Celtic’s name is in the hat for the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Even Brendan Rodgers will tell you that the domestic title is the bread and butter for Celtic, but he wanted and has now churned out improvement in Europe’s elite competition.
Last season, Celtic failed to get out of the group stage and, in match week two of this season, it was a 7-1 defeat at the hands of Borussia Dortmund.
Many felt that the scoreline was harsh on the Bhoys, but the fact of the matter is, it happened, but most importantly, everyone bounced back.
Atalanta have been scoring for fun in Serie A, yet they couldn’t get past Celtic’s defence and then there was the clean sheet in Croatia.
To not concede on the road since that Dortmund trip and also put up that stunning performance against RB Leipzig shows the improvements that are being made.
That’s why Rodgers was bullish and proud post-match against Young Boys, although, his comments seemed to have rattled Simon Jordan.
What Brendan Rodgers said about Celtic ‘critics’ after Champions League qualification
Rodgers took a lot of stick after Celtic lost at Dortmund, but he picked himself up, tweaked his style on the road and now the results are there to see.
He explained how there have been ‘a lot of critics of Celtic at this level’, even though, from a financial perspective, the champions of Scotland have their backs up against the wall.
But Rodgers was ‘very proud’ of the journey everyone has been on since he returned and the progress is there for everyone to see.
On a personal satisfaction in Celtic going through: “Clearly, it’s obviously a privilege to be here and manage here,” responded Rodgers.
“There have been a lot of critics of Celtic at this level. There is no doubt that it is a challenge at this level. But the players have stepped up. They have been absolutely superb over the course of these seven games. The setback we had in Dortmund, we learned from and now the players (against Young Boys) get their reward.
“I am just very proud of the club and the supporters because, like I said, there have been so many moments and near misses. And some tough times, at this level. I don’t think there is any doubt that, in the 18 months we have been here, we have made progress and taken big steps. This season, we have shown that. We just want to keep growing. I wanted to be a Celtic manager at this level and be competitive.”
Simon Jordan gets rattled by Rodgers’ comments on Celtic in the Champions League
Simon Jordan seems to get offended by everything on talkSPORT and that’s exactly what happened as Celtic secured knockout football in the Champions League.
The former Crystal Palace owner didn’t like Rodgers talking about ‘Celtic’s critics’ and feels that the criticism has been just.
Jordan stated that, in recent times, Celtic haven’t been beaten by teams like Real Madrid – when they did under Ange Postecoglou – and he feels Rodgers is peddling a ‘narrative’.
“Let’s be clear, when Brendan Rodgers says there have been a lot of critics around,” said Jordan. “The most important thing to qualify that is, is it justified criticism? Because he will be positioning it as, ‘there have been a lot of critics around’, as if that is somehow unfair.
“Celtic have gone out of European competition with a whimper. Having their backsides handed to them repeatedly in the group stages. If it was unfair criticism, then you can start on that little soapbox, but it wasn’t unfair criticism.
“After coming back after a smashing at the hands of Dortmund, and then getting themselves together, I think is very credible. I mean, you should beat Young Boys at home. If this is the game that gets you to qualify. I think you should beat them and they have done. The 1-0 scoreline wasn’t reflective of the game. They were better than 1-0.
“I don’t like Rodgers getting away with that narrative. He is a bit of a smart a__, at times. When he is on top, he operates in a certain way. I like him as a manager and I think he is a very capable operator. But he also skates away from things and redirects the conversation, which is what he should do. If you got beat by Real Madrid, nobody is going to say, ‘well, Celtic should have beaten Real Madrid’, but there were games and times during the period of time Celtic underachieved.”
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