BRENDAN RODGERS is determined St Johnstone will see the REAL Celtic when the teams go head to head in the Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden on Sunday.
A strangely-lacklustre Hoops side performed well below expectation levels as they nosedive to a shock 1-0 loss in Perth almost a fortnight ago.
The champions fired blanks after conceding a cheap goal from a set-play in only four minutes to a team struggling for survival in the Premiership.
However, Rodgers’ players responded to comments from the manager and some widespread criticism among other observers for blowing the ideal opportunity of a title party a week later at Parkhead when Kilmarnock were the visitors.
The Rugby Park outfit were hit by the boomerang effect as the Hoops flew out of the blocks and were four goals ahead by the 25th minute with a double from Reo Hatate and additional strikes from Daizen Maeda and Cameron Carter-Vickers on their way to a 5-1 triumph.
A smile replaced the scowl on Rodgers’ face after a vigorous, commanding display that blew away Derek McInnes’ team.
Now the Irishman wants to see some of the same against Simo Valakari’s relegation battlers at the national stadium and said: “We’re very excited and we know we can’t give any more gifts in terms of our mentality going into the game.
“So, having played them so recently, it’s a really good thing of us. We learnt from the game, clearly you saw that in the performance last week.
“You saw the players on that occasion and that is what this Celtic team is about – the pace and the speed in the game, the pressing, the counter-pressing. That’s what I expect to see at Hampden.
“We’ve seen it so many times, there will always be favourites going into games, but you have to perform well.
“It doesn’t matter who the opponent is, we got through last year on penalties and went on and won it, so it’s never just plain sailing all the way through.”
Rodgers was referring to the 3-3 draw with Aberdeen after extra-time where the side toiled for long spells before they got through to the showpiece 6-5 on penalty-kicks with Joe Hart making the crucial match-defining save from Killian Phillip’s spot-kick.
And Adam Idah smashed home the Cup winner past Jack Butland at the same venue a month later to seal the double in Rodgers’ comeback campaign.
The manager, speaking to Celtic TV, continued: “When I came here in 2016, there was always a bit of trepidation, Celtic went through a period when it was difficult both in semi-finals and Finals.
“We sit here today as a football club with a feeling that we will win and whether you do or not, the mentality is that we can go there and perform.
“And that’s a mindset that is with everyone at the club, with players, with supporters and then you go and deliver. That’s the plan.
“The experience clearly helps you, because you know what it takes to deliver, so I think that a lot of the players here are winners and they understand it.
“It’s up to us to help those guys who are coming through this phase for the first time.”
Rodgers added: “We’re really looking forward to this match. Like I said, the St Johnstone game was poor from our perspective, but the key to this team is how they bounce back.
“And I thought last weekend we were so good in the game – and I expected us to be good.
“The attitude was there, the winning attitude, and when we play with the speed, the intensity and the pressing then we’re a very, very difficult team to play against.”
