...andIwasWRONG toditchmainman Gordon that early
BRENDAN Rodgers has confirmed that Craig Gordon will start in goal against Manchester City in the Champions League tonight and admitted he got it wrong by pitching new signing Dorus De Vries into action too early in the first place.
The identity of the Parkhead side’s firstchoice custodian has become a source of early-season intrigue at the Scottish champions, after regular No.1 Gordon lost his place to De Vries shortly after his arrival from Nottingham Forest.
The Dutchman has conceded 12 goals in five games and has yet to record a clean sheet, but arrived at the club with an ankle problem and drops out of tonight’s line-up as he is deemed to be short of full fitness with a chest injury.
Rodgers, who places great store on a goalkeeper’s kicking ability, feels the Scotland international will return to the line-up better for the experience of being out of the team for a spell which included big matches against Aberdeen, Rangers and Barcelona.
It will be the veteran’s first-ever start in a Champions League group match and he is likely to see plenty of action.
“I’m sure he [Gordon] will be really looking forward to it,” said Rodgers.
“He and I had a really good chat when I was going to make the change. I maybe made the change too early.
“Dorus was injured and he’d come back and maybe I pushed him in too early, to try to impose that way we want to work. So I take that responsibility. “But the bottom line is that we have to win games and Craig and I looked at areas we think he can improve on,” he added. “He’s gone away with Woodsy [Steve Woods, the goalkeeping coach] and when he’s come into training he’s been absolutely brilliant, taking it on board. “When you’re fighting for your place and your position it allows you to perform better and focus. I think he comes back a better goalkeeper, that’s for sure.”
Champions League Group C is an unforgiving place. After a 7-0 defeat in the Camp Nou on the opening match day, the Parkhead side’s heaviest-ever European reverse, now Celtic have to contend with a Manchester City team who have won a perfect 10 matches in all competitions since the arrival of Pep Guardiola.
While they travel north without playmaker Kevin de Bruyne, who is missing with a hamstring injury, the remainder of their cast of world stars
are all available.