Brendan Rodgers's 4-3-3 Celtic 2023-2024

[tikitakamaster]

Hi guys,

this time I emulated Brendan Rodgers's Celtic tactic. With this tactic. tested with Celtic in one season without making any transfer, I won 4 trophies, Scottish Pl, Scottish league cup, Socttish Cup and Europa League, scoring a lot of goals and being always solid in defence.

Here follows my tactical analyisis. 

Then you can find the tactic screenshot to see how I faithfully emulated it in the game. Finally, in my youtube video you can see a deeper analysis, stats and highlights

 

BRENDAN RODGERS’ S CELTIC 2023-2024 TACTIC

 

Brendan Rodgers's Celtic Glasgow tactic,

 it is a 4-3-3 possession based style, strong in attack but solid in defense. There are some important difference between Rodgers's 4-3-3 and last year Ange Postecoglou's 4-3-3. The main difference is that with Rodgers, players do not press so high (we all remember the 8 players in the midfield in the match Tottenham vs Chelsea this season). With Rodgers, in defense, Celtic is more compat, with a mid-block structure even if the defensive line is higher. Another difference is in the roles of the two full-backs. Last year, Postecoglou wanted his full-backs to play inverted to overload spaces in the centre and help the midfield (you can see the same structure in Tottenham with Pedro Porro and Udogie inverting and acting as additional midfielders near Bissouma, please see my video about Postecoglou's tactic at Tottenham here in my channel), while this year, Rodgers wants his full-backs to play in a traditional way, as wing-backs who stay wider and overlap on the flanks creating space in the middle for the midfielders and the wingers who cut inside.  Another difference with last year is that the two wing-backs do not push so higher as last year, they are a bit more conservative but this does not mean they give up attacking and pressing, their role in helping the team attacking is crucial. 

Brendan Rodgers has been influenced by Barcelona and other teams and in his tactic we can see some traits of Barcelona possession style. 

Brendan Rodgers was deeply influenced by Barcelona's training philosophy, which emphasized a clear way of playing, maintaining possession, and quick ball recovery.

Barcelona's approach involved a consistent process and purpose across all age groups, from the youth academy to the first team, instilling a unified belief among coaches.

The Ajax model similarly impacted Rodgers, reinforcing the importance of a structured, long-term developmental strategy.

Rodgers' coaching methodology became a fusion of British mentality—focusing on aggression, strength, and power—with the intricate, progressive models of Barcelona and Ajax.

These influences shaped Rodgers' development as a coach and his approach to overseeing coaching programs, blending different football philosophies into his practice.

In defense, Rodgers has Celtic set up in what can be called a mid-block. That is, holding a pattern of defensive alignment between their own defensive third of the pitch, and the middle third.

Other tweaks made by Rodgers are the following: 

Defensive Metrics: Brendan Rodgers' Celtic shows significantly better defensive performance in the Champions League (CL) compared to the Scottish Premier Football League (SPFL), with the team conceding only 0.68 expected goals (xG) per game in the CL versus 1.14 xG in the SPFL, despite facing tougher opposition and playing with nine men at times.

 

Opposition Shot Quality: The average quality of opposition shots in the CL is lower (0.06 xG per shot) than in the SPFL (0.12 xG per shot). However, Celtic faces more set-piece xG, counter-attacks, and clear shots in the domestic league.

 

Defensive Positioning: In the CL, Celtic's defensive line is positioned higher on the pitch (51.09 meters) compared to the SPFL (46.83 meters). This higher line contrasts with the previous season under Ange Postecoglou.

 

Pressing Intensity: Celtic’s pressing intensity is reduced but more strategic in the CL, allowing the opposition an average of 15.06 passes before a defensive action, compared to 7.19 passes in the SPFL.

Tactical Adjustments: Rodgers employs a mid-block 4-4-2 formation in the CL, with Reo Hatate joining Kyogo Furuhashi upfront. The full-backs are less advanced, and the midfield, particularly Matt O’Riley, is more compact and central. This approach emphasizes maintaining a disciplined shape over aggressive pressing when the opposition has possession near the halfway line.

 

Comparison with Postecoglou: The team’s shape under Rodgers is more compact compared to Postecoglou's tenure, with less aggressive pressing and a more solid midfield alignment. This has led to better defensive metrics, though individual errors have resulted in crucial  goals conceded.

 

 

Brendan Rodger's Celtic 2023-24 433.fmf

[pilmalm]

Tried with any other team?

[tikitakamaster]

17 minuti fa, pilmalm ha scritto:

Tried with any other team?

nope, only with Celtic same players to emulate it as faithfully as possible.

Maybe you can try it with another team then tell me the results. I guess it works with strong teams, not sure if it works with English Championship teams or lower

[pete7729]

Great timing. Been a while since I played FM and as a Celtic fan wanted to jump back in with The Hoops. Cheers!

[tikitakamaster]

Il 28/07/2024 in 20:33 , pete7729 ha scritto:

Great timing. Been a while since I played FM and as a Celtic fan wanted to jump back in with The Hoops. Cheers!

 I am happy that my tactic comes just right. I hope it works for you too