Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers extols the virtues of rest and recovery in football

Brendan Rodgers has urged Celtic’s players to take their rest and recovery seriously as they prepare to embark on a hectic 2025/26 season.

The Hoops claimed their fourth consecutive Scottish Premiership title last term and Rodgers is eager to make it five-in-row this time around.

Celtic also won the Scottish League Cup, but missed out on the treble after suffering a penalty shoot-out defeat against Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup final.

They are scheduled to play a series of low-key friendlies at the start of July, before stepping things up during the second half of the month.

Fixtures against Sporting CP, Newcastle United and Ajax will provide Celtic with stern tests ahead of their league opener at home to St Mirren.

Rodgers has highlighted the importance of rest and recovery for his players, not only during pre-season but also as the campaign progresses.

“In the modern game, you see the numbers of games that the international players in particular are having to play, so we have to manage that, of course, so that they get enough rest and recovery,” he told Celtic TV).

“With such a long season, you’re going to have those mental and physical periods where you’re not quite as sharp as you need to be, and if you’re just playing all the way through the summer with not enough rest, then that’ll hit you earlier.”

Celtic are among a plethora of professional clubs who leave no stone unturned in their quest to keep their players fit enough to handle the demands of the modern game.

One of the most important elements they must consider is sleep, with research showing that failing to get the requisite amount of rest can significantly hinder athletic performance.

Simba Sleep, a company renowned for its innovative Hybrid® mattresses and other innovative products, has conducted extensive studies into the impact a lack of sleep has on people.

Their efforts have helped to inform the design of products such as Simba’s weighted blanket which ensure that professional athletes can achieve peak performance, both physically and mentally.

Rodgers’ recognition of the importance of rest and recovery is not a new concept for him. He spent time with other top-class coaches who acknowledged its importance, before embarking on his managerial career in November 2008.

He implemented the lessons he learned at Watford, Reading and Swansea City, before being handed the opportunity to manage Liverpool in June 2012.

His prickly response to questions about his methods during a press conference in 2014 highlighted his commitment to incorporating rest and recovery in the club’s training programme.

Rodgers defended his strategy of handing a two-day recovery period to some players, despite then-England manager Roy Hodgson saying he didn’t understand why it was necessary.

“When we play a game, the players that have played today over the 70-minute mark will have a recovery session inside the following day,” Rodgers said.

“The other players will work, the second day they will be outside on the field. The difference with the recovery on the second day, it’s still tactical work, it’s still technical work, but the density of the session is closed right down.

“So, it will be no different from every other session. I call the second day recovery a football recovery session – they are not sat at home with their feet up and a hot chocolate.

“My belief and model is designed to make players better and part of that is to look at every individual player and how they recover.”

Rodgers’ methods have clearly worked the oracle at Celtic given the success they have enjoyed under him and fans will be hoping for more of the same this season.