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Daily Mail
18 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Rodgers says Celtic can take care of Kairat but admits they must strengthen for tougher challenges to come
Brendan Rodgers is confident Celtic will have enough to kill off Kairat Almaty but has warned that they'll need to seriously strengthen for another tilt at qualifying for the Champions League knockout stage. The Parkhead club face the men from Kazakhstan in the first leg of their play-off tomorrow evening hoping to qualify for the main competition for a record fourth successive year. A summer of slow transfer activity to date means Kieran Tierney and Benjamin Nygren are likely to be the only new signings who'll start the game. And while the manager believes the players he currently has at his disposal are good enough to get the first job done, he feels significant additions would then have to be made. Asked if the squad was currently good enough to win the tie, Rodgers replied: 'Yes. I've had no injuries and I believe that the quality of our game and the intensity that we want to work at can hopefully be enough to see us through. But like I said, these games will always be tough games.' Then, pressed on whether he believed the current group would be good enough to make an impact in the league phase, he added: 'Well, I think firstly, we want to qualify, of course. And if it's with this group of players, I'm confident that we can do that. Going forward, listen, it's clear we would have to improve the squad.' Eight years ago, under Rodgers, Celtic beat Kazakhstani side Astana 5-0 in Glasgow before a fraught night away from home saw them lose 4-3 to progress 8-4 on aggregate. With an even longer trip awaiting on Sunday, the manager will urge his players to do all they can to give themselves another healthy cushion. 'We set off in every game to go and attack the game and play our football in it. And this will be no different,' he said. 'Two of the three experiences I've had in qualification, having gone through qualification phases, has been based around a really, really good first leg. 'In both of those, we scored five goals. So, for us, it's really that attack and intent in the game and being really, really difficult to play against. And then, hopefully, we can then take an advantage then into the second leg.' Rodgers took a straight bat to reports linking him with a move for veteran striker Jamie Vardy. The 38-year-old is a free agent after leaving Leicester following a 13-season spell which coincided with the Northern Irishman's time at the club. Asked about the former England man, who's also been linked with Napoli, the manager said: 'Listen, I would not speak about any individual player. Of course, I've worked really well with Jamie. 'He was brilliant for me in my time at Leicester. But no, there's been so many names floated about. But I wouldn't disclose anyone.'
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Rees-Zammit left NFL after 'wasting his talent'
Louis Rees-Zammit returned to rugby union because he realised he was "wasting his talent" in the National Football League (NFL).But he says he has no regrets quitting rugby, claiming he is better for experiencing the "brutal" world of American football alongside Super Bowl stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Wales and British and Irish Lions wing shocked his sport when, on the eve of the 2024 Six Nations, he announced his decision to try and make it in the slowly begun to realise his American dream was not going to become a reality during 18 months of trying, the 24-year-old is back having signed a season-long deal at Bristol winning contracts with Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars, Rees-Zammit did not play a competitive NFL game."I just felt like I was kind of wasting my talent out there, to be honest with you," he said. "I gave it my best shot but it's very difficult to get into the NFL if you haven't gone through the college system, you just don't get the same opportunities as those boys."It makes sense from a coach's point of view, because those boys have been playing that sport for so long and it's hard to coach someone up on the sport they've never played before."I was getting minimal reps and it just was something that I was fed up with when I was practising there." 'No regrets' Far from seeing it as a failed experiment, Rees-Zammit says it was a valuable experience, adding: "Just to be involved in a locker room that was completely different to rugby, next to global figures like Mahomes and Kelce, I learned from everything they did day to day."But I'm real about it - it probably wasn't for me in the end."There's no regrets. I'm very happy that I made the decision because would I regret it if I never did it? That's the biggest regret."I've gone out, did it, played a year, and made a decision to come back and really express my game again."It was a gradual thing, but when I went back for year two, I kept thinking about what would happen if I came back to rugby." A scramble for his signature What happened was the inevitable. Even during his sabbatical, the free-scoring winger remained one of the sport's biggest was no shortage of offers, with Bristol's style of play and short distance to his Cardiff home obvious short-term deal, he says, was the right move as he looks to show he has lost little of the skill or the speed he had before bulking up in the it has also prompted speculation over a move to the proposed breakaway rebel circuit R360 in a year's 32-cap international said he had only seen the media reports and is focused on regaining match fitness in time to start the new English Premiership season with Bristol against Leicester on 28 September - with a Wales return also in his sights - and then "see what opportunities arise".But he did admit that "globally we want rugby to be as big as possible, and if we can play it on a global stage that's going to be huge". Rees-Zammit is someone the game's organisers know they need. He has more Instagram followers than the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) and his social media influencer girlfriend Drew Knotts will join him back in includes an out-of-sorts Wales, with the national side having played 18 Tests since he left and losing all bar was no consideration of a move to a Welsh region, but he has held talks with new Wales head coach Steve Tandy and his staff as he eyes an autumn international Rees-Zammit says performing for Bristol is a priority, adding he even missed tackling during his time on the offence of the Chiefs and the will not have played truly competitive sport in 20 months by the time the season starts, but said he has been reacquainting himself with a rugby ball over the past two months and did not feel "rusty"."The skill isn't really the issue, it's just about being match fit," he said. "There's a lot more conditioning in rugby - in NFL it's more anaerobic fitness, being able to do repeated sprints, not so much long-distance stuff because the [time of the] ball in play here is very high."As is his speed, claiming he still clocked 23mph despite putting on an extra will also have to carry the weight of expectation as one of the game's true superstars returns with no regrets but plenty of eyes on his progress.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Louis Rees-Zammit reveals biggest frustration of 18-month NFL career after giving up on Stateside dream and returning to rugby with Premiership club
Louis Rees-Zammit admitted he felt he was wasting his talent sitting on the sidelines in the NFL as he spoke for the first time as a Bristol player. The Wales wing, 24, has returned to rugby after 18 months in the USA, signing a one-year deal with the Bears. Rees-Zammit was contracted to both Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars while in America but never played a senior match. Now, he is back in the sport where he first made his name. 'I just felt I was wasting my talent out there to be honest with you,' Rees-Zammit said, when asked why it was the right time to return home. 'It's very difficult to get into the NFL if you haven't come through the college system. You just don't get the same opportunities as those boys. I was fed up when I was practicing there. I just wanted to come back and really express my game and play something I was used to. 'I think Bristol suits my game to a tee. It's pretty much the perfect club for me with how Pat Lam wants us to play. There are no regrets.' Rees-Zammit had several offers both in Britain and abroad with which to resume his rugby career. He revealed he would be open to staying longer with Bristol but is expected to join rugby's proposed rebel league R360, as Daily Mail Sport revealed, for its slated start date in September 2026. 'We want rugby to be as big as possible. If we can play it on a global stage, then ultimately that is going to be huge,' Rees-Zammit said, when asked about potentially joining R360. 'I don't know too much about it to be honest because I've been away and I wasn't fully wanting to come back to rugby at the time. 'But over the past few months, I've heard more. Obviously, the media is all over it. My first rugby game back is going to be in six weeks so my full focus is on playing for Bristol and hopefully making the Welsh team in the autumn.'
