da prosport bet： Next week’s match away to Kilmarnock seems an age away as the international break drags in.
da pinnacle： Brendan Rodgers will be watching at Wembley tonight with his fingers crossed that Scott Brown doesn’t regret his decision to return to the international scene.
The Celtic boss will be getting updates from around the world over the weekend as he prepares for a vital stage in the season.
Following quickly on from the game with Killie, Rodgers will be preparing his squad for the visit of Barcelona followed by a return trip to Hampden to meet Aberdeen in the final of the Betfred Cup.
With the schedule coming up, Rodgers will have to make full use of his squad and ensure that as many players as possible are on top of their form.
There seemed to be a few signs of tiredness in some of the players against Inverness Caley Thistle but after four punishing away matches in ten days that was understandable.
So here are three things Celtic must improve on after the international break…
BACK TO BACK GAMES FROM JOZO
It was something of a surprise when it was revealed that Jozo wouldn’t be in the squad away to Monchengladbach because of concerns over his injury recuperation.
He returned against Inverness Caley Thistle and explained why he had to be used sparingly, and the process involved in selecting his matches.
With a 13 day break between the matches against Caley Thistle and Kilmarnock he has set his sights on playing successive matches against Barcelona and Aberdeen towards the end of the month.
THE OLD IZAGUIRRE
Kieran Tierney’s injury was entirely unexpected but it seems that Izaguirre has kept himself in shape despite struggling to make the substitute bench at times.
He has the experience and know how for the programme ahead but needs to fully integrate into the way that his new manager likes things done.
Izzy is too good a player to be left on the sidelines, his next eight weeks can have a big impact on Celtic’s season and also revive his club career at Celtic or elsewhere.
90 MINUTES FROM TOM ROGIC
As the season has progressed, and the influence of Tom Rogic on the team, more focus has been placed on his fitness.
Most fans would expect an Australian to be fitter than most but for some reason Rogic struggles to get beyond the 70 minute mark.
With his goals and all round game having such an impact on the team, getting an extra 20% playing time from Rogic would be a very welcome bonus for Brendan Rodgers and his plans for the team.