Celtic managed to put their heavy Champions League defeat away to Borussia Dortmund last week behind them by securing a late victory over Ross County on Sunday.
In a week of mixed emotions, Nicolas Kuhn’s late strike saw the Bhoys defeat the Staggies to maintain their place at the top of the Scottish Premiership standings heading into the international break.
Following Celtic’s sobering 7-1 Champions League loss to Dortmund, they could’ve been forgiven for entering their shell after coming in at the interval 1-0 down the Highlands last weekend.
However, the reigning champions bucked up their ideas and claimed a seventh consecutive domestic win despite their tale of European woe still being fresh in the memory.
While Celtic continue to shine in Scotland, many will also judge them on their Champions League performances. In essence, they have little to prove domestically but everything to show on the continent.
Pat Bonner, sharing his own strong feelings about the Hoops’ chances of progression in the league phase, has outlined where Brendan Rodgers needs to take action.
Pat Bonner wants Celtic action after Dortmund ‘humiliation’
Speaking on BBC Sportsound, Bonner believes that his old side need to find a way to tighten up across Celtic’s upcoming Champions League fixture run, which includes clashes against the likes of Atalanta, RB Leipzig and Aston Villa.
He explained: “I’d be shocked if he didn’t after that humiliation on Tuesday night. You have to, but time around, listen, he’s got to play at Atalanta, he’s got to play Leipzig at home, which will also play very much on a kind of almost really quick counter-attack and exploit the spaces that Celtic leave.
“He’s got to also play Aston Villa. You’ve seen, Aston Villa was a prime example of it (against Bayern Munich), the way they set up, you know, I’ve watched Aston Villa play and they’ve got forward going players, the same as Celtic, quality players.
“But then they change it; Unai Emery has been around European football so many times and is a winner and the best teams in the world will adapt and change according to the opposition that you’re going to play against. If the opposition is better than you and they’ve got quality players, that’s when you have to really start thinking and get the players tuned into that.
“I know it’s difficult, and the way the squad is set up with Celtic is that I’m not sure if he’s got enough in the squad that he can adapt. This year-round, he’s got more games in Europe than normal probably, and he could have more if they go forward (in the Champions League).
“So you almost have to think about that. He talked a lot about this already in interviews, about what they talked about in pre-season, about adapting and setting up defensively differently.
“Now, that wasn’t in evidence midweek, and the other disappointment for me was, when they went three, four goals behind, nothing changed until half-time when he sat Engels a little bit deeper and put Hatate, but nothing really changed.”
Brendan Rodgers has clear Celtic’s Champions League ideas
Uncompromising by nature, Rodgers admitted he’s ‘not that bothered’ about Celtic critics and what they have to say in the wake of their Champions League defeat at Signal Iduna Park.
He has also indicated that his side won’t change their ideals in future matches, stating: “We play how we play. It’s the same plaudits that have commended our performances in recent months that allow us to go into this game with incredible optimism. We can’t just turn the tap back off and say we become super defensive, it’s not how we play.”
In many ways, his statement is very understandable. Celtic play 80% or even more of their season and are expected to win by playing on the front foot. Why should they change a formula that brings about the majority of their success?
On matchday one, the Bhoys thumped Slovan Bratislava 5-1 to get off to a bright start in the competition. Nevertheless, their expansive approach was picked off by last year’s Champions League finalists, causing a lot of debate.
Ultimately, despite anyone’s thoughts, the manager, coaching staff and playing squad are the only verticles that can determine how Celtic operate in the Champions League. Let’s see how it plays out.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
