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Brendan Rodgers has taken Al-Qadsiah to the top of the Saudi Pro League table for the first time since taking charge.
We’re approaching one year since Rodgers shocked Scottish football with his acrimonious resignation from Celtic. Last December, he took his first overseas role at the helm of the Saudi side.
His impact at Al-Qadsiah was immediate, as he led them to a top-four finish in his first campaign. Now taking charge of a full season for the first time, he has picked up where he left off.
Tuesday night saw him hit new heights in the Middle East. Presented with the chance to move to the summit for the first time, his side did so in the most dramatic fashion possible.
Former Celtic striker Tony Watt has high praise for the 20-year-old 🙌
Away against Al-Taawoun, Rodgers’ side dominated the match but were made to wait until the 97th minute to find the breakthrough. The man to provide it was £52 million midfielder Tijjani Reijnders.
They have now advanced beyond Al-Hilal and Ange Postecoglou’s reigning champions Al-Nassr to the summit of the table, albeit with both sides having a game in hand.
Crucially, however, their next match is against Al-Hilal on Friday night. A win there would give daylight at the top of the table, but the fixture is of unique importance to Rodgers.
The ex-Celtic boss can become Al-Qadsiah’s most successful ever Saudi Pro League manager with a win against the Riyadh giants. The record would be a stunning representation of the unprecedented job Rodgers is doing at a club outwith the nation’s traditional football establishment.
Of course, next spring, Rodgers is returning to Glasgow for a Celtic fan event which will see him break his long-held silence on a departure which generated international headlines.
Many are waiting to hear his side of the story after the astonishing statement by Dermot Desmond which accompanied his departure, describing him as ‘self-serving’ and ‘misleading’.
He has since been replaced in the Parkhead dugout by Martin O’Neill and Wilfried Nancy in an eventful 12 months at Celtic.
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