Mancini hails Brendan ahead of Europa bout
ROBERTO MANCINI watched his friend Brendan Rodgers almost win the title with Liverpool and end 24 years of hurt, before being ruthlessly sacked the following year and admitted that’s when he realised football is crazy.
Celtic face a tough task against Zenit St Petersburg on Thursday in the Europa League last-32 tie and the Russians have been in fine form in their winter training camps.
They warmed up for their trip to Parkhead with a 3-1 success against Slovenians Maribor at their Turkish training base in Antayla before they fly directly to Glasgow on Wednesday.
Mancini holds Hoops boss Rodgers in extremely high regard – in fact he offered him a job as first-team coach at his former club Manchester City in 2009, before he became manager of Swansea City.
Rodgers of course, went on to manage Liverpool and came agonisingly close to winning the title with them for the first time in 24 years in 2014 before they blew a three-goal lead in the last 11 minutes in a 3-3 draw at Crystal Palace which cost them the title to City, by then managed by Manuel Pellegrini.
Rodgers was axed by Liverpool the next year.
And Mancini made clear that he knows what a formidable opponent Rodgers will be.
Mancini said: “Brendan Rodgers had the chance to be a coach with me a few years ago... when we were very young! Brendan is a good manager.
“He did a great job in Liverpool and was really unlucky there. He was so unfortunate not to win the Premier League with them and then lost his job after. Football can be strange that way.
“But he has huge qualities and that will make it very tough for us in Scotland.”
Mancini knows all about Parkhead, having managed Inter Milan there in a pulsating 2015 Europa League clash that ended in a 3-3 draw.
And although Zenit are strong favourites to qualify, Mancini has warned his players what to expect in Glasgow.
He said: “Celtic are a good team with really good players. Their manager is a top boss who I know very well of course.
“To play in Glasgow will be very difficult for us because their supporters are incredible.
“The crowd will be fantastic and it will be a great place to play football.”
Zenit’s weekend win gave watching Celtic scout, former Hearts boss John McGlynn, plenty to ponder as they eased to victory in second gear.
Goals from Emiliano Rigoni and Aleksandr Kokorin and young sub Dmitri Pletnev made sure of the win, although they did have to rely on their keeper Yuri Lodygin to remarkably save two injury-time penalties from the Slovenians.
And Mancini admitted he has been satisfied by their build-up. He stated: “That was a good win and remember Maribor are a team who were in the Champions League, they are strong.
“We have got through the training without any injuries and the camp has been excellent preparation for playing Celtic.”