After suffering a crushing loss to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League away last week, Celtic overcame Ross County late on Sunday. After a week of conflicting feelings, the Bhoys defeated the Staggies thanks to a late goal from Nicolas Kuhn, which kept them atop the Scottish Premiership standings going into the international break.
After losing to Dortmund 7-1 in the Champions League, Celtic could have been excused for withdrawing after trailing 1-0 at halftime against the Highlanders the previous Saturday. Though their story of European misery was still fresh in their minds, the defending champions rallied and won their home game for the eighth time in a row.
Even if Celtic is still winning in Scotland, a lot of people will also evaluate them based on how they did in the Champions League. Essentially, they have a lot to offer on the continent but not much to prove at home.
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.
Nevertheless, they alter it; Unai Emery, a champion who has played a lot of football in Europe, knows that the top clubs in the world will adjust to suit their opponents. You need to start paying close attention to that and getting the players on board if the opposition is stronger than you and has better players.
“I know it’s challenging, and given the composition of Celtic’s team, I’m not sure if he has enough teammates to adjust.” He’s played in more European games this year than usual, and if things continue like they are (in the Champions League), he may play more.
“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 specific views about Celtic’s Champions League. Naturally unyielding, Rodgers said that, in the wake of Celtics’ Champions League loss at Signal Iduna Park, he’s “not that bothered” by what they have to say.
Additionally, he said that his team will not compromise their principles in upcoming games, saying, “We play how we play.” We enter this game with great optimism because of the same accolades that have praised our accomplishments in recent months. It’s not how we play to just turn the tap back off and declare that we’re going to be extremely defensive.
His comment is understandable in a lot of ways. Celtic play 80% or even more of their season and are anticipated to win by playing on the front foot. Why should they alter a recipe that accounts for most of their achievements? The Bhoys started the league strong, defeating Slovan Bratislava 5-1 on matchday one.
However, last year’s Champions League finalists exposed their wide strategy, sparking a lot of discussion. Ultimately, no matter what anyone believes, the only people who can influence how Celtic perform in the Champions League are the manager, coaching staff, and playing roster. Watch how it transpires.
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