Brendan Rodgers tonight insisted that comparing his Celtic side to a Honda Civic had provoked a positive response from his players in their Europa League win over Sturm Graz at Parkhead.
Rodgers provoked an outcry after the Scottish champions had lost a William Hill Premiership match to Dundee at Dens Park on Sunday when he stated that his team could not be driven “like a Ferrari”.
The Northern Irishman used the automotive analogy to express his frustration at the lack of pace which his charges had displayed in the league – but his remark was misinterpreted as a slight on the quality which he has at his disposal this season.
Callum McGregor and his team mates were much improved in the encounter with Austrian visitors Graz this evening and fought back to record a 2-1 victory with goals from Liam Scales and Benjamin Nygren.
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Asked if his comments had been lost in translation, he said, “It normally does get a wee bit lost up here! But very rarely will I come after the players. The boys know that. I've been managing a long time and sometimes you have to be harsh to be kind.
“These are men. This is a big club that has huge expectations and pressure. And you have to know when a level's not good enough. The players know they won’t have a more empathetic coach. I'm very much for the players. I always have been in any team I've worked with. But we knew we needed to respond.
“And I'm so pleased with that progress and that response tonight because you can see that the performance level is there. But you have to have that determination. Thankfully, we had that.”
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Rodgers continued, “Sometimes, like at the weekend, you have to be harsh to be clear. And then you hope that you get that reaction, that these players know that I'm with them always.
"I spend my life dedicated to making this team better, making the individuals better, helping the club progress. And at the weekend, it wasn't not good enough.
"So tonight, we weren't quite the Ferrari - a Range Rover Sport I would have thought. Hopefully, we have no more Morris Minors in the performance - not that they're a bad car. It's a fantastic car. We showed the level with determination tonight. And that's what I expect to see going forward.”
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