Celtic’s upcoming Champions League opponents Dinamo Zagreb have sacked their manager Sergej Jakirovic according to reports in Croatia.
Before the Bhoys surged to a 5-1 victory at home to Slovan Bratislava on matchday one, Dinamo were humiliated against Bayern Munich in a 9-2 defeat.
Sportsk Novosti report that the Croatian champions have now parted ways with their boss in the wake of that result as well as poor showings against Trnje and Hajduk Split domestically.
He’d only taken charge of the team for 60 matches, winning the Croatian top flight comfortably last term and guiding them through European qualification.
It demonstrates the ruthless nature of the Champions League and the environment in which Celtic are operating.
Celtic eye a top 24 finish and Dinamo Zagreb will be key
With Celtic needing at least nine and potentially ten points to qualify, the away fixture against Dinamo Zagreb on December 10th is a very important one within the upcoming schedule.
It looks like one of the prime opportunities to pick up points away from home with Atalanta, Borussia Dortmund and Aston Villa all providing much sterner tests.
If they’re now going through a bit of internal turmoil then it’s a good thing, although we’ll have to see how they respond to the appointment of a new boss. There are still a few months before the two sides face off.
Brendan Rodgers is one of Celtic’s greatest strengths
Celtic have no such management issues right now. Brendan Rodgers is an elite manager, instilling this group of players full of belief that they can perform at the elite level.
He’s put together a strong squad, with depth, that has the quality to take on challenges at home and abroad.
We’re still in the early stages of the season but the signs are very good that the Bhoys can now push on to greater heights, in contrast to some of our Champions League opponents.
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