Until Brendan Rodgers starts getting results at Champions League level, especially away from home, then that elite manager tag remains some way away…
Rodgers like so many of our players, can be classed at elite level, when we are talking about Scottish Premiership standards only. But this is the challenge that all involved now have to face up to, whether they can make that step up in class to the standard required at Champions League level.
Getting the basics badly wrong
To be honest, I haven’t got any real issues regarding the approach taken by Brendan Rodgers in how our team was set up last night. I didn’t expect our players to keep getting the basics so badly wrong. Admittedly, and the goals we conceded were akin to schoolboy rather than elite levels.
I can’t recall a game where Callum McGregor was run ragged as he was last night. He was far from being the only player either.
So the talk about totally changing our approach at CL level, will stem mainly from the role of our captain within our system. Calmac is a fantastic player when we are on the front foot and in control of a match. Yet when we are forced onto the back foot, then he isn’t the strongest defensively for the no.6 position within a three man midfield.
We never got our own game going
We got totally swamped in the midfield areas last night. When we try to play through teams, with McGregor so pivotal within the setup, and when it works well, we look a very good team. Last night it didn’t work, and we looked very poor in trying to impose ourselves in the game. Essentially we never got our own game going all night.
I would be very surprised if Brendan Rodgers was to suddenly change the approach our team has taken so far this season anytime soon. It would possibly require a change in formation. That wouldn’t be that easy, without a proper defensive midfielder within our squad.
Also, I don’t think that we have the players to play the longer ball game, that also requires ourselves to be able to win the second ball.We had enough trouble trying to win the first ball last night, that wasn’t helped by so many misplaced passes either.
A bad, a very poor night for Celtic
Last night was a bad, a very poor night for Celtic. However I still wouldn’t say it calls for drastic action to be taken by Brendan Rodgers or our team either.
Whether that remains the case, is yet to be determined, but don’t believe that one bad night should be result in us re-defining ourselves as a team.
Johnno