To continue Celtic’s recent strong play at Hampden, Brendan Rodgers has advised his players to enjoy the pressure. After Celtic’s 1-0 triumph against Aberdeen in the League Cup final in December 2018, Rodgers returns to the national stadium on Saturday in his role as manager. This weekend, Celtic will play Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup semi-finals. Prior to his flawless domestic cup record in Scotland ending at Kilmarnock this season, the Northern Irishman had nine victories at Hampden during his first stint in command at Celtic. He also guided his team to a Murrayfield semifinal victory over Hearts.
Following Celtic’s loss to Championship Rangers in the 2016 Scottish Cup semifinals, Rodgers was installed on the first try, and the Hoops have gone on to win 11 of the previous 15 major finals. “One expects to win when they visit a club like this,” he remarked. “I can tell that this is a much better feeling than it was when I first came.” Before the first League Cup semi-final, I thought there was a slight sense of anxiety about playing at Hampden. However, if we want to succeed, we must begin to like it. When you perform well and win, you enjoy it. I’ve always approached these games with the intention of performing.
Naturally, there is a great deal of pressure and expectation surrounding them. Go ahead and accept that, then aim to please. Ultimately, though, every time I’ve prevailed there, I’ve thought the squad has played to a very high standard, both tactically and technically. Thus, the same takeaway. We respect Aberdeen, so we go there. Regarding the league and management changes, it hasn’t been a fantastic season for them, but we’re prepared for any semifinal, which is always a difficult match.
Before Rodgers took over, Celtic had lost at Hampden to teams like Ross County, Inverness, St. Mirren, and Hearts in addition to a then-second-tier Rangers. The only loss they have had since was to Rangers, who were en route to the Europa League final, in the Scottish Cup semifinal in 2022.
After everything that had happened for the squad there, Rodgers stated, “I just sensed a little bit of trepidation around it when I first came in, with the players and even staff.” We know that when we do that, football can help us succeed. So long as you can control what you can, approach the game with confidence in your preparation, and don’t overthink it, just play your game.
That was pretty much it. We played a great game in the first semi-final and were terrific in the League Cup match. The players took heart from it, and we returned there later in the season and performed admirably. it season’s final game was momentous, as we overcame Aberdeen to secure an undefeated treble. We began to appreciate it after that season, and more significantly, the fans went with the anticipation of winning. Anticipating, engaging, and having fun – you anticipate it and watch where it leads.
All of the games there are fantastic. There’s an extra incentive to win the trophy in the finals, and the semi-finals feature fantastic atmospheres. It was truly remarkable to win the first League Cup in the inaugural season. I grew up watching the Scottish Cup final, so I have a lot of memories of it. I also know how important the cup is to this club, and I’ve always wanted to add more trophies to the collection. Thus, I’ve had a great time with it. This year, I was unable to go because I was with Celtic. I attended to watch Scotland play there, but I would much rather be on the sidelines right now.
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