Lack of funds will give Rodgers food for thought
Brendan Rodgers has looked like a happy camper ever since he took the reins at Celtic.
But I saw the first signs of frustration creeping in after the Hoops lost to Anderlecht.
In the past, Brendan has defended his players following even their heaviest defeats in Europe.
After the 7-0 thumping away to Barcelona last season, he was measured, emphasising the Catalans’ quality over his own side’s failings.
After this season’s 7-1 humbling by Paris Saint-Germain, the Bhoys boss was still firmly in his players’ corner, insisting they had enjoyed “lots of good moments”. That wasn’t the case in midweek. The truth is, losing 1-0 to Anderlecht isn’t a terrible result in the bigger picture, as Celtic still made it into the Europa League.
In that respect, it’s a case of “job done” for Brendan’s Bhoys.
But there’s no hiding from the fact that it was a poor performance – and that’s what got the manager’s back up.
It’s not just that he felt some players didn’t give him everything they had, though that will be a big, big factor.
It’s also that the Celtic boss knows Europe is the platform on which he’ll be judged.
And off the back of too many nights like Tuesday, he’ll be judged wanting.
Now, I don’t mean that the Hoops support is going to turn on Brendan, because they love him pretty much unconditionally.
I’m talking about the kind of clubs that Rodgers will want to take charge of once he feels his time at Celtic is done.
That isn’t going to be any time soon, by the way – not with 10-in-a-row on the horizon – but it will definitely arrive.
When it does creep round, Brendan is going to want good options, meaning top-level clubs.
A season-and-a-half into his time at Celtic Park, the last thing he will want to see from his team in Europe is vulnerability in games against the likes of Anderlecht.
After all, as an unseeded team in tomorrow’s draw for the next stage of the Europa League, the Bhoys could easily end up paired with one of the really big boys.
The likes of Atletico Madrid, Arsenal, CSKA Moscow, AC Milan and Lazio await them.
And if you think, as I do, that those are the types of club Brendan will see as a potential next port of call, he won’t want to put on a poor show.
That’s not to paint the Celtic boss as a man whose primary motivation is his own reputation.
Everybody knows he loves the club – and that means he wants IT to thrive, first and foremost.
But in order to make that happen, I suspect he’ll now be pushing for funds in January.
That performance against Anderlecht clearly worried him.
And given the prospect of somebody swooping for Kieran Tierney or Moussa Dembele once the window opens, there’s now a strong argument to be made for Peter Lawwell to loosen the purse strings.
It’s the right thing for the club and the right thing for the manager.
With a couple of quality additions, Celtic, under Rodgers, have a wee chance of embarking on a run in the Europa League. Without them, I’m not so sure. And I believe the manager’s reaction postAnderlecht hinted that he isn’t, either.
The bottom line is this. Brendan has done more than enough for Celtic already to deserve backing in January.
And when handing it over will enable him to do even more, it should be a no-brainer.
When the time comes, Brendan is going to want good options, meaning top-level clubs