that while he welcomes constructive criticism, personal attacks are unacceptable.
Former Celtic manager Neil Lennon echoed Rodgers’ sentiments, condemning the unjustified personal criticism and praising the team for letting their performance on the field do the talking. As Celtic neared completing the double with one more game to go, the pressure was on Rangers and their manager Philippe Clement to deliver a big win after a string of disappointing results.
With the prospect of lifting another trophy and maintaining dominance over Rangers for the season, Celtic looked poised to continue their success under Rodgers’ leadership. As the season drew to a close, the significance of the final game loomed large, with both teams seeking to end on a high note and set the tone for the next campaign.
