In one of those matches where Celtic shone individually and collectively, the 6-0 victory over St Johnstone demonstrated not just the strength of Brendan Rodgers's squad, but a certain mentality of winning that has guided the team through this season. The coach saw the performance, though, more as a reflection of solid teamwork and meticulous preparation.
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It was everything you expect from a team-intensity, technique, grit, quality-so I'm very, very pleased," Rodgers said afterward.
Dominance
In the first half, Kyogo Furuhashi proved why he is such an important player in this team after scoring two goals to give this side some breathing room. First, with a clean finish after a well-worked play, opened the scoring on a spot kick. Paulo Bernardo built that lead with a shot from outside the box before Kyogo found the back of the net again before halftime to make it 3-0.
Rodgers mentioned the concentration his side was able to maintain during the game when it was practically settled before the break. "I said before the game that this was an opportunity to really show our attitude and mentality, and I thought we were very good in the game," gushed the coach, impressed with his squad's mentality.
Control and more goals
In the second half, Celtic didn't let the pace go down and allowed no responses from St Johnstone. The fourth goal came from Callum McGregor with a low shot; then Maeda added a header, taking advantage of a beautiful cross. The sixth goal came from Adam Idah. That sealed the rout.
Rodgers told Onze Mondial the importance of defence and, above all, collective effort throughout the game: "This team is very well synchronized in the way they press, the way they move, the way they close the space, and in the area I want us to be different from any other team: counter-attacking." The manager also spoke about the team's attitude towards expectations and the "noise" surrounding the Champions League.
Schmeichel keeps It safe
Aside from the six goals, Celtic also earned another clean sheet, courtesy of their excellent defense led by Kasper Schmeichel. With another clean sheet, the goalkeeper tied a historic club record for six games since the start of the season without letting in any goal. The backline was as lauded as the attack, speaking much about the team's balance.
Smell of the Champions League
With one hand on the title, the attention for Celtic now turns to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. Amongst all the fanfare of the European encounter, Rodgers ensured his troops did not get ahead of themselves with their focus firmly set on St Johnstone. There was a lot of noise before about Dortmund, about the Champions League, and about everything else, but our perspective was that this still was very, very important for us, and we wanted to approach it in the best possible way, underlined the coach of the importance of every match.
Now, with Dortmund looming, Rodgers was sure of his side, as well as the fans: "Now that we've come through this with a great performance, we know we can go there with a lot of confidence.