Celtic answered a lot of critics as they put the nightmare of Borussia Dortmund behind them by securing a deserved clean sheet against Atalanta on Wednesday night.
It wasn’t easy for the fans to see Celtic concede seven goals to Borussia Dortmund, but it was deserved and hard to take.
Given that the Bhoys produced that type of performance, then the expectations heading to Italy were lowered, even if Brendan Rodgers had other ideas in his pre-match press conference.
Rodgers came out fighting Celtic’s corner and wanted to shut down the negative noise that always seems to creep up when the team plays away from home in Europe.
After talking the talk, the players backed up their manager on the pitch because it was a defensive performance of the highest quality.
Rodgers has been in management for nearly two decades now, but every day can still be a school day for him, as he alluded to after Celtc’s draw at Atalanta.
Brendan Rodgers says he is still learning after Celtic draw at Atalanta
Debates were raging about whether Rodgers would change and if he would ever learn his lesson because his teams have been beaten heavily before in Europe.
But you have to say, that was one of his best performances in Europe and a massive learning curve for his players.
After the match, Rodgers was asked, even in his shoes, if he is still learning, and he made it clear that he will learn ‘until my very last breath’, as he told TNT Sports (23/10/24 at 8:15 pm).
“We talk about what the players are learning, do you feel as though, personally, as a manager and a coach, you are still continuing to learn each game that goes by,” asked Connie McLaughlin.
Rodgers responded: “Each day of my life I am learning. Until my very last breath I (will learn). That’s the type of person I am.
“That’s what allows you to springboard even further than where you were, so you think of the Borussia Dortmund feeling. After that, we don’t want that again in the changing room. And that has allowed that trampoline effect to really push on and learn from it. You see it tonight. You come here. The feeling is a great feeling. You have come to a top opponent at this level and been able to keep a clean sheet. Defend well and it’s just a case of building on that step by step. You are always learning as a manager.”
Celtic’s upcoming Champions League fixtures
Remember, this is a revamped Champions League format and it is supposed to help Celtic.
From three matches, they have four points and that’s something fans would have accepted before a ball was kicked, especially with two home European games coming up.
Celtic are next in Champions League action at the start of November when they take on RB Leipzig, before another Parkhead clash, this time against Club Brugge.
Then it’s two of the easier ties of the draw – Dinamo Zagreb on the road and Young Boys visiting Glasgow.
Before Celtc’s all-British clash against John McGinn’s Aston Villa.
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