The Hoops completed a Glasgow double over Edinburgh after three matches were called off for safety reasons.
Here, the PA news agency looks at five things we learned from the reduced schedule.
Happy honeymoon for Philippe Clement
Rangers fans wanted to see something different under Belgian manager Philippe Clement and they certainly did in a 4-0 Ibrox win against Hibernian. Michael Beale had been criticised for the ponderous style of his Gers side but Clement’s version played at high tempo and got the ball forward quicker. The manager himself declared himself “happy” but not yet impressed. “Impressed is a big word,” he said. “I still saw a lot of details we can make better but I saw a team who stayed well in the structure and made the runs and the tempo we played at. It is like the honeymoon. Everything is new. They need to confirm this the next week, the next month.”
Nick Montgomery felt Clement was too keen
Hibernian manager Nick Montgomery felt Clement’s debut should have been largely watched from the stand after accusing the Rangers boss of stepping on the pitch and controlling the ball before it went out. Referencing a red card for Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes against Dundee in similar circumstances, Montgomery was surprised to see the Gers manager get away with it. He told BBC Scotland: “I think everyone can see the ball had not gone out. When that happens, you probably think it’s not going to be your day because at that point they have 12 men on the pitch. The worst thing about it was they got the throw-in. Away at Ibrox you don’t expect any favours, but that’s not within the laws of the game.”
Celtic hitting top gear
The Hoops restored their seven-point lead with a 4-1 win over Hearts at Tynecastle. Normally a tricky venue, the champions took the sting out the game inside four minutes when Matt O’Riley met Luis Palma’s lofted pass on the volley. Brendan Rodgers’ side dominated the bulk of the game to take their winning league run to six matches. If they come through another trip to Edinburgh next weekend when they face Hibs, there is a strong chance they will go on to extend their seven-point lead before hosting Rangers on December 30.
Tynecastle tickets decision has mixed results
Hearts more than halved Celtic’s usual allocation of tickets to 576 but the Tynecastle atmosphere was not at its usual level after O’Riley’s early opener. The crowd of 17,608 was the lowest league attendance at Tynecastle this season and some Celtic fans watching on television would no doubt have been frustrated at the sight of a virtually-empty section right next to the away support in the Roseburn Stand.
Kyle Vassell shows his worth for Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock captain Kyle Vassell’s double proved the difference in a 3-1 win over Livingston which ended a seven-game run without victory and lifted them into fifth place following a weather-hit fixture card. Vassell came into the league campaign still finding his fitness following a knee injury but he now has three goals in the Premiership.
The hosts took the lead through Nicky Devlin after 31 minutes at the Pittodrie Stadium before Nedim Bajrami's individual brilliance saw Rangers back on level terms 18 minutes into the second half.
Celebrations soon resumed in Aberdeen as substitute Morris crashed in the winner 11 minutes later.
Victory sees Jimmy Thelin's side move nine points clear of Rangers, who sit in third, as they remain level on 28 points with Celtic, only behind on goal difference.
Celtic continued to add to that superior goal difference with a 2-0 win over Dundee at Celtic Park.
Two goals inside 10 minutes in the second half from Alistair Johnston and Arne Engels gave them a routine victory to keep them unbeaten at the top of the table.
The Dons have been allocated 19,000 tickets for their Hampden meeting with Celtic while Hearts will say they will receive an identical initial allocation of 21,000 to their opponents, Rangers.
Both of the last-four underdogs had sought a 50-50 split but the PA news agency understands Aberdeen declined the deal Hearts accepted, to underwrite the cost of any unsold tickets.
The Scottish Football Association announced that the Dons would face Celtic at 12.30pm on April 20 with Hearts playing Rangers at 3pm the following day.
A statement from Aberdeen read: “The club requested the opportunity to sell up to 50 per cent of the tickets, with any unsold tickets by an agreed date being allocated to our opponents.
“Disappointingly, this has once again been declined based primarily on historical ticket sales at this stage of the competition.
“As a result, the Aberdeen allocation for this match will be for up to 19,000 tickets, almost identical to the Viaplay Cup final in December, split between the South Stand and West Stand, depending on demand.”
Aberdeen quickly sold an initial 17,000 tickets for their Hampden clash with Rangers in December before problems emerged over a second batch of 2,500 tickets as fans complained over their loyalty points not being taken into account, while the club recalled tickets apparently sold to Light Blues fans.
They sold about 13,000 tickets for the League Cup semi-finals in each of the past two seasons, figures which were taken into account during this process.
Hearts were “delighted” to share their news with supporters.
A statement read: “The club put forward a proposal to secure an equal share of tickets, guaranteeing Hearts supporters the opportunity to purchase seats in Hampden’s North Stand.
“We had to make an extremely strong case for our argument, given the size of our opponents’ fanbase and historic semi-final ticket sales.
“We are, therefore, extremely pleased to confirm that our proposition was accepted, and both Hearts and Rangers will be given an initial 21k allocation of tickets to sell to our respective supporters.
“We would like to thank the Scottish FA for their assistance in this process.
“This gives us the best opportunity to have Steven Naismith and our players walk out onto the Hampden pitch to a sea of maroon, spread out equally and fairly across the national stadium.
“The door has now been opened for as many Hearts fans as possible to attend and, hopefully, have a special day out.
“One condition of this agreement is that the club covers the cost of any unsold tickets from our allocation so it is in all of our interests to sell out and give the team the level of backing that Hearts fans are famous for.”
Head coach Naismith welcomed the news.
“In the semi-final of the biggest cup competition in the country when you’ve got two of the biggest clubs in the country, it really should be (50/50),” he said. “It should be a great atmosphere to be involved in.”
The SFA declined to comment.
Both clubs sought a 50-50 split for their respective matches but only Hearts had their request granted.
The Edinburgh club say they have been allocated an identical initial share to Rangers of 21,000 seats in the 50,000-capacity national stadium.
The Dons will face Celtic at 12.30pm on April 20 with Hearts facing Rangers at 3pm the following day.
A statement from Aberdeen read: “The club requested the opportunity to sell up to 50 per cent of the tickets, with any unsold tickets by an agreed date being allocated to our opponents.
“Disappointingly, this has once again been declined based primarily on historical ticket sales at this stage of the competition.
“As a result, the Aberdeen allocation for this match will be for up to 19,000 tickets, almost identical to the Viaplay Cup final in December, split between the South Stand and West Stand, depending on demand.”
Hearts were “delighted” to share their news with supporters.
A statement read: “The club put forward a proposal to secure an equal share of tickets, guaranteeing Hearts supporters the opportunity to purchase seats in Hampden’s North Stand.
“We had to make an extremely strong case for our argument, given the size of our opponents’ fanbase and historic semi-final ticket sales.
“We are, therefore, extremely pleased to confirm that our proposition was accepted, and both Hearts and Rangers will be given an initial 21k allocation of tickets to sell to our respective supporters.
“We would like to thank the Scottish FA for their assistance in this process.
“This gives us the best opportunity to have Steven Naismith and our players walk out onto the Hampden pitch to a sea of maroon, spread out equally and fairly across the national stadium.
“The door has now been opened for as many Hearts fans as possible to attend and, hopefully, have a special day out.
“One condition of this agreement is that the club covers the cost of any unsold tickets from our allocation so it is in all of our interests to sell out and give the team the level of backing that Hearts fans are famous for.”
Head coach Naismith welcomed the news.
“In the semi-final of the biggest cup competition in the country when you’ve got two of the biggest clubs in the country, it really should be (50/50),” he said. “It should be a great atmosphere to be involved in.”
The Scottish FA has been approached for comment.
Postecoglou has become the odds-on favourite to take over at Tottenham with one report claiming he will meet Spurs chairman Daniel Levy on Monday.
The Celtic manager batted away questions over his future on Thursday as he bids to avoid distractions ahead of Saturday’s Hampden clash with Inverness and O’Riley claims the players will not be sidetracked.
“It’s not hard, to be honest,” the 22-year-old said. “There is always so much noise in football. Even with players, with managers, all sorts.
“There is a lot of stuff in the media all the time but I personally don’t believe most of the things I see, just because I know how football works.
“I’m sure he is very happy where he is because we are doing very well.
“It’s just part of football. Media-wise, there is always something going on and I’m sure there will always be the odd surprise that gets thrown in, someone leaves that you don’t expect, someone joins that comes out of nowhere. You just have to be ready for whatever comes.”
Postecoglou has been linked with numerous Premier League jobs throughout the season and Celtic have shown the focus to stay on course for a treble.
“It comes from, first of all, the hierarchy, the manager and staff setting the foundation of what can we do today to improve and taking it day by day,” O’Riley said.
“If you think too much about the future or stuff that has happened before, that’s when problems start to occur because you are probably in your head a bit too much.
“As long as we are focused on the day-to-day basics of trying to improve one another then I don’t think it should be a problem.”
However, the former MK Dons midfielder understands why many Celtic fans are anxious about the future amid the growing speculation over Postecoglou.
“He has provided so much success to the club, and hopefully that continues, and naturally fans are attached to someone who brings so much success,” he said.
“The same goes for the players in the group right now, everyone had good seasons for the most part, so naturally there is going to be interest in players, but hopefully we can keep as many together and push on even more next season.”
Postecoglou is odds-on favourite to take over at Tottenham and refused to give any indication on whether he would be departing Celtic Park after making it five trophies in two seasons with a 3-1 Scottish Cup win over Inverness.
Many Celtic fans fear their manager is London-bound and he would not give any assurances to the contrary.
“I will say to them what I said to the players, let’s enjoy this,” he said. “I deserve to enjoy this, the people around me deserve to enjoy this.
“Whatever other people want to focus on and talk about, I am not going to miss enjoying this moment with this group of people but also I owe it to my family, my friends, all of those closest to me.
“Everyone works hard and makes sacrifices to enjoy these moments. I understand that other people who aren’t invested in it want to ask these questions but for me, right now, the most important thing is that we reflect and just be in the moment of creating something special.”
When it was pointed out that fans who are heavily-invested in Celtic are among those asking the questions, the 57-year-old said: “Yeah, but they deserve to enjoy this moment because, irrespective of what happens in the future, why would you not want to enjoy this moment just for what it is? It’s something historic.”
When asked if he anticipated being in Glasgow next season, the former Australia head coach said: “I anticipate enjoying this moment for the next 24-48 hours, as long as I can, before someone drags me away and takes my attention away from enjoying something that’s been hard-earned.
“The reality is, there’s probably players in that dressing room who won’t be here next year. That’s the nature of football.
“But I want them to enjoy it, I am going to enjoy it, and that’s all I am going to focus on until someone grabs me by the collar and tells me that I have to answer certain questions.”
Caley Thistle have knocked Celtic out of the Scottish Cup three times in seven meetings this century and the Hoops needed to come from behind in two of their triumphs.
Inverness beat Celtic 3-1 at Parkhead as a First Division club in the first encounter between the teams in February 2000 in a result that cost John Barnes his job as manager.
They also beat Martin O’Neill’s side in 2003 four days after the Hoops had won at Anfield on their way to the UEFA Cup final.
Ronny Deila also fell foul of Caley Thistle in the 2015 semi-finals in a result that cost Celtic the chance of a treble.
When told some people were predicting a walkover when the Scottish champions face a side who finished fifth in the cinch Championship, Postecoglou told Celtic TV: “The people at this club don’t tell me about that, they tell me about the past results against them, which makes you realise that if you are not on it on the day you can be beaten and there’s consequences to that.
“I can assure you that no-one in the building here is going into it with anything other than the approach that we have to be at our absolute best on the day.”
Caley Thistle have only played once since their semi-final win over Falkirk, losing to Ayr on May 5 in a late defeat which cost them a place in the Premiership play-offs.
“It’s a bit of a weird one for them, they won’t have had a game for close to a month by the time the cup final comes around,” Postecoglou said. “I’m sure they have been working away and had bounce games when they can.
“It’s a different opponent for us but, irrespective, it’s a cup final. Who the opponent is becomes secondary to the fact that you know you need to perform on the day and if you do there is a massive reward at the end of it.”
The hosts endured a frustrating day in Bergamo, where they were unable to find the breakthrough, despite registering 22 shots on goal to their opponents' four.
Atalanta had collected four points from their opening two games, and quickly established their authority on proceedings.
They went closest to scoring in the 18th minute, when Mario Pasalic rattled the crossbar with his header from Davide Zappacosta's cross.
The hosts continued to control the contest and push for the opening goal in the second half, enjoying just under 70% of the possession.
However, a combination of stubborn defending and Kasper Schmeichel heroics saw Celtic hold on for a hard-earned point.
Data Debrief: Italian Job well done by Celtic
Celtic had lost all seven of their previous Champions League away matches in Italy. The Hoops had also suffered defeat in eight of their last nine games in the competition on the road.
However, they held firm to stop the rot, with Kasper Schmeichel becoming the first Celtic goalkeeper to make as many as six saves and keep a clean sheet in a Champions League game on record.
As for Atalanta, they are only the second team in the Champions League (2008-09 onwards) to register 20+ shots and 50+ touches in the opposition box during a single match without scoring.
The Dons sealed third place in the cinch Premiership – and likely European group-stage football next term – by beating St Mirren 3-0 on Wednesday so they have little to play for other than personal pride when they visit the champions.
Robson is adamant there is no chance of him allowing his team to slip into holiday mode for their final match of the campaign.
“The players deserve a huge amount of credit for how they have performed but the message was made clear in training that the season isn’t over yet,” he said.
“We’ve got a huge game to come. The sign of a good team is being able to go right to the very end and we need to go to the very end because Celtic Park is one of the hardest places you’ll ever go to play football, especially against an Ange Postecoglou team who are relentless in the way they play.
“They have got a cup final to come afterwards so I’m sure all their players will be at it. They’ve been phenomenal this season but we need to go down there and be brave and be right at it. If we do that, we have a chance.”
Robson will be forced into two changes as on-loan Hoops defender Liam Scales is ineligible to face his parent club, while striker Bojan Miovski was carried off injured on Wednesday and will see a specialist on Monday.
Beyond that, Robson is of no mind to tinker with his team too much as he wants to ensure Aberdeen have a chance of finishing with a win.
“No,” he said when asked if he was planning to mix his team up. “We’re going down to the best team in the country.
“You can’t take that lightly because they’ve got some real top players. We need to go down there and put a performance on. We’re there to represent Aberdeen Football Club so we need to make sure we’re at it.
“I’ve been in this game far too long and you can’t take a game lightly. I’m not a big believer in playing friendlies either. Every game means something.”
Robson refused to be drawn on reports this week suggesting the Dons were close to agreeing a deal to sign on-loan Liverpool midfielder Leighton Clarkson on a permanent deal, insisting he would not comment on any transfer until it was officially confirmed.
Asked how much of a rebuild he anticipates this summer, Robson said: “We’re the same as anyone else.
“Every manager will be busy with players coming in and going out. It’s the same at every club but hopefully we can take some good players in that can help us.”
Left-back Bolingoli has left the Scottish champions on loan initially, but the Super Lig switch could lead to a permanent deal.
Celtic manager Neil Lennon confirmed this week that the club had imposed the maximum fine allowed on Bolingoli after he left the Hoops embarrassed in early August.
The 25-year-old Belgian travelled to Spain without Celtic's knowledge and did not follow coronavirus quarantine rules when returning to Scotland, going on to play in an August 9 match against Kilmarnock.
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon expressed dismay over the episode, and Celtic at the time said: "It is difficult to imagine a more irresponsible action in current circumstances and we find it beyond explanation."
Two Celtic matches had to be postponed because of Bolingoli's actions, and immediately his future at Parkhead looked bleak, despite him issuing an apology.
Confirmation of his departure on Sunday came as no surprise.
Istanbul Basaksehir announced on their website: "Our club has loaned Belgian football player Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo for a year with the option to buy."
The 80,000-strong crowd started the celebrations early at the Westfalenstadion, with Emre Can scoring from the spot in the seventh minute after Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel upended Jamie Gittens and was booked.
Celtic momentarily hushed the deafening Yellow Wall two minutes later when Daizen Maeda bundled in a cross from Arne Engels but Adeyemi restored the lead with a shot deflected in off Auston Trusty in the 11th minute.
The Germany winger extended the hosts' lead just before the half-hour mark when he lashed a shot into the top corner past a diving Schmeichel, then won a 39th-minute penalty for Serhou Guirassy to tuck away before completing his hat-trick three minutes later.
Guirassy grabbed his second goal of the night midway through the second half for last season’s Champions League runners-up.
BVB substitute Felix Nmecha then completed the rout with 11 minutes left, with Celtic having Schmeichel to thank for keeping the sobering scoreline to seven.
It is two straight wins for Dortmund to start this season’s competition, while Celtic have been brought emphatically back down to earth after putting five goals past Slovan Bratislava on Matchday One.
Data Debrief: Adeyemi matches Gomez feat
Gittens was Dortmund’s star man in their opening win against Club Brugge, but it was Adeyemi who came to the fore here, becoming only the second German player to score three goals in the first half of a Champions League match.
The only other such player to achieve the feat was Mario Gomez for Bayern Munich in 2011 against Napoli.
Guirassy, meanwhile, has joined Gittens and Adeyemi in making a fine start to the tournament, racing on to three goals with his double.
Dortmund were rewarded for their attackers' accurate finishing, getting 13 of their 16 attempts on target and vastly outperforming their xG total of 2.91.
The Hoops went into the make-or-break game with one point from four Group E matches but were undone with two late goals from the home side’s classy substitute Ciro Immobile.
Celtic were awarded a penalty in added time for a push on substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu inside the box but it was overturned when VAR intervened and sent referee Halil Umut Meler to the pitchside monitor for another look.
The Parkhead outfit, without Luis Palma, Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Liel Abada through suspension or injury, will finish bottom in their Champions League group for the second consecutive season.
Rodgers was quoted on bbc.co.uk/sport saying: “It’s the overall quality. We need to have our very best players available.
“What makes the difference is that bit of experience and genuine quality. That’s something we can hopefully resolve over the next couple of windows.
“This group has gained more experience and shown they can compete in some games – but we need to add quality. That’s the glaring thing that stands out.
“Sadly for us, over the course of all the games, we’ve been hampered with our squad and availability. At this level, for us, that’s the very minimum.
“But I have to commend the players that have been playing. They have given everything. The game was very competitive right the way through.
“We lose two goals but the effort and commitment was there.
“In the last 20 minutes we looked like the team that could go on and get the result, but we gave away two poor goals.
“The first one, we’re in a great position up the pitch and we lose possession and never recover our shape. Then they get a bit of luck with the deflection. That was a tough one to take.
“For the second goal, we obviously need to be stronger and better.”
The Scottish champions finished on two points in the Champions League last season and they have their final match at home to Feyenoord next month to improve on that tally.
Rodgers said: “We want to finish on a high. We want to win in front of our own supporters.
“Our support has been incredible, travelling all round Europe. They haven’t seen us win and we’d love to give them that victory at home and finish off with a positive result.”
Furuhashi got on the end of Luis Palma’s curling effort to net the opener from close range 25 seconds into the second half, before defender Liam Scales headed home the Honduran winger’s corner five minutes later.
It was the 28-year-old striker’s 10th goal of the campaign but only the second in 13 matches for a player who struck 34 times last season.
Rodgers, whose team went five points clear in the cinch Premiership, said: “I think he’s three goals short of where he was last season but for me it’s more important for the team.
“But attacking players, their job is to create and score. You could see relief on his face.
“He read it well and it was nice for him to get the goal because he had other chances which didn’t quite drop but from the team point of view it’s what we needed.
“I think it’s one where there’s probably been frustration when he maybe hasn’t had the ball through or runs behind to allow him to highlight his clever movement. But he’s kept going and persisting. He’s got this shoulder issue but he’s kept working and that’s important.
“Any striker wants to get goals but it’s not just about the striker. A striker can can get 40 goals but it’s no good if other members aren’t contributing.
“It was nice to get goal for him and nice to get one from a set-piece. We had more chance to work on that and we need to be much better in that area but we looked a threat.”
The Green Brigade fans group were back inside Celtic Park after a recent ban and the atmosphere was back to normal as well as the team’s display after they suffered back-to-back league defeats for the first time in a decade.
Rodgers said: “It’s been a tough week on the back of two results. Naturally it’s not been what you want but the players were excellent. From the first whistle the tempo was really good.”
Livingston manager David Martindale bemoaned his side’s start to the second half after his side defended brilliantly in the first half.
“The way we started is criminal, terrible,” he said. “The first goal is shocking from our point of view. I’m not saying it’s good movement, it’s basics. Centre-half has got him, Kyogo just walks off him and stick the ball in the net after letting Palma come inside.
“Big Luiyi (de Lucas) has to do better. The movement wasn’t great but I think I could defend it. It was naivety and ability. They’re at Celtic for a reason. Big Luiyi is at Livingston for a reason.”
Martindale lost Tom Parkes to a head injury late in the first half after the defender had produced three-goal saving interventions before getting in the way of a powerful Cameron Carter-Vickers strike.
The Livi manager said: “He was in a bad way when he came off but he’s better now. If Parksey was there that first goal doesn’t happen.”
Rodgers faces a hearing on March 28 after being accused of breaching a rule which forbids criticising match officials “in such a way as to indicate bias or incompetence”.
The Northern Irishman claimed the “level of incompetence” made him worry for the game as he criticised the displays of referee Don Robertson and video assistant John Beaton in particular, with Yang Hyun-jun’s red card and a penalty for handball against Tomoki Iwata the key complaints.
Rodgers risks being banned from the touchline for Celtic’s cinch Premiership clash against Rangers on April 7 but, when asked if he had any regrets over his comments, he said: “No, not at all. My job is to defend the team, defend the club and that’s what we will do in this case.
“We will defend it vigorously and when the date comes we will go from there. I will sit down with the club and the lawyers and we will look at it from there.”
Rodgers added: “It was my observations over many games, primarily around the inconsistency of decisions.
“I never talk so much about referees and haven’t done over the course of my career. I understand they make mistakes. But I felt the ones last week were clear, clear errors.”
Celtic failed in an appeal over Yang’s red card for a high boot on Alex Cochrane, which was upgraded following a VAR review.
Rodgers said: “I have seen incidents worse than that, and I thought the on-field decision was correct, a yellow card.
“We had a report back that the studs and the boot was in the face of the player, which clearly a couple of days later when we get that report and it says that, it is clearly not the case when you watch it.”
Yang will be suspended for Sunday’s Scottish Gas Scottish Cup quarter-final against Livingston and fellow winger Luis Palma is a doubt with a knock.
Captain Callum McGregor will again sit out the game following an inconclusive scan after being troubled by pain in his Achilles/calf area.
“We had it in our mind anyway he would miss through until the international break and then take it from there,” Rodgers said.
“He travelled for the scan but nothing really showed up so much. We will assess it over the next couple of weeks. We will just have to see how that feels on a day-to-day basis really.
“It’s something he has felt most seasons of late, towards the back end of the season, but he has had to play through it or was able to play through it. It’s not something new but it’s something we have to look at and be mindful of.”
Alexandro Bernabei also drops out of the squad after being loaned to Brazilian club Internacional for the rest of 2024.
Rodgers was comfortable with the departure of the Argentinian despite having no regular left-back as cover for Greg Taylor.
“If I didn’t want it to happen it, it didn’t have to happen, but I’m confident enough in what we have in the squad for the remainder of the season, we will have coverage in that position,” Rodgers said. “Liam Scales has played there and we have other options.”
The Celtic manager received a warm reception from the home supporters after being re-introduced ahead of a 3-2 win over Athletic Bilbao in James Forrest’s testimonial match.
When asked what it felt like to be back, more than four years after leaving for Leicester, Rodgers said: “Amazing. It feels like home.
“I have to be honest. I have been fortunate enough in my career to have managed some fantastic clubs and some big clubs but there is nothing giving me the feeling of being back here with people that I would regard as family, and just being in the arena here.
“I am looking forward to it, I am going to relish every second of it.
“I think going away probably made me realise what I had and I was never sure if I would have that again.
“So to be able to have the chance to have that again, I am really going to enjoy it, on the pitch, with the players, with the staff, and obviously with the supporters.
“But for that I need to win and I need to prove myself again.”
There was no sign of dissent among the 43,447 when Rodgers was presented ahead of the game, which Celtic won thanks to goals from Reo Hatate, Alexandro Bernabei and David Turnbull.
There was a sparse attendance in the standing section, whose members did express their displeasure over Rodgers’ appointment on social media in June.
But any negativity looks likely to be put to one side when Celtic begin their cinch Premiership title defence against Ross County on Saturday.
On his reception, Rodgers said: “Clearly, it obviously means a lot.
“My priority is to make a team here and continue with the standards that have been set over the last decade or so. So it’s important that we are all together in order to achieve that.
“The Celtic supporters are amazing, they will support their team and I think what makes this club is that they get behind the manager.
“We all go together from the weekend and look to push on and it’s very important for us to be together.”
Rodgers changed his entire team at half-time and got an improved second-half display as Celtic came from behind.
“Overall I am really pleased for James because it is nice for him to win in his testimonial game, but the second-half team was excellent,” he added.
Rodgers was part of a delegation of Celtic coaches, players and directors who were granted a private audience with Pope Francis on Wednesday morning, following their Champions League defeat by Lazio in Rome the previous night.
Rodgers said: “It was obviously a real privilege for us all to have the invitation to go there.
“It was a really humbling experience and it felt like a life achievement to meet him. It was so nice, everyone that came out of the room that morning felt really privileged and really honoured.”
Pope Francis told the Celtic delegation that while winning was always preferred, it was not the most important aspect.
Quoted on the Vatican website, he added: “More vital is the example you give when winning or losing, both on and off the field. An example that embodies the virtues of courage, perseverance, generosity and respect for the God-given dignity of others.
“Indeed, Celtic Football Club was founded in 1887 with the specific goal of alleviating poverty in the city of Glasgow. This was truly a charitable undertaking for the sake of the most needy of our brothers and sisters.
“Yet, how much the world of football has changed since then. In particular, the financial footprint of the ‘beautiful game’ has greatly increased, and at times can risk making football only attractive for reasons of monetary profit.
“The valued legacy of your club, then, places a heavy responsibility upon your shoulders, reminding you to be good role models, especially for young people.”
Celtic have signed five players since Rodgers returned – Norwegian midfielder Odin Thiago Holm, Australian winger Marco Tilio, South Korean pair Yang Hyun-jun and Kwon Hyeok-kyu, and Poland Under-21 defender Maik Nawrocki.
The new arrivals have an average age of 21 and Celtic look set to continue their model of signing younger players with potential to improve.
Rodgers told Sky Sports News: “I think everyone looks and thinks that we might be bringing in a £15-20million player. The reality is that won’t be the case. It’s not what the club is based on.
“But that doesn’t mean there’s not talented players out there that we want.
“There is still quite a way to go in the window so we will look to improve the squad again.
“We have done a lot of early business which has been great, it allows the players to come in and settle, and of course we want to do some more. But I am quite calm on that.”
Celtic have continued their focus on the Asian transfer market after achieving success on that front during Ange Postecoglou’s reign, and Rodgers is happy to trust the recruitment staff.
“I will work with the club on that. Mark Lawwell, who has headed up the recruitment team here, has done a fantastic job,” said Rodgers, whose team begin their cinch Premiership title defence at home to Ross County on Saturday.
“It’s a market he knows really, really well from his previous job so he understands the players.
“But he has also got a very good team of people behind him. So I trust in their work.
“Of course they will always be put forward to me and I will have a look at it.
“Some of those players were identified before I came in so it was about giving the blessing, and some of them have been identified whilst we have been in. So it’s a continuation of working together, which is important.
“Part of coming back, I know where the club is at, I know the model that’s in place, and we hope we can maximise that and develop the players on the field.”
Ahead of Celtic’s final pre-season game against Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday, Rodgers stated that he would “always” offer suggestions of his own when discussing targets.
But he added: “It has to fit into the model of the club. And as a manager in the modern game it’s very difficult to do what you maybe did years ago and be out watching players every night of the week. The game has changed.
“So you are really relying on your recruitment team.
“You won’t get absolutely every one right and that’s purely on the basis of players maybe not adapting to a country.
“But there is a lot of great work done here, a really comprehensive structure that is in place to try and mitigate as many of those circumstances as we can and allow players to come in and really flourish in an environment which is made for development.”
Celtic reached the semi-finals but it was more nervy than the 4-2 scoreline suggested with Livingston twice equalising through Daniel MacKay and Tete Yengi before Daizen Maeda completed his hat-trick in the 86th minute and substitute Kyogo Furuhashi netted deep in stoppage time.
Celtic again missed skipper McGregor, who hopes to return from an Achilles issue after the international break, and vice-captain Carter-Vickers was left out as a precaution amid concern over the troublesome hamstring which has forced the defender out for several lay-offs this season.
Rodgers was also without the suspended Yang Hyun-jun and injured Luis Palma along with long-term absentee Reo Hatate.
The Celtic boss praised Nicolas Kuhn for his creativity and fellow winger Maeda for his finishing, but added: “We didn’t close the spaces anywhere near what we would want and the speed of our game wasn’t what we would want. But I am understanding of that, some of the guys coming in and also the level of players who were missing.
“The players deserve credit, some hadn’t played a lot, Matt O’Riley was ill all week, Stephen Welsh came in at the last minute, Nicolas had one of his first games. There was a bit of disruption, but the guys got the job done.”
Rodgers admitted Celtic gave away “poor goals”, and added: “I think you see whenever Cam is not in the team – with the greatest of respect – the security in the team.
“I don’t have any fears when we have those guys back. I just think there’s a moment in any team when you are missing your best players then you will maybe not be as tight as you want to be.”
The Celtic manager explained the centre-back’s latest absence.
“We were just going through something very, very light and he made a pass and felt something in the back of his leg,” he said.
“He continued to train but we didn’t want to take any risk whatsoever because as much as he wants to play every game, we had this earlier in the season when he said he was OK and then we ended up losing him for more matches. So hopefully it’s nothing too serious, but we had to take the precaution.”
Rodgers also stated that the level McGregor brings to the game to is “beyond what a lot of our players can do”.
“To be fair, it’s a bit like Jamesy Forrest coming into the game, what a joy to see someone come in for that 25 minutes with that quality and the football idea he brought to the game,” Rodgers said.
“Callum is a player that is important for us, so fingers crossed again we can get to the bottom of that and he’ll be available after the international break.”
Livingston manager David Martindale bemoaned a Joe Hart save from Michael Nottingham’s header at 2-2 and hopes his players can take heart from their display as they bid to overturn a six-point deficit at the foot of the cinch Premiership.
“I’m pretty proud of them albeit we’re out of the cup,” he said.
“It’s been a painful season and we’re on a torrid run. I don’t need self-belief, but I can only hope the players take a wee bit of self-belief.
“I thought they were very good in the game, it would have been easy to come here and accept a 3-0 or 4-0 but they didn’t do that. They played on the front foot and managed the game reasonably well.”
O’Riley netted late in Celtic’s 3-1 win at Aberdeen on Sunday to make it two goals in his opening two cinch Premiership matches.
Rodgers had noted that O’Riley’s tally of four goals in 52 appearances last season was not befitting of his talent.
The Celtic boss said: “I like him a lot. I think he is a really intelligent footballer.
“He is a top professional. He prepares his body well and he prepares his life well. He wants to do well. He sets his standards high every day to be better.
“When I looked at his numbers and everything else I think I said to him you need to score more goals as he didn’t do it enough.
“He was a bit like Jamesie Forrest when I first came into the club. He didn’t score enough for the talent they had and I was looking at Matt from last season and his first goal was in February. You can’t have that talent and be waiting that long.
“It is all about arriving in the areas and finding composure to finish.
“I really like him, his build-up play is good, he takes the ball, and he needs to work on his pressing and intensity but he is a wonderful footballer and he is a good guy as well.”
O’Riley himself believes a change of mental approach has been key to his flying start in front of goal.
The Denmark Under-21 international told Celtic TV: “I think I’m just trying less hard, genuinely. There’s not as much tension in my game right now.
“I was probably trying a little bit too hard last season just because I care so much and I want to help the team.
“Now I’m just trying to relax a little bit more and just get in the right positions and it seems to be clicking a little bit.
““This season I’m probably coming on to the play a little bit more in terms of the role I’ve got right now, so I can probably see the play building up a little bit better and I can pick my moment when to arrive in the box.”
O’Riley admitted in the summer of 2022, several months after moving to Glasgow, that he was aware of interest from Rodgers’ Leicester and the links persisted for the following year.
Rodgers said: “I didn’t see a great deal of him (before he moved to Celtic). He was obviously at MK Dons and I know he was linked with moves down south as most Celtic or Rangers players are.
“I have watched every Celtic game that has been on telly and I have seen his ability.
“He is a wonderful footballer and he is ambitious and he wants to be better and improve and I am really pleased for him and that was a good run into the box and finish from him.”
The Highland League side are set for the biggest game in their history when they travel to Glasgow for Sunday’s fourth-round tie.
Footage emerged of the players on a night out reacting to the draw 24 hours after they beat Broxburn Athletic on penalties in the third round despite getting two men sent off.
Rodgers told Celtic TV: “For me it’s never mattered who the opponent is, we always prepare exactly the same and go through it with great detail.
“But it’s a great story for them. A lot of their players are part-time and to be able to come to Celtic will be a great occasion.
“I saw some of the images of the celebration when the guys saw they had drawn Celtic, which is great, that’s what cup competitions are all about.
“But of course our professional head is to get the job done and get into the next round. We have to be super-focused and professional.”
