In the buildup to the much-anticipated Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers remained unwavering in his commitment to Celtic’s established playing philosophy.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers REUTERS/Russell Cheyne
He rebuffed suggestions that the team might adopt a different, perhaps more cautious approach in the European arena compared to domestic fixtures.
The manager is expecting Atletico to sit back, and for his side to have the majority of the ball during the Wednesday night encounter.
He’s already said that if Celtic are to progress from the group, whether it be into the Europa League or into the later stages of the Champions League, they’ll need to take points against Atletico on Wednesday.
Rodgers is planning on doing this while sticking to his beliefs and playing the aggressive attacking style of football Celtic fans are used to seeing.
“It’s funny, I get asked these questions a lot. I think everyone wants us to have the ball when we play domestically, and then not have the ball whenever we play in Europe!” Rodgers joked on Celtic TV.
“It doesn’t really work like that. I actually think we’ll have a lot of the ball tomorrow, in terms of how Atletico will play. I think they’ll press us in certain sectors of the game, but Diego (Simeone) always sets his teams to play in a lower block in the main, which makes it difficult to break through.
“I think we’ll still have a good amount of possession tomorrow, but we’re trying to devise a plan that can help us in the beginning and throughout the game, in order to give them things to think about. ”
We have to play how the fans expect us to play, which is fighting and running, and then with that there we play with quality. That’s what the fans expect, and that’s what I always think the style of Celtic is about, playing with that intensity and that drive.
“You always have to be in balance when you’re defending. We know we have to have a big concentration when we defend against that quality.”
It’s going to be the toughest challenge of the group yet. Hopefully, Celtic can turn performances into results, and get a statement of a result before heading into the second half of the group.
