Pundit questions Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic tactics following red card in 6-0 defeat

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Former Celtic defender Mark Wilson has questioned Brendan Rodgers’ tactics following Daizen Maeda’s sending off against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.

Maeda was sent off in the 23rd minute, and Rodgers decided against making any substitutions until half-time despite being down to 10 men. Instead, the Northern Irishman employed a 4-3-2 formation with Luis Palma and Kyogo Furuhashi up front for the Bhoys.

With Celtic 2-0 down at half-time, Rodgers decided to bring on Hyeongyu Oh for Palma and Odin Thiago Holm for Matt O’Riley, continuing with the same shape. Wilson believes the decision to leave two strikers up top, despite being down to 10 men, was costly and ultimately shifted the game in Atletico’s favour.

Wilson may have a point that Celtic could have adopted a more defensive shape after the sending off, but this is not Brendan Rodgers’ style. In a 3-0 win over Livingston in September, Rodgers adopted the same shape to whilst down to 10. Rodgers has a history of not adopting a purely defensive approach, even when facing elite opposition. A sending off certainly wouldn’t make the Celtic boss suddenly decide to ‘park the bus.’ However, in hindsight, it may have proven to be the right decision, as Celtic conceded four goals in the second half while adopting the 4-3-2 shape.

Wilson said: [Clyde 1 Superscoreboard], “I could see this coming after Maeda was sent off when Celtic went one goal behind. That can happen at that level in the Champions League when you’re playing against players like Griezmann; they can undo you early on.”

“But I thought that Celtic, from the period until Maeda was sent off, were excellent. They won the ball back quickly, pinned Atletico back without creating anything too clear-cut. Then, the sending off happened, and at that point, you wonder how the manager is going to respond. What tactics is he going to employ? Are they going to sit deep and defend their 18-yard line, or will they attempt to get something late in the game?

“He (Brendan Rodgers) was brave enough to put Palma and Kyogo up front and leave the three in midfield, and I thought that just allowed Atletico to gain a real foothold. The tide kept coming at Celtic, and it wasn’t really a surprise when they conceded.

“It’s that second goal just before half-time that throws everything off. I had every sympathy for them, but I still believe that with 10 men against top-class opposition, you should be able to defend.”

It is a harsh criticism to question Rodgers’ decision-making while 1-0 down with 10 men against Atletico Madrid in Spain. However, there is some sense to Wilson’s analysis, as Celtic seemed to be competitive for most of the first half.

Ultimately, Rodgers’ bold decision to continue with such an attacking formation while a man down against one of the best sides in Europe made it easier for Atletico to break down Celtic, but there is no point in looking back now. Celtic still has a slim chance of qualifying, and Tuesday’s 6-0 defeat may have been a poor result. However, that one game in Madrid did not solely put Celtic in such a poor position in the group.

Celtic will have the opportunity to bounce back against Aberdeen at Celtic Park on Sunday. However, Aberdeen’s 2-2 draw against PAOK in Greece last night, and their 1-0 win over Hibernian last weekend, securing a place in the Viaplay Cup Final, show that they are in good form and will present a challenge to Brendan Rodgers’ side.