Celtic fans won't like Brendan Rodgers' blunt reply to criticism

Brendan Rodgers has been on the receiving end of a lot of criticism since Celtic lost 7-1 to Borussia Dortmund in midweek in the Champions League. The result deflated all the optimism that had built around the Hoops in recent weeks. Hopefully, they will bounce back against Ross County at the weekend and go into the international break in a positive mood.

One of the major discussions coming out of the game against Borussia Dortmund was Celtic's approach on the night. Many felt that it was naive of Rodgers' side to try to go toe-to-toe with one of the best in Europe.

Calls have been made for Celtic to adopt a more pragmatic approach against top Champions League opposition. This is not the first time they have suffered a heavy defeat in Europe. They lost 6-0 to Atletico Madrid last season. 5-1 to Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu the year before.

Yet, Rodgers does not seem to have any plans to change the system. He was pretty blunt about it. As reported by 67 Hail Hail, the Celtic manager said:

"What do we do? Sit back, have 15% of the ball and probably lose 3-0 or 4-0? We’ve seen it with teams who come to us and sit and play five at the back, 5-4-1, with no chance to attack.

“Or do you play how you play but know that you have to sharpen up on mistakes and make quicker movements to close space – all those things are a learning process.

“I’d much rather do that and go down with my own vision than by someone who’s never coached a game in their life. I respect the opinion but I don’t listen to it, I never have."

Celtic fans won't like Brendan Rodgers' blunt reply to criticism

Well, there are two ways to look at it. Firstly, Rodgers does make sense. It is very probable that Celtic still would have lost to Borussia Dortmund even if they played a defensive setup.

It is not easy to play free-flowing football throughout the year and then adopt a completely different approach on Champions League nights. The players are not used to that, and might not even suit it. But then, it is not like we have not seen it succeed in the past.

Celtic had just 11% possession when they defeated Barcelona 2-1. We have seen other clubs sit back and win games against top-level opposition in the Champions League in recent seasons.