Leigh Griffiths was noticeably unhappy when he was substituted during Celtic’s win over Partick Thistle last week.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers and Leigh Griffiths
Leigh Griffiths has suggested that Brendan Rodgers was more than happy to forget the incident that somewhat overshadowed Celtic’s win over Partick in their penultimate game of the Scottish Premiership season, the Daily Record reports.
The Hoops recorded an emphatic 5-0 win with Griffiths opening the scoring from the penalty spot inside the first 20 minutes.
Despite the impressive win, the game was slightly overshadowed by Griffiths’ visible frustration at being substituted shortly after the hour-mark. But Griffiths has confirmed that Rodgers was willing to put the incident to bed by the time they went into the training the next day.
“After the game, the gaffer drew a line under it and we moved on,” he said, as reported by the Record.
Celtic’s Leigh Griffiths was angered after being substituted around the hour-mark against Partick
“Listen, I spoke to the gaffer after the game. It was one of those ones where I didn’t want to be going off but he explained why I was taken off.
“It is just one of those things. I got back in training and the gaffer said that a line had been drawn under it.”
The way that Rodgers handled the incident arguably exemplifies why the Bhoys have been so successful since the Northern Irishman arrived at Parkhead last summer.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers
Rather than harshly punish the striker – Griffiths played the full game against Hearts on the final day of the league season – Rodgers appears to have realised that the incident was simply in the heat of the moment, and that there is no point allowing some negativity to creep in in what has been a sensational season.
And with Griffiths swiftly realising that he went the wrong way about voicing his frustration, Rodgers has come out of the incident managing to confirm his authority while also maintaining the team spirit that has helped them to so much success.
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