A pragmatic approach urgently needed for Champions League away matches

Brendan Rodgers is an elite manager, and we’re lucky to have him, but surely he needs to alter his approach when playing the elite sides in Champions League football…

The morning after the night before and where to start eh? Outclassed embarrassed, and outthought by a much more superior side. Nothing to do with financial gaps, just a big gap in quality and experience at this level. Quite frankly we just aren’t good enough to compete with the elite sides of Europe.

After doing the most Celtic thing ever in Europe and conceding an early penalty it looked bleak from then on in.

Even after Daizen Maeda hauled us level we couldn’t keep our concentration and conceding just a minute later. After that it was an absolute disaster as we went in 5-1 down at the interval. It was embarrassing, and shows just how naive we are at this level.

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Photo BEAUTIFUL SPORTS/Buriakov

The second half was just about keeping the score down and in the end we couldn’t do that as we suffered a thumping 7-1 loss. The blame lies solely with the players and the manager. The manager though is the one who should feel the flak the most, as he’s the one who sets the side up for games such as this.

Brendan is an elite manager, we are very lucky to have him, but when it comes to games against the elite sides, he still has so much to learn. Once bitten and all that.

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Maybe it’s stubbornness, and some may applaud his approach to sticking to his principles when it comes to taking on the best in Europe, but it quite obviously it’s not working and harming our reputation in the long run.

After listening to Brendan post match last night, it doesn’t seem if he plans on ditching his approach, which doesn’t fill me with confidence when it comes to playing the big guns.

Just an Ordinary Bhoy

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About Author

An ordinary everyday Celtic supporters hailing and still residing in Govan in the shadows of the enemy. I’m a season ticket holder. I Witnessed my first Celtic game in 1988 and have attended when I can ever since. Growing up in the 90s I witnessed Celtic at their lowest, and now appreciate the historic success we enjoy today. I enjoy writing about this wonderful football club and hopefully will continue to do so. I’ve always been a keen writer and initially started this a hobby. My ambition is to one day become as good an author as my fellow Celtic Star colleagues.

1 Comment

  1. Until Rodgers starts getting results at CL level, especially away from home, then that elite manager tag remains some way away still imo?
    Rodgers like so many of our players, can be classed at elite level, when we are talking about SPFL standards?
    But this is the challenge that all involved are facing up to, and whether they can make that step up in class that’s required at CL level?
    Haven’t got any real issues regarding the approach taken by Rodgers in how our team was set up?
    Didn’t expect ourselves to keep getting the basics so poorly wrong admittedly, and the goals we gave up were at schoolboy levels last night?
    Can’t recall a game where calmac got as run ragged as he was last night, and not the only player either?
    So this talk about totally changing our approach at CL level, will stem mainly from the role of calmac within our set up imo?
    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 calmac isn’t the strongest defensively for the position within a 3 man midfield?
    We got totally swamped in the midfield areas last night, and when we try to play through teams with calmac so pivotal within the setup, and when it works well, we look a very good team?
    Last night it didn’t, and we looked very poor in trying to impose ourselves within the game and never got our own game going all night?
    Would be very surprised if Rodgers was to suddenly change the approach our team has taken so far this season in the near future?
    Would possibly require a change in formation, which wouldn’t be that easy, without a proper defensive midfielder within our squad?
    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?
    Had enough trouble trying to win the first ball last night, that wasn’t helped by so many misplaced passes either?
    Last night was a bad and very poor night, but wouldn’t say it calls for drastic action to be taken by Rodgers or our team either?
    Whether that remains the case, is yet to be determined, but don’t believe that 1 bad night should be defining ourselves as a team either imo?

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