RODGERS’ FAITH IS REPAID AND HE’LL STEP PROUDLY INTO PROMISED LAND
He responded to perceived problems by sticking to his principles
LIFE, as John Lennon once sang, is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans. There have been times when Brendan Rodgers would doubtless have agreed with the sentiment.
A carefully plotted strategy to reach the Champions League has had to contend with the vagaries of a footballing existence.
Injuries, contract impasses, transfer waiting games. All have intervened and complicated an already tense scenario.
But then Rodgers is paid to solve problems. It is an intrinsic part of management. He has remained calm, refused to succumb to external pressure and maintained confidence in the adaptability of his resources.
That stance has now allowed him to wrap fingers around the goldplated handle to the group stage. Celtic are not yet able to open the way to the riches inside. But it is surely only a matter of waiting six days. Barring the truly unthinkable, the flight home from Kazakhstan will buzz with chatter of potential opponents in next Thursday’s draw.
Faced by difficulties, Rodgers had effectively sought trust in his methods. Here was proof of them anew. Astana will tell you that.
In compiling this clinical first-leg bludgeoning, Rodgers’ team mirrored the panic-free status of their manager. They solved all the problems in front of them.
The day before, the Northern Irishman had denied that relying on Nir Bitton at centre-back was a risk. While others fretted, he did not view it as a significant gamble. He was proven right. Bitton brought an ice-cool brain and passing assurance to the unfamiliar role. He was clearly the right pick.
Rather than any kind of punt, his selection could actually be viewed as the prudent option. Yes, Mikael Lustig could have been shifted infield. But that would likely have meant the deployment of 18-year-old Anthony Ralston at right-back.
Kristoffer Ajer is a year older than Ralston and did little wrong in his first-leg appearance against Rosenborg in the previous round. Even so, the Norwegian remains a work-in-progress after switching from midfield last summer. Rodgers has spoken of the need for him to develop his positioning to acquire authority as a central defender.
Such learning is surely best conducted in an arena other than the Champions League qualifiers.
Rodgers only found himself assessing these options because of ill fortune. Losing first Dedryck Boyata, then Erik Sviatchenko, to injuries can be counted among those things that occur when other plans are being made.
The same goes for the hamstring issue that has ruled Moussa Dembele out until next month. With Leigh Griffiths troubled by calf issues, the need for another striker to be signed has been argued in more than one quarter.
Rodgers responded by sticking to his principles. He views two main strikers as the optimum arrangement, augmented by a winger who can play up front.
It is no secret the identikit for that latter role is Patrick Roberts. Clearly, Rodgers is determined to exhaust all avenues that could see his return from Manchester City.
Money could have been spent on a stop-gap. Either in defence or attack. But that doesn’t fit with the long-term plan. Why waste money and risk disrupting the squad?
Rodgers feels the better transfer-market opportunities will be available once Celtic have secured group-stage qualification and once major clubs in England and Europe had decided on their squads. He had faith in those still at his disposal to get the job done.
The £4.5million spent on Olivier Ntcham represents the one major investment to date. Helpfully, the Frenchman’s arrival helped overcome the loss of form experienced by Stuart Armstrong during his contract stand-off. That Armstrong is now expected to finalise an extension before the end of the week added a further sheen to an evening of good news.
This is the stage of the Champions League when it begins to smell like the real thing. The money, the enticing excitement and glamour, all start to waft over the wall provided by the group-stage draw.
UEFA’s collective television deal with BT Sport kicks in. On the field, the starry logo is shaken before kick-off while
Zadok The Priest belts out over the PA system. The message is unmistakeable. One more push and you will be standing in the same place to hear it again. With the cream of European football in opposition.
Thereafter, the volume was aided by the return of the Green Brigade. The controversial fan group had been banned for two matches after flaunting a paramilitary-themed banner against Linfield, drawing yet another fine for Celtic from UEFA headquarters in Nyon.
Mercifully, they steered clear of such dismal self-indulgence on their return. This time the only organisation being referenced was the UFC. Images of Rodgers, Kieran Tierney and Scott Brown were flanked by a quote nicked from Irish superstar Conor McGregor. ‘We’re not here to take part, we’re here to take over.’
For that to prove prescient, Celtic needed to establish superiority. Recent seasons of play-off participation had witnessed scorching starts against Malmo and Hapoel Be’er Sheva — with varying degrees of anxiety to follow.
Lessons have clearly been learned. Experience meant no shred of complacency could be considered even with a 2-0 half-time lead.
Celtic had come through early
spells of unconvincing possession, with the yellowshirted Kazakhs creating their own promising patterns of play. Enter Tom Rogic to switch the psychology of the evening.
His inspirational surge forward, similar to his Treble-clinching Scottish Cup final winner in May, may have been unwittingly finished off by Astana defender Evgeni Postnikov. But that doesn’t detract from the exquisiteness of thought and technique beforehand.
Celtic benefited from another ricochet in the prelude to Scott Sinclair doubling their advantage late in the first half. Spurning such fortune in these circumstances would have been criminal. Sinclair — not particularly convincing beforehand — retained composure with a right-foot finish Aleksandr Mokin couldn’t deny.
Sinclair would score again after the break, with James Forrest and an Igor Shitov own goal, via Griffiths’ effort, extending the scoreline well beyond Astana’s reach. There were many fine individual contributions. But this was Rodgers’ triumph.