Brendan Rodgers says Celtic can afford to concede against Valencia

Add as preferred source on Google

When Celtic take to the field to face Valencia tomorrow night in the Europa League, a clean sheet is considered imperative.

Scott Bain will have a huge task on his hand to make it 13 consecutive clean sheets in-a-row. The former Dundee stopper has had a sensational few weeks as the new Celtic number one. Whilst Brendan Rodgers hasn’t officially titled him that, it’s clear the jersey is his to lose.

But Rodgers has also provided a fitting message to supporters and the players ahead of tomorrow night regarding setbacks.

Speaking in the Daily Record, Rodgers has denied that keeping a clean sheet is the most important aspect of tomorrow night.

“We will try to win the game but if we can keep a clean sheet of course that always helps.

“Yes, we want to make sure you are compact and defend well but if you concede a goal it doesn’t mean that you can’t win away from home, of course it makes it more difficult.

“We can’t be frightened if we conceded a goal because there is many ways you can concede.”

Celtic Park can’t be deflated by setbacks

Rodgers is absolutely spot on, and this message couldn’t be more timely to the support in particular.

Parkhead has had a little bit of a habit of falling into flatness when conceding goals in the past. Despite the stadium being boisterous before the game, teams know the battle is half-won if they get the first goal as the crowd has an edge taken from it.

Against Salzburg and Leipzig this was more noticeable than previous years. After Salzburg’s opener, there was almost an acceptance of the game being over. The stadium hushed, and any hope seemed to have been eradicated.

That’s not the supporters’ fault – it’s an easy trap to fall into when your team are losing. But Rodgers is right to remind everyone that losing a goal isn’t disastrous tomorrow.

This will be a 180-minute tie, and this Celtic team remain a strong force regardless of where they play.

Valencia are also such a classy outfit. With the likes of Kevin Gameiro and Dani Parejo on the pitch, they’ll get chances. They’re expected to score, even if we’re all hopeful they don’t.

It’s therefore so important that Celtic as a whole don’t get spooked if that happens. Rodgers is spot-on to make that message clear.