CELTS WILL BE IN ZONE AGAIN

Rodgers plans to get the timing just right as his side face old foes Astana in Euro crunch

BORDERED on its eastern side by China, bewildered tourists descending on Kazakhstan for the first time could be forgiven for believing they have long left the confines of Europe behind them.

The streets of its cities may not quite be populated by clones of the comedic character Borat but the sacrificing of sheep prior to football matches is no myth. In all senses, it’s a long way from home.

Celtic know all too well, though, that as distant as the former Soviet republic is, it’s very much on UEFA’s map these days. In two weeks’ time, Brendan Rodgers’ squad will endure the six-hour flight to get there for the third time in just four years.

Back in 2013, Neil Lennon’s side looked drained by the five-hour time difference and the horrific humidity in Karagandy as they crashed 2-0 to local favourites Shakhter before spectacularly turning the tie on its head in Glasgow.

One year ago, Rodgers eyed a similarly hazardous trip to face Astana and sensed the need for a radically different approach.

‘We stayed on British time,’ he explained. ‘That meant eating at some ridiculous hour but it worked well for us.

‘The people who were outside of the football last year said it was a good idea because we didn’t have to adapt our body clocks. If you are away for a short period of time, then I think it makes sense.

‘We got the hotels to change the clocks. The hotel are taking your money and, at the end of the day, they are providing a service. It doesn’t take much to change the clocks in all the rooms.

‘You work within that same time zone and it stops them (players) from missing meetings. It stops the excuses anyway. Sometimes it’s the little things that matter on occasions like this.’

It’s hard to argue with the logic. Celtic emerged from Astana that night with a 1-1 draw and finished the job by winning the second leg 2-1.

As the plans to face the Kazakhstan champions one round further on take shape, local hoteliers should again be prepared to fulfil the oddest of requests.

Rodgers yesterday declared himself content with fate decreeing a second match up with Astana in a year. Despite the practical issues, they seemed more favourable than another joust with, say, Hapoel Be’er Sheva.

That it took a late Moussa Dembele penalty to settle the issue with the Kazakhs last season underscores the precarious nature of the assignment.

Rodgers, though, takes heart from the fact the tie is one round further on from last year thus making any lingering ring-rust less of a concern.

Bl u n t l y, in j u r i e s t o se v e r a l players notwithstanding, he feels his team are a different animal to that of a year ago.

‘I think there’s a calmness which comes through maturity,’ he explained. ‘Last year, we were going into these games with an idea that the mentality of the team was strong. We’d built that up. But how we wanted to play wasn’t anywhere near where it’s at now.

‘I look at the team now and I see the football idea of how we want to work is there.

‘So that’s a big difference, as well. Once you have all of that and your preparation, it gives you the confidence even if it does not guarantee you anything.

‘But it gives you a calm way of going into the game because you know what you are doing.’

Truthfully, none of the five sides Celtic could have drawn yesterday represented a clear run to the group stage.

Regardless of who came out beside them, though, the Celtic manager feels his side would be entitled to a degree of optimism. No potential opponent would surely have Celtic down as they preferred pick.

‘There’s probably a feeling from the outside looking in that teams will not fancy playing us,’ added Rodgers. ‘There won’t be too many teams looking forward to coming to Celtic Park.

‘Astana faced that last year and when they heard the draw they perhaps were not overly keen.

‘They are all tough games at this stage. They’ve come through the qualification process, but we have learned a lot over the last year.

‘Astana are still midway through their season but this game comes a bit later than last year, so that means we are fitter. Last season, they were 20-odd games in.’

Yet again, Celtic find themselves cast in the role of last men standing in Europe.

Aberdeen’s loss to Apollon Limassol on Thursday saw them go the same way as Rangers and St Johnstone before the ribbon has been cut on the league season.

For Rodgers’ men, propping up a flagging co-efficient between now and Christmas is a familiar task.

‘I’m disappointed for Derek (McInnes) because I’m sure this was a year where he wanted to try to take the next step for Aberdeen,’ he said.

‘It’s been proven that away games are never easy in Europe. Having been in the lead from the first leg, he’ll be disappointed.

‘But you can only set your own standard. It’s not for me to speak out about anyone else.

‘As a country, we want the best co-efficient we can and that means qualification.’

More immediately, the task of defending the title they won so convincingly begins today against Hearts.

Winners by a 30-point margin to Aberdeen and by 39 points to Rangers in May, it might be argued that Celtic could well do with a stiffer domestic challenge if the step up to playing some of Europe’s heavyweights isn’t to seem so arduous.

The Celtic manager simply does not concur. ‘Why is a team from the Premier League, the most competitive league in the world, not winning the Champions League every year?’ he asked.

‘I’m not crying for it. It’s great if it’s there. But it can’t define us. Our measure is that we want to be the best we can be. We know what it takes to compete in European football.

‘Some people will say we need a strong Rangers, strong Aberdeen, strong Hibs — but that’s no good if you’re not strong.

‘Our standard we set ourselves, no one else helps us set it. That was my approach last year when I came in and it was exactly the same throughout the season.

‘I don’t need, with all due respect, to know what Rangers are doing or Aberdeen, Hibs, Hearts to motivate me.

‘I’m not going to have a lazy day because we are winning (the title) by 20 points.’