Celtic must formally recognising Celtic Fans Collective

Q: In that environment, how important is it to get a fast start, given that there is going to be that silence, to give fans something to cheer about?

Brendan Rodgers: “It always is. It’s a big mantra of mine. I always like to start games really quickly and get into the running. You can’t always, but that is always our notion, especially at home. We want to challenge every team that comes here right from the very first whistle. So that quick start in the game is not new; it’s what we want to do.”

Q: We saw Auston Trusty on social media, that he’s back in training. How close is he, and what’s the rest of your team news for tomorrow?

Brendan Rodgers: “Auston’s back training, which is great. Reo Hatate is back training, which is good. So we’ve really only got Alistair Johnston out. Ali will join us probably the week leading into Dundee, after the international break. But he’s working really well. The other two guys I mentioned will be close to the squad.”

Q: How important do you feel it is for momentum to try and get that first win of the league phase as early as you possibly can?

Brendan Rodgers: “I do think it’s important. I think it can set the tone for the rest of the competition. Of course, at home, we want to be really, really strong and make it really difficult. We were that last year in Europe and we want to be likewise this year.”

Q: Just mentioning those games last year, especially RB Leipzig and Young Boys and Club Brugge and all that stuff. What did you learn from those games and the approach of the matches? Did you change things, or did you take it the same as you do domestically? What was the feeling in those games?

Brendan Rodgers: “It was pretty much the same. I suppose what you have is, in Europe, you have the other team here wanting to win also. That gives you space. When we play RB Leipzig, we know that they’re a top team. They were doing great in Germany and hadn’t conceded any goals, or very few if any, at the time we played them. They know that we want to win, and I know that they want to win. But on the night, we were outstanding. Just our football, the level of our game, the speed of it, the tempo of the game.

“I’m pretty much sure that tomorrow their philosophy will be to attack. We see how they defend, and that always tells you the notion of a team and how much they want to attack. I believe they will want to press from the beginning. They’ll press in the mid-pitch, and hopefully then that can give us space to work the ball. So what did I learn? I learned that at that point last season, we were in a really, really good moment. The team was full of creativity and goals and speed and tempo. That’s ultimately how we want to play.”

Q: That was a solid result in Belgrade, Brendan. Do you think the players have taken a lot of belief from that? Has that given them confidence going into tomorrow night and the games ahead?

Brendan Rodgers: “Yes, and I also think the disappointment of not winning the game because we felt that we could have won the game. We’re not just happy to take the point in general. I think we played against a team that were doing very, very well. They had seven straight victories in the domestic league, which gives them confidence. I think they had some really good players, but we went there and challenged that and felt that with the second-half performance, we could have done even more in the game. But like we’ve been all season, we have a strong foundation defensively. If we bring that to tomorrow night’s game and continue working and look to, as I said, get the goals to match some of the approach play, then that will give us even more confidence.”

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