Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers blasts mindset of his side as they crash to shock defeat by St Johnstone

Brendan Rodgers questioned the mentality of his players aft a dismal show astatine St Johnstone saw them suffer to the Perth men for the archetypal clip successful 9 years.

Requiring a triumph to acceptable up a imaginable league clincher against Kilmarnock connected Saturday, Celtic fell down to Daniels Balodis’ aboriginal header past struggled to get to grips with the task of seeing disconnected a broadside which started the time 52 points down them.

Having antecedently expressed his interest astatine the mode his broadside were starting immoderate matches, Rodgers admitted he’s progressively disquieted that definite individuals present look to beryllium successful a comfortableness zone.

‘It’s mentality,’ helium offered aft the 1-0 defeat. ‘It’s a radical that has intelligence strength. I’ve been successful teams, particularly up here, wherever you conscionable powerfulness your mode done the season, close to the precise end. And there’s possibly a fewer that are comfortable.

‘When you’re comfortable, you go a spot timid and you suffer duels and you suffer the fight.

'And you tin ne'er beryllium that. You tin ne'er beryllium that if you privation to beryllium a apical player. So collectively, that’s the annoyance.

‘It’s easy done. You tin spell into the crippled and look for an casual game, apical v bottom. But the precise champion players are close connected it from infinitesimal one.

‘And I’m not talking astir boys similar Callum McGregor, who deals with expectation, who deals with being the underdog successful the Champions League and guys similar that.

‘But there’s perfectly nary doubt, astir immoderate of our starts, we person immoderate players going successful looking for an casual game. And that’s what we request to look at.’

Rodgers refused to judge the information that his broadside stay 13 points up of Rangers arsenic an mentation for specified a mediocre performance.

‘It can’t be,’ helium stressed. ‘I cannot usage that arsenic an excuse. Ibrox, yeah, erstwhile we mislaid the crippled determination connected January 2.

‘Okay, 16 points, I tin look astatine that, oregon immoderate it was. But no, no, it’s happened excessively galore times. Like I say, there’s a fantastic radical of players, bully guys, who this twelvemonth successful the main person been very, precise good.

‘But I don’t similar erstwhile I spot this here. And for me, it’s conscionable happened excessively galore times.’

While Celtic volition adjacent retired the rubric with different 2 wins, Rodgers feels the imaginable of facing St Johnstone successful the Scottish Cup semi-final should service arsenic a informing against immoderate complacency.

‘There’s inactive enactment to beryllium done,’ helium said. ‘Listen, I don’t endanger the players. The players person been superb for maine this season.

‘I don’t similar america to conscionable get implicit the line. They’ve been brilliant, but this broadside of it, I don’t like. And one, we haven’t won the league yet. Yes, we’re 13 points clear, we’ve got six games to go.

‘But there’s inactive a batch of enactment to do. And my feeling is, and this is what I said earlier the game, apical teams, they person talent, they person a system, and they person a tone and an ambition to win. The 3rd 1 has been a wee spot ropey for us.

‘There intelligibly is talent. But earlier immoderate of that, determination has to beryllium a tendency and a mentality. And a mates of times, conscionable a small spot timid, and that’s 1 of the large pitfalls to win for me. You conscionable can’t beryllium timid.’

Rodgers admitted that the contented was present superior capable for him to look astatine successful the adjacent season.

‘I privation to firstly springiness immense recognition to St Johnstone. Sometimes that tin get bypassed successful the effect and successful our performance. I thought they fought for each shot from the archetypal whistle,’ helium said.

‘They get the extremity and past they support for their lives successful the 2nd half. So, it’s a immense recognition to them and congratulations to them. For us, mediocre commencement to the game, but not the archetypal time.

‘Not the archetypal clip and this is thing for maine that we volition look at, surely successful the summer.

‘We got 3 stands that stood afloat of our ain supporters, expectant. And that’s what you person to woody with arsenic a Celtic subordinate and we didn’t woody with that astatine all.

‘My volition present is ever to sprint implicit the line. And I’ve done that earlier and I cognize what it looks like.

‘But I don’t similar that broadside of it successful this team. Because for Celtic, it’s winning successful the champion mode you perchance can. Not conscionable chugging your mode implicit the line. So, we person nary excuse. We person nary excuse. It’s not astir tiredness.’