Brendan Rodgers believes Celtic have taken 'a really big mental step forward'
Celtic are two points clear at the top of the table
Brendan Rodgers believes his Celtic team have taken a step forward mentally following a transitional period.
Celtic have bounced back from a Viaplay Cup exit at Kilmarnock and dropping two cinch Premiership points at home to bottom club St Johnstone by recording three consecutive domestic wins.
The setbacks came amid a period of change which saw nine players arrive and speculation over the future of others following the exits of established players Aaron Mooy, Jota and Carl Starfelt.
The winning run has included victory at Ibrox with a makeshift central defence and a 3-0 victory at Livingston last weekend despite having Joe Hart sent off.
That game followed a Champions League defeat by Feyenoord but there were encouraging signs in the performance before Celtic kept the score down to 2-0 after getting two men sent off.
Speaking ahead of Saturday's league game at Motherwell, Rodgers said: "Over the course of the summer and probably early part of the season, and with the transfer window, there was probably a feeling of a little bit of instability. Are players going to be here or not? New manager coming, what is he asking us to do?
"But now I think the team have taken a really big mental step forward and you see that in how they are performing - the determination, the intensity, the quality is starting to move forward to the levels I want it to get to. That's always the beginning of a really good team.
"I am really happy with the progress we are making day on day but we have to keep working very hard.
"My priority in my career, my body of work, has always been about the quality of our football, and that's quality of football to win games. We are starting to see that now."
The players' understanding of their roles and the system was evident in adversity in Rotterdam and West Lothian.
"The team's traits have to be good organisation, togetherness and personality," Rodgers said.
"I mentioned that before we went down to nine men and 10 men. Those are traits you need in any good team and the players have demonstrated that.
"The one thing I have always said, we won't unravel mentally if we go down to 10 men. Why? Because the guys will understand what it is they have to do. And that's what they did, both at Feyenoord and Livingston.
"We have to very quickly have a plan of what happens next. You saw against Livingston the stability of the team, they stayed calm, stayed in control."
Celtic have moved to provide stability by extending contracts of the likes of Daizen Maeda, Kyogo Furuhashi, Stephen Welsh and Anthony Ralston and are continuing discussions with Reo Hatate.
Ralston signed until 2027 earlier this week and Rodgers believes the right-back's continued presence is important for the squad.
"I'm really happy for him because not only is he a very good player, he is a big Celtic supporter as well," he said.
"For me it's really important to have players that have come through the system because they have a real feeling of the club.
"I think any player that comes in here has an idea of the history. They then go through an induction process where they understand everything about the club. And then they have that support, the players are great at helping them solve problems.
"Especially with the numbers of players coming in here, the likes of Tony help them settle in, because it's not an easy transition with the intensity straight away. I know from speaking to a number of the new players that that's been a challenge for them.
"They come from a slower level of football, different climates, and all of a sudden they are into a high-tempo, high-intensity game.
"Guys like Callum (McGregor), Tony, James (Forrest), Bainy (Scott Bain), have been here a long time and they make that transition a lot smoother."
--
Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.
Founded in 1888, Willie Maley was Celtic's first manager and one of the most successful managers in Scottish football history. He managed the club from 1897 to 1940, winning thirty major trophies (16 league championships and 14 Scottish Cups).
Jimmy McStay (circled) managed Celtic between 1940 and 1945. However, this clashed with the suspension of the League and Scottish Cup during wartime, meaning he never had the opportunity to manage the club in official competitions.
All-time leading goalscorer in top-flight British football Jimmy McGrory managed Celtic from 1945 to 1965. He won one First Division trophy, two Scottish League Cups, two Scottish Cups, four Glasgow Cups, one Coronation Cup, one Saint Mungo Cup and four Glasgow Charity Cups.
Jock Stein managed Celtic from 1965 to 1978 and guided Celtic to nine successive Scottish League championships between 1966 and 1974. He also won one European Cup, eight Scottish Cups, six Scottish League Cups, five Glasgow Cups and one Drybrough Cup.
Billy McNeil managed Celtic from 1978 to 1983. McNeil won three Scottish League titles, one Scottish Cup, one Scottish League Cup and one Glasgow Cup.
McNeil returned from 1987 to 1991 where he won one Scottish League title and two Scottish Cups.
David Hay managed Celtic from 1983 to 1987 and won one Scottish League title and one Scottish Cup.
Liam Brady managed Celtic from 1991 to 1993 but failed to win any trophies.
Lou Macari managed Celtic from 1993 to 1994 but he failed to win any trophies.
Tommy Burns managed Celtic from 1994 to 1997 and he won one Scottish Cup.
Wim Jansen managed Celtic from 1997 to 1998 and won One Scottish Premier Division Title and One Scottish League Cup.
Jozef Venglos managed Celtic from 1998 to 1999 but did not win any trophies
John Barnes managed Celtic from 1999 to 2000 but did not win any trophies.
Kenny Dalglish managed Celtic in 2000 and won one Scottish League Cup
Martin O'Neil managed Celtic from 2000 to 20005 and won three Scottish Premier Leagues, three Scottish Cups and one Scottish League Cup.
Gordon Strachan managed Celtic from 2005 to 2009 and won three consecutive Scottish Premier League Titles, one Scottish Cup and two Scottish League Cups.
Tony Mowbray managed Celtic from 2009 to 2010 but failed to win any trophies.
Neil Lennon managed Celtic from 2010 to 2014 and he won three Scottish Premier League titles and two Scottish Cups.
Lennon returned from 2019 to 2021, where he won two more League titles, two Scottish Cups and one Scottish League Cup.
Ronny Delia managed from 2014 to 2016 where he won two Scottish Premierships and one Scottish League Cup.
Brendan Rodgers managed Celtic from 2016 to 2019 where he won two Scottish Premierships, two Scottish Cups and three Scottish League Cups.
Ange Postecoglou took over as Celtic manager in 2021 and has won a Scottish League Cup.