The season is well underway now for Celtic as they sit joint top of the Premiership with Motherwell and have a Glasgow Derby win at Ibrox over the Rangers already in the bag. Soon the Hoops will kick off their Champions League campaign too and Brendan Rodgers has had his say regarding their approach for those matches.
The future certainly seems bright for Celtic once again. A disappointing start to the season after a Scottish League Cup defeat to Kilmarnock and a goalless home league draw with St Johnstone dented the confidence of the fans. The supporters also gave a mixed response to the club’s dealings in the summer transfer window.
A week later everything looks so much better after the win at Ibrox. Confidence is back and there’s a more realistic assessment of the group of new signings brought in for Rodgers’ squad. There are now more exciting and skilful players available to come into the starting lineup or bolster the bench. There are also key stars starting to train again after injuries.
The victory over the Rangers has also been hailed as a success for Rodgers who faced quite a bit of criticism for the bad start. It’s helped rebuild trust in the Northern Irishman to deliver victories when it matters. That’s in stark contrast to the situation of Michael Beale on the other side of Glasgow.
Rodgers makes Celtic declaration for Champions League
After the international break, Celtic face Dundee FC at home in the league but are then quickly in midweek action away at Feyenoord in the Champions League. Rodgers has now added his own thoughts on the Champions League and the approach his side are hoping to take. As reported by Glasgow Live, he said on talkSPORT:
"“It’s what it is all about. The football challenge of the Champions League is huge but it is great for the fans. They will go to some fantastic cities. They will go in their numbers but it is going to be great.“It’s always going to be a challenge for the Scottish teams in there. We know the numbers that are involved economically for the teams and the strongest leagues. What you want to do is show your supporters you are competitive and can go and compete. That’s what we will aim to do. The group gives us a fighting chance but there is no doubt the teams in there are very good sides in their own right. We aim to be competitive.”"
The manager seems to have made a commitment to the approach he will take for the critical matches against Feyenoord, Lazio and Atletico Madrid. The group is tough but not impossible to navigate.
Being competitive and having a fighting chance of success is a good basis to build on and will be pleasing for fans to hear. The new signings may not come with lots of top-level experience but they do offer excitement and the opportunity to change a game. Hopefully, Rodgers can help set out the way the team can improve on last season.