Rodgers' 4-3-3 Celtic 2023-24 // GOALS GALORE (126-9)

Hi guys,
this is my emulation attempt of Brendan Rodger's 4-3-3, the tactic he used in the 2023-2024 season at Celtic.

With this possession based tactic, I won Scottish PL, Europa League, Scottish League Cup and Scottish Cup, playing a beautiful football, scoring tons of goals and allowing only a few goals, going unbeaten in Scottish Premiership.

BRENDAN RODGERS’ S CELTIC 2023-2024 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.

Emulating Rodgers' Celtic on FM24

Let's see how I created this tactic.

Screenshots

Tactic Overview



In possession



In transition



Out of possession



Stats Scottish Premiership



This is a very solid tactic, the middle block allows my team to be more compact, this is one of the major changes Rodgers adopted compared to last year Postecoglou's tactic.

Celtic this year presses a bit less than last year, besides the two wing-backs stay wider, they are no more inverted wing-backs, and they don't push so high as last year, this is why in the game I chose a support duty for them instead of an attacking duty.

The midfielder trio is made by Mc Gregor who is a deep lying playmaker, he is the core of Celtic and Scotland national team midfield, he dictates the tempo, while Reo Hatate and O'Riley provide both cover and attacking chances. For O'Riley, I could have selected a mezzala role too, but I decided to go for a CM-Attack because personal instructions are more free to edit (I mean, in the mezzala role there are some preset instructions that you can't change), while for Hatate I use a BBM-support (here you can also change it to a CM-support if you want to edit more the PI). Maeda and Forrest, the two inside forwards cut inside to leave space on the flanks when the two wing-backs push forward, while for Furuhashi, I chose a complete forward role because he links the play better, you could maybe choose a DLF too who drops down and links the play with his teammates, but as CF he worked better, I think.

That's all for this tactic, I hope it works for you too.
A hug from your tikitaka master