Some Celtic players will be left out at times. “Deserve’s got nothing to do with it.”

Few films have lines as iconic as those in Unforgiven.

One of my favourite quotes is when Eastwood’s character says, “Deserve’s got nothing to do with it.” That phrase springs to mind today when I think about Peter Grant’s comments on Paulo Bernardo not deserving to be left out of the starting eleven at the weekend.

Yesterday, I wrote about how Celtic’s squad strength will be a pivotal factor in this season’s campaign, both domestically and in Europe. While Grant’s comments were well-meaning, and I understand the point he was trying to make, I can’t help but respond with Eastwood’s timeless line.

At a club like Celtic, when you have squad depth, there will always be someone left out. In fact, there will always be more than one.

If you had told people that we’d pay £6 million for a defender and he wouldn’t have featured yet, they might have called you mad. But that’s the situation with Auston Trusty. We’ve paid a hefty sum, yet he hasn’t taken the field because someone always has to sit out when you have options. This is what happens when you build a strong squad: rotation becomes crucial, not just for keeping players fresh, but for adapting to the specific challenges each game presents.

It would be self-defeating for Brendan Rodgers not to rotate his squad. With a large number of quality players, keeping them all engaged and giving them game time is essential. At the weekend, a lot of fans around me were surprised Bernardo didn’t start, and sure, some might argue it could’ve been Hatate left out instead. But these are the kinds of decisions that come with having a strong squad — decisions we should be grateful to have.

Personally, I think we’ll see a midfield trio of Bernardo, Arne Engels, and Callum McGregor tonight. Why? Because Bernardo is a player Rodgers clearly trusts in European matches. His composure on the ball, his ability to take that extra second before making a move, is invaluable in the Champions League, where that kind of patience and vision is needed. These qualities are less crucial in the frenetic pace of the SPFL, where the game is often more direct and physical.

But this isn’t just about rotation for rotation’s sake, which I covered yesterday. This is about tactics, about choosing the right tools for the job at hand. Bernardo is better suited for European football because of his style of play. Last season, we saw that in certain matches, Adam Idah was a better fit than Kyogo because of his physical presence, and that tactical flexibility helped secure the domestic double. Not every decision is going to be about resting players; some will come down to which players can best exploit the opposition.

Was Bernardo left out at the weekend because Rodgers has earmarked him for Europe? It wouldn’t surprise me. Engels, on the other hand, had to start at the weekend. He needs match sharpness if he’s going to play a key role in the Champions League, and the only way to get that is by giving him minutes alongside his new teammates. It was a calculated decision by the manager, aimed at preparing Engels for the bigger test to come.

This approach goes beyond midfield. There will be matches where you need a player like James Forrest, who can run into the box with the ball, and other games where someone like Luis Palma is preferred because of his crossing ability. It’s about horses for courses. Different tools for different jobs. Rotation will happen naturally because of that, but it won’t always be as straightforward as giving one player a rest and giving another minutes.

As the season progresses, we’ll see players left out of certain games for tactical reasons, even if they’ve been performing well. It won’t always be obvious why, but often it’s simply because the manager feels another player is better suited to that particular match. It doesn’t mean anyone has had a poor performance or that they’re out of form or favour.

Sometimes it’s just that the manager wants to try something different or sees an opportunity to exploit an opponent’s weakness.

At the end of the day, “deserve” is a tricky word in football.

At a club like Celtic, where you’re competing for every trophy on multiple fronts, merit isn’t the only factor that decides who plays. Sometimes it’s about tactics. Sometimes it’s about rest. And sometimes, it’s just about gut instinct from the manager.

As Rodgers often reminds us, when you come to a club like Celtic, you’re not guaranteed a place every week, no matter how much the club paid for you.

So, when you hear talk about who deserves to play and who doesn’t, remember Eastwood’s words: “Deserve’s got nothing to do with it.” It’s just how things are at a club operating at this level. Except the unexpected too; it’s how Rodgers was able to win things.