BRENDAN IS STILL A BELIEVER
Rodgers is aware of the puzzlement surrounding his return to Glasgow but has faith he can silence the doubters and take Celtic to the next level ... with the right investment
WHAT on earth is Brendan Rodgers doing back at Celtic? It’s a question that has been doing the rounds ever since the former Liverpool boss pitched up as Ange Postecoglou’s successor and has only gained relevance in the wake of the club’s latest Champions League exit.
Rodgers is cognisant of the puzzlement surrounding his reasons for returning to Glasgow.
He’s also aware that Celtic fans are frustrated by a board that stands accused of being content to stay one step ahead domestically, yet unwilling to spend the money required to make the club competitive in a European context.
The fascinating thing is that it was Rodgers himself who flagged up that lack of ambition as he abruptly walked out of Parkhead for Leicester City in 2019.
So, has anything changed since the days of ‘terminado’?
Tuesday’s 2-0 defeat to Lazio in Rome confirmed Celtic’s European exit for the season and opened up a wider discussion with Rodgers on whether his aims and dreams were truly in sync with the Parkhead hierarchy and, specifically, major shareholder Dermot Desmond (right). While pointedly reiterating his desire for more investment in quality and experienced players, Rodgers struck a surprisingly upbeat tone.
‘I feel optimistic,’ he said. ‘There’s a sense of a narrative around the club at the moment that isn’t healthy, with the supporters and that side of it.
‘But I can only see a real positive future for us. I’m disappointed after the result in Rome, but I’m not wallowing.
‘Looking at my first six months here, I know we can improve a great deal. Having been here before I also know the rhythm of it all.
‘Normally the rhythm at Celtic is that for a couple of years the players are really intense and then maybe they’re looking for a move. But when I look at this group here there’s still a lot of development in them. There are players who will become better but we can also improve the squad.
‘If we can do that and remain consistent, then we can have another bright number of years to look forward to.’
Under Postecoglou Celtic pursued an aggressive transfer policy that actively sought to flip players quickly.
The trouble with that strategy was that it saw proven operators like Josip Juranovic and Giorgos Giakoumakis exit the building with even more haste than the Australian showed in moving to Tottenham in the Premier League after just two seasons.
On day one of his second coming, Rodgers vowed to honour his three-year contract and clearly believes young recruits like Luis Palma, Paulo Bernardo and Oh Hyeon-gyu have the potential to stay the course with him.
For that theory to bear fruit he knows he must add a few stalwarts in the mould of men like Scott Sinclair and Kolo Toure, signed early in his first tenure to simultaneously raise the standard and offer guidance to his younger players.
With Champions League change imminent via an expanded format next season, Rodgers knows experience will be essential. His paymasters, who recently signed off on accounts showing £72million in cash reserves, share that view.
‘One of the reasons I came back was to see if we could be better and end a cycle which has been going on for many years,’ he continued.
‘We want to be in the Champions League. It’s difficult but we’d rather be in it, gaining experience and learning. Plus, there’s a financial implication for the club as well, which is great.
‘But as a football guy, I don’t want just to be competitive. A lot of times this season we showed when it was 11 v 11 we were competitive but it’s also about achievement.
‘That’s what we want to do. In order to do that, the squad would need to be stronger. That’s the simplicity of it. It’s about identifying the right level of player who can improve us. The profile of players we want is pretty clear.
‘It’s important to bring in the right few who can make the difference for us and those are the games which they can shine in
— if we’d had them at home to Atletico Madrid and Lazio, we might just have won those games.
‘These are the little differences. I haven’t spoken to the board about this yet. But it’s something that will be communicated.
‘When I think of how this board has stabilised the club over many years, then it’s very hard to knock what they’ve done.
‘There’s a high level of intellect on the board, which has made the whole thing sustainable.
‘Dermot wakes up every morning thinking about Celtic and he goes to sleep every night thinking about Celtic. What the club has always tried to do is not spend beyond their means.
‘But of course, it’s always about the next level and that’s something which is a big decision. If you want to improve at that level, then you must invest. That’s something that Dermot and the guys who run the club know.’
Beyond Celtic’s own internal strategy, there is the perennial issue of the Scottish domestic scene. The back-to-back results that saw Celtic slump to a 6-0 defeat to Atletico in Spain before trouncing Aberdeen by the same scoreline last month highlighted the significance of the gulf between the domestic and European arenas.
Even in Madrid or Rome, Rodgers encourages his players to be brave on the ball. When it comes to Scottish football the
Celtic boss admits a culture of fear may be stifling both the league and the development of young players. The notion is put to him that a stronger domestic league might in turn aid his club’s European performance — and that a larger top flight might afford more sides the breathing space to develop and enhance their ambitions.
The point is salient not only in the European context but ahead of this afternoon’s trip to St Johnstone, where Craig Levein can be expected to field a side organised with a gameplan to frustrate.
For Saints, embroiled in a fight to avoid relegation, the last thing they need is a drubbing at the hands of opponents with a wage bill dozens of times higher.
‘There is no doubt that there is a fear around the game,’ admitted Rodgers. ‘If you look at the number of managers who have already moved on, the fear of relegation from a monetary position is really influencing decisions.
‘For young players too, is there a block? Or a fear that leads teams to go for experience.
‘But, in the bigger picture, looking around Europe there are leagues that might be wealthier than us but in relevant terms they are also finding it hard to progress. I don’t know what the answer is but it’s a valid question in terms of quality.’
After the mentally-taxing assignment of playing a Serie A team, Celtic know what to expect in Perth today.
The invention of players like Palma, Matt O’Riley and Kyogo Furuhashi will be key in a match which will largely be played in the home team’s half.
‘That’s the league isn’t it?’ shrugged Rodgers. ‘You have to find the solution and the way.
‘It’s not the English Premier League where there are more teams and different challenges week in, week out.
‘We know we have to deal with that for the next six months.’
I don’t want just to be competitive, it’s also about achievement