Celtic turned in a spirited display against Atalanta last night to claim a valuable Champions League point in the hunt for progression from the league phase.
Brendan Rodgers had to rely on a squad-wide effort to see a result over the line, utilising all five substitutes as his side successfully weathered the storm at Gewiss Stadium.
Despite spending the majority of proceedings working hard out of possession, Celtic still carried a threat on the break and put on the type of gritty European away performance many have been crying out for after the Bhoys were heavily defeated in Dortmund on matchday two.
Nevertheless, the theoretics of being pragmatic and actually carrying out that form of display in the Champions League are two different things. Every man must stick to their duty; there is no room for strategic deviation.
In light of this, Pat Bonner has pointed out the Celtic player he feels deserves a special mention for his role in Bergamo.
Pat Bonner on James Forrest’s Celtic role against Atalanta
Experience is pivotal to seeing results over the line in the Champions League, so it is no surprise Bonner has given James Forrest a shout-out for his contribution off the bench, which even involved featuring as an auxilary right-back while Alistair Johnston was receiving treatment on the sideline.
Touching on how Celtic’s wingers performed on the night, the Irishman said, firstly referencing Daizen Maeda [Sportsound]: “He was good (Maeda), but not what we have seen in the past, so he probably had to change it because of that.
“He was the only player you could maybe could have put Forrest on for, he kept Forrest (and substituted him in for) Kuhn, who worked hard on that side.
“But James coming in with that experience, and you could see him as soon as he came on the pitch, he was telling Johnston to keep talking to me and keeping that organisation right between them, brilliant.”
Celtic give themselves a Champions League reference point
On matchday one, Celtic swept aside Slovan Bratislava to give themselves a platform in the Champions League, but the result against Atalanta feels like a reference point to look back on when facing elite sides in the future.
Supporters have collectively yearned for solid defensive displays in Europe, avoiding any catastrophic errors or lapses in concentration.
Despite Atalanta’s best efforts, they couldn’t break down a resolute Celtic outfit that poured everything into trying to claim a positive outcome. That can be a blueprint moving forward, make no mistake about that.
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