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Brendan Rodgers admitted he’s battling through his toughest period as Celtic manager after the champions had to come from behind to seal a dramatic late win over Motherwell.
Unsettled Daizen Maeda snatched all three points with a header deep into stoppage time, but Rodgers admitted his team were again a long way short of their best in a 3-2 win at Parkhead.
Kelechi Iheanacho put the champions in front from the penalty spot, only for the visitors to go 2-1 up thanks to a double from striker Apostolos Stamatelopoulos.
Celtic rallied in the final 20 minutes, substitute Benjamin Nygren firing an equaliser before Maeda scored the winner.
Rodgers has contended with a multitude of problems over the first two months of the season, most notably a shambolic transfer window which left him with a squad lacking quality. There’s also been mutiny in the stands as fans have protested against the club’s board, with more unrest evident in the stands again here.
With his team trailing league leaders Hearts by two points heading into the international break, Rodgers was asked if this represents his most difficult period across two stints as manager.
Brendan Rodgers says his team lack the speed he has been used to in previous seasons
Daizen Maeda scored with a stoppage-time header to secure all three points for Celtic
‘Yes, it is,’ he replied. ‘I think when I first came back, it was a challenge.
‘But, yes, having to work so hard to try to get balance, try to get speed, try to get everything into the team when there’s certain characteristics that are missing from the squad [it’s difficult].
‘You need to win, you need to find a way to win. And I do believe that, as the season goes on, we will be better. But the speed in the team that we’ve had over the last few seasons, it’s not quite the same.
‘The players showed a big heart, a lot of spirit, great determination and a lot of fight, which is what you need over the course of a long season.
‘It was a fantastic win for us. You can see why Motherwell hadn’t lost a game yet this season.
‘The build-up play and the confidence they play with - the coach deserves a huge amount of credit because we had to be really on it and organised in our pressing.
‘But I thought our players deserved it. The mentality of going behind in the game, it’s not easy to play here when you go behind. But we kept fighting.
‘The subs coming into the game made a great impact for us. In that final 15 minutes where we had them pinned back and moving the ball at speed and creating opportunities, it was great to see.
‘We’re nowhere near our level. That’s the reality. We can all see that in terms of where I would want us to be.
‘But you have to get results. You have to find a way and you have to dig deep and show heart. The players did that today.’
Maeda’s performances have come under scrutiny over the first couple of months of the new season. Prior to the Motherwell game, he had scored only two goals in 12 matches.
PFA Player of the Year in Scotland last season, he had looked a shadow of himself amid the revelation he had expressed a desire to leave Celtic in the summer, only for the move to be blocked.
Praising the Japanese striker for his match-winning contribution, Rodgers said: ‘He just deserves so much credit.
‘This is a guy that I’d seen before I came in here. Then, for over two years now, he’s given his heart and soul to this club.
‘Everything that happened in the summer is well-documented and that’s not easy. If it affects a player like him, then you know how deep it goes.
‘But he’s still turned up every day. He’s playing in probably the third [favourite] position if you asked him [wide right], because we have a gap on that side. He’s just got on with it.
‘You see the difference the minute he comes over to the left. His pressing, the intensity, everything changes for him. I just felt he’s the type that can nick you a goal. He gets in with a nice little move and he gets the goal.
Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou is proud that his players pushed Celtic all the way
‘I’m so, so happy for him and his family because he’s given so much to this club and he will continue to do that.’
Asked for his views on a league table that sees Hearts two points clear at the top, Rodgers added: ‘If I’m honest, I’m not really looking at it. I’m really not. It’s still so early in the season.
‘Our focus is on ourselves. We’ve got so much to concentrate on here. It doesn’t really mean anything now at this stage.
‘Of course, everyone wants to start well. Hearts have started well. Kilmarnock have started well. But there’s still such a long way to go.
‘I’m just proud of this group of players that are having to dig in, having to fight, win. Clearly, we don’t have the same profile of players and we don’t have the same fluidity as of yet.
‘But today we showed a big heart. We’ll see where we are with seven games to go.’
Motherwell boss Jens Berthel Askou said: ‘I am extremely proud of how we played. We caused Celtic a lot of problems.
‘In the final 20 minutes, Celtic played with a tempo that was the best I’ve seen from them in a while. Credit to them for that, but we can also be proud of how we pushed them all the way.’
