I’M JUST BLOWN AWAY
CELTIC ............ That was our best yet, says Rodgers after brilliant Bhoys put Astana to sword FC ASTANA ..........
BRENDAN RODGERS last night branded Celtic’s 5-0 Champions League thrashing of Astana the most complete display of his Parkhead tenure.
A James Forrest strike and a double from Scott Sinclair added to two Astana own goals to put Scotland’s champions on the cusp of a £30million windfall for a second successive year.
And Rodgers expects a further boost in the next 48 hours when midfielder Stuart Armstrong puts pen to paper on a new contract.
Refusing to concede Celtic have all but secured their place in next Thursday’s group-stage draw, Rodgers insists his side have still to finish the job in Astana, but admitted: ‘Some of our play was outstanding. It was a brilliant performance. Very complete in the aspects of the way we work.
‘Now we go to get the job done over there in the second game.
‘It was an outstanding team performance with creativity and real structure and
organisation. ‘We scored five goals and missed one or two chances with that. ‘To do that at this level of competition, with all due respect for a Scottish team against a side who have had draws two seasons ago with Atletico Madrid and Benfica, and show that level of composure. I was really proud of the team. ‘Every game in this qualification is a pressure game, but the pleasing aspect with how the players coped with that. ‘It had everything in it. We were a little bit surprised as they normally don’t press, but they did at the start of the game pressing high up the pitch. ‘The first goal was really important and then we really settled after that.’ Forced to field midfielder Nir Bitton in central defence, Rodgers singled the Israeli out for praise, before urging his team to finish the job on Tuesday night. ‘We want to go there and win the game. We don’t have to, but we want to go there and perform well. Last time we were there, we got a good result (1-1). ‘As you saw, we’re in a better place. We understand we have to complete the second leg and finish the job off, but it’s about reflection on this performance. ‘We’ll look at it and prepare well.’ Vindicated in his decision to go with Bitton after the loss of Dedryck Boyata and Erik Sviatchenko to injury, the Celtic boss added: ‘There was loads of speculation about Nir. There is no one who knows better than me whether he is good or not. ‘He makes less mistakes than many centrehalves I see and I thought he was outstanding in his game. ‘He gives us composure on the ball to build. When he’s pressed, he has the ability to find a midfield player. In this model and how we work, he is absolutely perfect for what’s needed to play in that position. The players deserve a huge amount of credit. They managed the game very well and have shown the development of playing these high-pressure games all year.’ Celtic will sustain the optimism by securing Scotland midfielder Armstrong on a new long-term contract before Saturday’s league clash with Kilmarnock. Asked if a deal is close, Rodgers confirmed: ‘Hopefully imminently in the next 24-48 hours which will be absolutely brilliant for us because he is a vital member of the squad.’ Deflated Astana boss Stanimir Stoilov admitted his team were outclassed, saying: ‘In the next game we will try not to lose. Celtic played at a high level and every time they shot there was a goal.’