Rodgers knows Aberdeen were worthy winners at Hampden but he won’t stand for getting outplayed again this weekend
Brendan Rodgers suffered Scottish Cup Final disappointment with Celtic at Hampden
Eleven weeks on from that Treble-busting defeat at Hampden, the pain still lingers.
It was the first time that Brendan Rodgers had picked up a runners-up medal in Mount Florida.
Yet you won’t hear any hard-luck stories from the Celtic boss.
In his mind, Aberdeen were worthy winners as they finally ended a 30-year Scottish Cup drought
For a club that’s hoovered up 21 of the last 30 domestic trophies, it served as a timely reminder that success isn’t guaranteed.
Rodgers has rammed that message home to his squad as they gear up for another hectic campaign – and a quick-fire reunion with the Dons.
He said: “The cup final was clearly hard to lose because you know the disappointment that it gives so many people. We’ve been on the other end of winning these games and winning finals. So you know the disappointment that people feel on losing a cup final.
“I also know the players had given everything throughout the course of the season and how they felt at the end of the game. I felt sad for them.
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“We were on the verge of winning a Treble and having a fantastic season in Europe, scoring all the goals that we did, and then it ends in not a nice way.
“However, sometimes it’s your turn to lose and you’ve just got to make sure that next time going forward that the attitude is right and that you bring that style of football that brings us success.
“So for us, we’ve done really, really well against Aberdeen in many of the games last season.
“The cup final, we didn’t play well. And I said at the time, and I’ll repeat, we can’t complain.
“If we didn’t play as well as what we wanted to, then that’s what can happen. You can win a game or lose a game. So we lost it.
“Now we have to renew the motivation all over again. I’m excited about going up to Pittodrie. It’s always a tough place to go. And I’ll be ready to see our team play in that game.”
Rodgers knows the four-in-a-row champions are in for a goading from the Red Army. But the Hoops boss insists the atmosphere won’t distract his players from focusing on the three points.
He said: “Yes, if you win a Scottish Cup final for the first time in 30-odd years, then of course you’re going to be excited.
“So we respect that. For Jimmy [Thelin] and his players and the club, it was a great day for them.
“We have to look beyond that and we have to play.
“When you lose a game like that, it’s ensuring that your attitude is right, your playing style is right, your football is right and you get in to play the game.
“So it doesn’t change anything for us. It might do for them. But for us we’re the team that wants to dominate.
“We want to impose ourselves in the game. Nothing changes for us.”
Celtic’s dominance has been so relentless that some rival fans call it ‘boring’.
Try telling that to serial-winners Callum McGregor and James Forrest.
The Parkhead legends have been the bedrock of the club’s golden period of success.
And Rodgers knows it’s on him to keep everyone else in that dressing room just as hungry.
He said: “Well, that’s always the challenge as a coach and manager, finding ways and different techniques in order to do that.
“I think it is pretty straightforward here at Celtic, because of the demands of this club and the expectations. I think also at Celtic, there is a refreshing of the squad, which brings new faces in and new challenges in for the players.
“If you don’t have that, then it can be a real challenge. But we have a core group of players here that understand what it means to play for Celtic, what the expectations are.
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“Along with myself and our staff, we look to drive that every day. That starts with the training, the training mentality, the standards that you create.
“And knowing that it’s not just a given. You have to earn that right. You have to find the ways in order to motivate the players.
“Not only just motivate, but get them to commit to what it is we do. So that’s an ongoing item every day.”
No one felt that Hampden blow harder than the skipper.
McGregor has won an incredible 24 major honours in green and white and is the third most decorated player in the club’s history. But that day, the tears told the story.
Five Trebles, countless iconic moments. Yet that penalty shootout defeat cut him to the core.
Rodgers says it summed up what Celtic means to the 32-year-old – and why he’s expecting a fired-up captain this term.
He said: “Yes, I obviously spoke to him over the summer and was with him over the summer. And yes, it was hurtful for us all and for him being the captain and the penalty.
“So that will sit deep with him. But this is a guy who stands on his own, really, in terms of what he brings to this team.
“His vision, his technique, his skill, his view of the game, his will to win, his desire. He’s an incredible player. And I think, if nothing else, that only will give him that extra bit going into this season.
“He played really well last week. Players like Cal, they get taken for granted. He’s a playmaker on this team who knits the game so well. Incredible talent and a brilliant leader if he’s changing. So, yes, he’ll only be extra motivated this season, I’m pretty sure, to have a successful season.”