TALKING CELTIC
CELTIC’S last truly great run in the European Cup was back in 1980 when those minnows Real Madrid won what was a classic quarter-final.
A 2-0 win at Parkhead gave Billy McNeill’s men great hope of reaching the semis, only for the pesky Spanish giants to triumph 3-0 in the second leg. Ah, well.
These two games took place in March and the next time Celtic found themselves still in European competition after Christmas was – wait for it – in 2003 when Martin O’Neill’s side were on the road to Seville.
There were some decent Celtic teams inbetween these two campaigns which failed to get past what was the third round of any of the-then three Uefa competitions.
And while Celtic have played in European football in the New Year a few times since Seville, their overall record proves how difficult it is to qualify out of any group.
This, however, is where Brendan Rodgers wants Celtic to be, a promised land that blends the silk of the world’s best players with a multi-million pound bounty.
His grand plan is for the club to become an established European side, which means being competitive enough to be either i n the Champions League last 16 or, and this is the aim for this season, being one of the clubs in the Europa League knockout stages.
“Listen, we hadn’t been in Europe (Champions League) for a few years so last season was a great experience,” said Rodgers.
“I hear Pep Guardiolauardiola talk about Manchesterer City being very young in Europerope and you think of the level el of players they have, so forr the likes of ourselves to comeme into the Champions League e is obviously huge ask for us.
“Our job over the next few years is to ensure we are in the Champions League and to be in European uropean football after Christmas.istmas.
“And, of course,, we have two teams in our r group who are two of thee favourites for the competition tition and also Anderlechtt who we think we have an opportunity with home and away.ay.
“It’s a game e we l ook forward to. They’vey’ve had a bit of upheaval, they lost their manager and nd you never know how w that will go, so we go intonto it with confidence. But these games at this his level are always s very difficult.”
Celtic probably need to take a point from their eir visit to Brussels if they are to finish third because,ecause, with the bestb will in the world, ne neither of these two are going to take anything from Paris St-Germain and Bayern Munich.
RODGERS, when asked if third place was his goal, said: “That’s t the idea for over the next few years, to try to make that sustainable,susta that we gain a place in European competition afte after Christmas. “A lotlo of our boys are still develop developing, they are growing and if w we could do that then that’s s success for us. It is an achiev achievement to qualify for the ChampionsCha League given what yo you have to go through pre-seas pre-season. “We haveh a tough group but this is why you win your titles and come through tough qualification; to play the best teams in the world.
“These are exciting times. We love the games and the pressure around it.”
Wednesday’s match is by some distance more important than the derby which was as one-sided as many of the other times Rodgers has faced down Rangers.
The Northern Irishman has yet to taste defeat in domestic football and while that will come one day, that day does seem to be a long way away, especially given the way Rodgers and his staff work.
“If you are at a club like Celtic, you are at one of the great, iconic clubs in the world so your standards have to be high and what we have tried to create here is this environment where you start from scratch every day,” said the manager,
“There is a demand on you to win here at Celtic but you have to win in the best way you possibly can.
“For me, that is how you approach your life, your diet, your nutrition, every aspect of your profession. When I came in here with my staff 15 months ago the guys were on a winning cycle.
“They had already won five titles and Ronny (Deila) had come in and done a good job and we said we want to work in a different way, change a little which will hopefully change a lot of how you can work and how you can play.