Celtic pre-season has gone ‘as well as it possibly could have done’ – Rodgers

Brendan Rodgers insisted Celtic have had the best pre-season possible as they rounded off their US summer tour with a 4-1 win over Chelsea.

The victory followed a 4-3 triumph over English Premier League champions Manchester City, and a 4-0 thumping of DC United.

“We still have another good week’s work before we arrive into there but this preparation phase over the last 12 days has gone as well as it possibly could have done,” Rodgers told Celtic TV.

“Players looking sharp, looking fit, looking intense, and then the quality of the football to score the goals. We have scored 12 goals in three games and two of those against really high-quality opponents.

“We are in a really good place. Now, get back safely and prepare for flag day.”

It was a full-strength Chelsea side that Celtic came up against in Indiana but goals from Matt O’Riley and Kyogo Furuhashi had them 2-0 up at half-time before further strikes from Luis Palma and Mikey Johnston.

“I know that big teams don’t want to lose games whether it’s pre-season or not,” Rodgers added.

“In the performances we had what you’d want from a top team – we had structure, talent in the team and then you have work.

“Across the board I am really, really happy with the performances. And with the younger guys coming into the game there was no difference, they pressed the game, they harassed the opponent and then showed their quality when we had the ball.”