It’s been a long week for Celtic after their demoralising 7-1 defeat away to Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday night.
Thankfully, once the Bhoys get back on the pitch against Ross County in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday, we make it an event entirely consigned to history.
A confident return to winning ways won’t have any fans forgetting about what occurred in Germany, but it will at least allow the team to put it behind them and move on with a positive outlook.
After the international break there are difficult challenges, none more so than the trip away to Atalanta in the Champions League on 23rd October.
There’s been much debate about how Celtic should approach that one. Manager Brendan Rodgers has taken a lot of criticism for his tactical approach in Dortmund, to which he has responded resolutely.
What’s the best path forward now? Atalanta are a team who present just as much danger to Celtic as Nuri Sahin’s outfit.
Chris Sutton weighs into Celtic Champions League debate
Former striker Chris Sutton reckons it’s less about how Celtic set up in the game from the start and, citing Arsenal, more about adaptability within the match when periods of play develop.
The outspoken pundit said [Daily Record]:”It’s not tough to understand why Rodgers would consider taking the risk at kick-off of trying to impose that on to Borussia. He clearly felt Celtic’s football could be better than Dortmund’s press. And vice versa. You can argue the rights and wrongs of that with hindsight.
“What can’t be argued is that, very quickly, it was apparent Celtic were not able to impose themselves and, indeed, the polar opposite was taking shape. That’s the moment when you have to address it because being adaptable in-game is crucial.
“Listening to him afterwards, I got the impression Rodgers did see it, but the players had lost their way in that painful first-period demise and the slide was irreversible, but someone had to sort it.
“I’ll use an example of Arsenal. Most of us would agree they are an aggressive, offensive team who are easy on the eye when things are working for them. But Mikel Arteta and his players seem quick to understand when a tide is turning against them. The most obvious example came this season when going down to 10 men against Manchester City.
“At that point, Arsenal changed their plan. They got ugly at the Etihad. Simply put everyone behind the ball as they devised in-game that it was their best chance to get a result. They were 30 seconds from winning by keeping out City a full half of football.
“My point is that Celtic, when the waves started crashing against them and it became clear Borussia were in the mood, just kept doing the same things and kept doing them progressively worse. Players have to act sharper and smarter. Get streetwise, be mucky, break the game up, stop the opponents. Don’t just keep making the same mistakes.”
Adaptability and balance are now key for Celtic
For me, Sutton hits the nail on the head here. It’s not about shedding Celtic’s identity, and it’s not about Rodgers setting out a 5-4-1 formation; it’s simply about having the tools to play the conditions of a match – whatever they may be.
Celtic must pace themselves in these big European matches. They must assess an opponent’s threat in the opening stages, work out how to exploit it, and, at the very least, show the humility to enact a game plan that best nullifies it.
The thing is, we’ve actually seen Celtic do this already this season. At Celtic Park, Rangers started the recent derby brightly, and the Bhoys actually sat off them for a period before brutally exposing them.
We need that kind of display, albeit against much tougher opposition. Nobody wants Celtic to be ultra-defensive by default; it’s about ensuring the players go out there with balance and adaptability built into their ethos.
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