In an exciting friendly match, Celtic topped Premier League giants Manchester City 4-3, bringing a visual feast to the fans. After the match, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers was interviewed by the club's officials, who not only expressed his joy for the team's victory, but also praised Nicolas Kuhn's outstanding performance and recognized the great improvement the team showed against the strong opponent.
Rodgers began by talking about the outstanding contribution of Nicholas Kuhn. He said, "When Nicholas joined us in his first year, we expected him to settle in quickly and show what he could do. Now he's back in superb form, not only scoring excellent goals but also playing brilliantly against City's pressing style of soccer. His two goals and an assist were certainly the highlights of the night, especially the long, outside-right cross. Although we had to substitute him early due to some knee discomfort, overall he was excellent and impressive."
Rodgers then talked about what it was like to play against a top team like Manchester City. He said bluntly, "Playing against Guardiola's team is always complicated and challenging, but our players handled it very well. They showed great concentration and execution, both in offense and defense. Tonight's goal was amazing and it was a total team effort. It was certainly a great night for the fans, whose support was excellent as always and gave us great motivation."
In addition, Rodgers also made special mention of his team's tactical adjustments and progress during the game. He said, "We know that playing against a strong team like Manchester City requires a very high level of concentration and tactical execution. In the game, we pay a lot of attention to pressing and stealing at the right time to disrupt the opponent's game rhythm. From tonight's performance, we did a great job, especially against strong teams like D.C. United and Manchester City, and the players were much better at handling the last step of the game and were able to successfully win the ball and continue to play our soccer. This is definitely a huge improvement in the team's tactical execution and game control."
Finally, Rodgers also spoke about the outstanding performance of goalkeeper Schmeichel. He praised, "Schmeichel was convincing, he is one of the best goalkeepers when it comes to one-on-one. His timing was very accurate and he impressed. It's a great start for him and I'm sure his personality will have a positive impact not only on the team but also on the club as a whole."
