'There’s no doubt we missed Reo Hatate,' Brendan Rodgers

Q: Your feelings right now?

Brendan Rodgers: “Clearly we’re very disappointed. We didn’t play anywhere near the standard that we would need to, playing against Aberdeen. And firstly, congratulations to them. To win the trophy and take it back to Aberdeen is great for them. For us, obviously, we can have no complaints. We didn’t do enough in the game.”

Q: I’m sure all the players are bitterly disappointed, but how is Kasper Schmeichel feeling in particular with that equaliser?

Brendan Rodgers:  “Yes, he’s obviously apologetic to his teammates, but he’s been outstanding for us all season. It was one of those moments in the game late on that can happen. We still had one or two other chances that we could have scored from, but, yes, it was just unfortunate at that time of the game.”

Q: Brendan, you say you can have no complaints. What do you think went wrong for your team today? Why do you think you weren’t at your usual standard?

Brendan Rodgers:  “I think we were very slow. We played against back fives, they went to 5-3-2 in the game and played the way sometimes a lot of teams will do against us, to sit deep. And we’ve played many games against that structure and got through it with speed and runs and tempo, but it didn’t feel like that. We didn’t create so much, we didn’t break any lines with or without the ball. It was very safe and sometimes that’s what cup finals can bring. There’s no doubt we missed Reo Hatate, just his ability to take it off the back foot, play forward and run forward. Our speed in our game, our tempo in our game wasn’t at the right level, but to create the opportunities that normally we would.”

Q: After the game ended, Callum was obviously upset with the way he missed the penalty. We saw you speaking to him, what were you saying to him?

Brendan Rodgers:  “Well, he’s such a conscientious guy who gives so much to this club. As the skipper, he’s obviously so disappointed he hasn’t scored, but I was just reminding him what an incredible leader he is for this club. And he’s given so much to this season and to all the seasons that I’ve ever known him. Such an amazing guy. It’s unfortunate the keeper makes the saves. But no, he’ll come back in the summer stronger, fitter and ready to go again.”

Q: Is there perspective when you’ve achieved this season and you have the pain of something like this right at the end?

Brendan Rodgers:  “I said to the players, I think if we look at this game, first of all, I think that we didn’t play to our level and our standard. So, that’s a big disappointment. We can’t blame anyone, we can only look at ourselves. But the bigger picture, we’ve won two out of three domestic trophies, progressed in Europe and now’s the time to go away with your families because they will need them. It’s important that they have that time to reflect. Then after a few weeks, they’ll realise that, OK, we missed a chance today to win the three trophies, but still, we’ve been consistently very good over the course of the season. Then we come back and renew the motivation in the summer.”

Q: You say these games are never easy to win. Are you suppressing, is it anger at the fact that they weren’t able to get to the heights that you obviously demand of them?

Brendan Rodgers: “No, I’m not angry. This is a team that’s given me so much. Their honesty, their quality, their football, that’s what finals do sometimes. We’re on this side of it now. So many times I’ve sat in here, I’ve had 11 finals, both up here and down in England, and this is my first loss in those. You have to accept that. It’s a part of sport, it’s a part of football. And as long as you can look at it and reflect honestly and think, well, we weren’t good enough in our quality, arriving into the final third of the pitch and we’ve got no-one else to blame. You set out at the start of the season that winning the treble was one of those goals? Yes, domestically we set out to do that, the League Cup, the Scottish Cup, and we were one game from doing that. But I think it also shows you how challenging and how hard it is, because on any given day you’re not quite on it and you can lose the game. So, it’s a sad way to lose, unfortunately. I think it also demonstrates how consistent and how good this team have been over a number of years.”

Q: This summer, Brendan, how important will this summer be for the club to move on, to strengthen and to come back again?

Brendan Rodgers:  “Well, it’s not different to any summer. I think the result today doesn’t change anything. I could have spoke to you in the week before the game. So, it doesn’t change anything. We know we need to strengthen areas on the field. We’ll see how the summer develops, but I think for us it’s… Yes, we will want to strengthen. That’s what you aim to do every single summer.”

Q: Will this motivate you to come back to try and win the treble next year?

Brendan Rodgers:  “It shows the expectation here. The expectation to be winning the three trophies is very much there and we want to embrace that and always look to deliver that. You can’t always do it, but it’s something that’s definitely always in our thinking. Like I said to the guys, when you stand there and you watch the opponent picking up the trophy, you have to show that humility and congratulate them, but use it as a motivation for next season.”

Q: That was a conscious decision that you would stay back to watch that?

Brendan Rodgers: “I think it’s also the group’s mentality as well. I think our overriding values as a football club and as a team is, ultimately, firstly, respect. So, you have to respect the opposition. They win. We congratulate Jimmy Thelin and his staff and players and their supporters will enjoy it for sure.”

Conor Spence