Do people expect us to beat Bayern? They have a budget of £10m just for stadium repairs!
SAYS BRENDAN RODGERS
FROM the goals and glory of a domestic Treble to the off-field pleasures of a book launch in front of an adoring audience at the Armadillo, Brendan Rodgers has largely been in his element since moving to Glasgow. The Northern Irishman isn’t 100-per-cent happy with his lot, however, and admits criticism of Celtic’s Champions League performances against Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich have got under his skin.
Rodgers’ team recovered from a 5-0 reverse to PSG on the opening night of Europe’s top tournament to beat Anderlecht away on night two and enhance the club’s prospects of European football beyond the turn of the year.
Bayern’s subsequent 3-0 victory over the Scottish champions in the Allianz Arena earlier this month brought accusations of naivety but Rodgers will again instruct his team to stay true to its attacking principles when the German giants visit Parkhead on Tuesday night.
And the former Liverpool manager has called for a dose of realism that takes into account the financial gulf between Celtic and the European elite.
He said: ‘It’s all relative. It gets to me at some point, that’s why I thought the criticism of the players after Bayern Munich was excessive.
‘It was incredible, really. I’d love to sit down and find out what people expect. If we’re to beat Bayern Munich and PSG, is that what people expect? And to finish first or second in the group? Is that what people expect?
‘As a coach, there are lessons to be learned. Sometimes you accept there are top-quality players and you move on and become all the better for it.’
Although Rodgers has spent significant transfer fees on Scott Sinclair (£3.5million) and Olivier Ntcham (£4.5m), his success at Celtic has largely been based on developing the group of players inherited from Ronny Deila.
PSG, meanwhile, broke the world transfer record to land Neymar from Barcelona for £198m, adding Kylian Mbappe on loan from Monaco with an option to buy for £166m next summer.
‘You only need to look at the spending. Look at Manchester City, a team who were mid-to-bottom of the Premier League, then the owners come in and they sign Robinho for a colossal amount of money and their spending starts there. What have they spent? Over a billion?
‘If you look at PSG, it’s hard to begin to imagine. The best players will always cost the most money. I’m a realist and that’s why I never get too carried away with the fantasy of it all.
‘We’re trying to grow something here, realistically, and trying to develop a way of working that’s about a footballing idea. That will, hopefully, grow and cultivate many players that can go on and achieve a lot of great things for the club, both domestically and in Europe. That’s where we’re at.
‘The likes of Bayern Munich have a £10m budget just for their stadium repairs — and if they don’t spend it, the next year it gets topped up!’
While Celtic’s goals against column might be improved by a more traditional and rigid approach, Rodgers insists his team will only improve by trying to play against the very best of opposition.
Celtic bounced back from their German lesson to defeat Hibernian 4-2 in the Betfred Cup semi-final just a couple of days later before finding another gear to trounce Aberdeen 3-0 in a top-of-the-table Premiership clash at Pittodrie on Wednesday night.
‘Willie Miller made a comment about that being a level of performance that you don’t see from a Scottish team,’ continued Rodgers. ‘That comes from playing against Bayern Munich and losing 3-0 away.
‘You hear all the daftness about pragmatism after games. If we’re pragmatic, we don’t play like that at Aberdeen.
‘We are in a way of working and committed to it, an idea of how to play. Over time, that will give us the best chance of succeeding.
‘The lessons are simple. They are top-quality players and if they bring their A game and we bring ours, they win.
‘You go into every game looking to win. Sometimes you can be tactically prepared, but when you are playing against world-class players they can make a difference.’
I thought the criticism of the players was harsh. Sometimes you accept there are top-quality players and you just move on