Why Celtic boss Rodgers does care if he wins, loses or draws

The Northern Irishman certainly knows his history. Rodgers doesn't send Celtic teams out to lose or draw. He only sends them out to win. His record in the Glasgow derby fixture is particularly impressive: Played 15, Won 12, Drew 2, Lost 1. The champions head to Ibrox on Sunday for the third crucial instalment of the Glasgow derby this season. So far the scores on the doors read: Celtic 2 Rangers 0.

The 51-year-old is homing in on a third derby triumph of the season. Rodgers doesn't buy into the hype and hyperbole surrounding the fixture. He just gets down to business usually. Schools of thought are for others. Rodgers isn't interested in the outside perception of what may or may not be a good result for Celtic come the weekend. There's only ever one result in a Glasgow derby and the pressure is not greater on one team than on the other. Although nothing will be decided come 2pm on Sunday.

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Rodgers said: "I haven't overthought it.

"Every coach will tell you but I can only tell you how I feel, I always prepare the team to win. I never think of drawing or losing a game. I always prepare the team to go and win the game. That has always served me well especially in these types of games.

"You can't win them all, of course, but the mindset is to go and impose our way on the game and let's see where we are at come the end of it. We want to win it, of course, but we want to get a positive result, and we know we can do that by playing to the level in the game that we’ll set out to play, which is a fast and dynamic game. I’m sure it’ll be a really good game of football.

"There will be six games for us, so there’s still a lot of games. It might not seem like a lot of games but it’s a lot of games in a footballing context because there’s so much that can change in that period. My focus is purely on getting a positive result and then you assess it afterwards. You can always look for a story around the corner, which might feel like it changes the dynamic, but it’s just logical. It’s just one game at a time, and this is an important game for both teams.

"Both teams will go into it with that mindset. Our mindset is to go and do the same as we did earlier in the season, which is to win."

There is always a narrative in the lead-up to these fixtures too. Rodgers doesn't do backdrops either. It's the most eagerly anticipated derby clash in years. Just one point separates the two sides at the top of the Scottish Premiership table. A win for the visitors will see the champions surge four points ahead of their rivals having played a game more. A loss would see Rangers move two points clear with a midweek outing against Dundee handing them the chance to stretch that lead to five.

Like Rodgers has been banging on about all season, he and his Celtic players will write their own narratives. Rodgers has a gnawing sense of deja vu heading into this one just like when his side travelled to Ibrox for the first derby clash in September the men in green and white have already been written off in some quarters... again.

The wily Rodgers doesn't need it as fuel to motivate his players. They are thoroughly prepared. The magnitude of the game and the occasion speaks for itself. The manager won't be overburdening his men with superfluous information. Rodgers said: "They’re always big games and that’s what I’ve relished and loved.

"I’ve always seen this game as a storyline of opportunity. I go back to the first game when we went there. It wasn’t just a good lesson in football but in life, because in that first game individually and collectively we were written off as a club arriving at Ibrox. It feels like the narrative is pretty much the same though both teams are four wins and a loss out of the last five games. For me, it’s the opportunity for us to go there like we did earlier on in the season and show that mentality and mental strength to get through any periods in the game that are difficult moments for us, but to come through at the other end. That will be our focus for the weekend.

"I think it has been the narrative most of the season. That's been the storyline really whether it's warranted or not. I think coming into this game. It is the same sort of feeling. I think our feeling is that we are very comfortable within ourselves in terms of preparation. We have had a really good week and managed the load and we got players back in. We got to do our tactical work. At this time of the season and especially leading into big games there is always the danger that you overload players and give them too much.

"The training this week has been perfect in terms of what you would want and with players coming back it's been a really good week for us. With one more day to go, we have a really good mindset."

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Celtic are in a good place. For one of the few times this season, the champions enter the home of their rivals with a clean bill of health.

The fitness or otherwise of inspirational skipper Callum McGregor will be decided tomorrow (Saturday) but the visitors will arrive with an expectation to perform on the big stage regardless of who Rodgers pitches into battle. Rodgers said: "We’ll do one final run with Callum in our final session.

"He’s done remarkable to be back and he’s way ahead of schedule from what we thought. It shows his professionalism and how hard he has worked. He’ll be involved in the squad, and if he is it’s great news because we’ve got a clean bill of health for the first time this season. We’ll make a final call on that tomorrow (Saturday).

"He’s the type of player that can get by at 80 per cent, that’s for sure. He has that level and quality. You also have to think of the remaining games of the season. It’s about being logical and finding out where he is at with all of his tests and measurements. He’s been in training so clearly his quality is there. We just have to gauge whether he starts or comes into the game or what involvement he has.

"It starts with the whole build-up. I think it’s important not to get entrenched with the whole storyline because at times the storyline can be a disaster. For me, the storyline is always an opportunity. You arrive, you stay calm and you just look to focus on your performance. These are always emotion-charged games. One of the greatest iconic games in world football, but you’ve got to perform. You can only do that by staying calm and looking to play your football. That’s always been the approach.

This derby doesn’t feel any bigger than any of the other ones. They’re just always big games, and the focus is on performing."

Speaking of narratives the question of John Beaton being named as the referee by the SFA for the Ibrox clash couldn't go unanswered for too long.

Ironically Rodgers in a display of reverse psychology heaped fulsome praise on the same whistler whom he had labelled 'incompetent' and had been indicted on charges and copped a two-match ban - one suspended - after the 2-0 loss to Hearts at Tynecastle last month.

Rodgers said: "I think for me, for John Beaton to be given the game, these games are for the top referees, and John is one of the top referees in the country.

"He’s been allocated the game, and I’m comfortable with that. He’s refereed games I’ve been at before. My point was for that one game, I’m not talking about John's career as a referee. My gripe was on that day. They will feel that they have to appoint somebody who is experienced, and John is that."

READ MORE: John Beaton branded 'one of the best' by Celtic manager

One man who could be the difference maker on Sunday is Japanese talisman Kyogo Furuhashi. The 29-year-old has hit the decisive goals in the two derbies so far. He's bagged a remarkable seven goals against the Light Blues in 11 outings thus far.

Rodgers is well aware that Kyogo has since rediscovered some of his blistering form over the past two games and looked more like the potent attacking weapon the Celtic faithful have been used to watching over the past two seasons. He reckons the return of compatriot Hatate in the Celtic midfield will only serve to help Kyogo down the title home straight. He said: "Yes. Kyogo in the last few weeks has looked more like what I probably expected when I came in.

"The speed of his movement, the sharpness, he's been very good since he came back into the team. That's what I expect. That brightness, that cleverness, the intensity in the pressing and the movement and when he plays to that level he is very difficult to contain. Having the likes of Reo Hatate back and available really helps Kyogo's game. He makes the runs early and he sees the space so early and if you see the gap you have to play it. What happens sometimes with players like him is if you are not playing the passes or are being safe on the passes they stop making the runs. It's only natural because you have to make five or six runs before you get the ball if it's coming because you don't see it or you are not able to execute it then that's a challenge for a front player.

"The type of game we play is all about speed, movement from the sides for our central penetration and having someone like Reo back along with the other guys but him in particular, his first look is forward and that benefits us immensely."

The climax to the Scottish Premiership season is shaping up to be a three-game season - the Ibrox and Celtic Park Glasgow derby clashes as well as a potential meeting between the two sides in the Scottish Cup final in May. The one major asset that Celtic have at their disposal is their manager. Sunday will be a time for cool heads and calm minds. Rodgers is the epitome of both.

He said: "I always feel comfortable coming into these games but that's only on the back of preparation and the clarity that we want to give to the players and also because of how we play. I've always been confident in that way. We have come into lots of these big games and performed very well.

"It has not been perfect but we have performed well in a lot of those games. I think I was here one of the times when we played six times in one season - Celtic and Rangers - so this little spell of games should be really exciting but it is a great opportunity for us to finish the season strongly."

If Rodgers' cool head and calm mind can transmit to his players at Ibrox and they can keep their heads when all around may lose theirs then there is a high chance of a Celtic success. To paraphrase 'The Celtic Song', the Celtic fans may not be there to give the boys a cheer on Sunday but a victory at Ibrox would go a long way to ensuring where the league flag flies this season. The cheers would almost certainly go up if the Scottish Cup were coming home to rest in Paradise. That would be the best way for Rodgers's side to finish the season strongly.

Remember Rodgers sets up his team to win - always.