Janko banking on Rodgers to bring success
SAIDY JANKO reckons Brendan Rodgers has introduced a Champions League mentality to Celtic. The former Manchester United full-back started last season’s ruinous play-off defeat to Swedish champions Malmo.
He has also sampled the hot, dusty, inhospitable surroundings of Kazakhstan on international duty with Switzerland’s Under-21 team.
Insisting the Parkhead side are mentally better equipped to come through the qualifiers this year, however, the 20-year-old claimed: ‘In the Malmo game, we were a bit unlucky, but I think this year the mentality is different.
‘We’re working really hard in pre-season training and I think we’re going to be all right for the game.
‘The new manager brings in freshness and gives us a lift as well, everyone is motivated.
‘We are all in it together and we want to do really well and get into the Champions League this year at any cost.’
Last season’s Champions League exit to Malmo signalled the beginning of the end for former manager Ronny Deila. The importance of qualification to Celtic is such it can now make or break managers.
‘It was very sore. Very sore,’ added Janko. ‘We did very well against Malmo at home and we should have won by even more, or not conceded.
‘At Malmo, we knew it was going to be difficult because they had a massive crowd, an amazing crowd, and they were kind of a different team. They had the better spirit, but we should have done it in the first leg.’ New signing Kolo Toure failed to travel to Astana yesterday with Erik Sviatchenko’s surprise omission from the squad leaving Rodgers facing something of a defensive crisis ahead of tomorrow’s first leg against the Kazakhstani champions. Mikael Lustig is almost certain to play at centre-back after coming inside for 45 minutes in Saturday’s International Champions Cup friendly against Leicester. That means, however else the manager may shuffle his pack, Janko, missing for most of last season with injury, starts at right-back. ‘I think the manager knows what to do and how to rotate and everything, so it’s going to be all right,’ added Janko. ‘It would be great for me to get a run, obviously. That’s what I’m here for, to play, but the manager has to see which team is the best for each game and I respect that.’ Astana is five hours ahead of UK time. Celtic’s flight landed around 1am local time, 8pm GMT. The Parkhead side are likely to stick to a UK body clock to minimise disruption. ‘I’ve been to Kazakhstan before with the national team and it was a really long trip,’ said Janko. Switzerland played a European Under-21 Championship qualifier in Kazakhstan in September last year, winning 1-0 but in Almaty, with Janko as captain. ‘It was fine,’ he said. ‘The pitch was a bit dry but the stadium was all right. Listen, I am only young. The other players have done it a lot more than me. They know how it is.’