Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has reacted to the Hoops’ 3-0 win over Dundee United this afternoon at Celtic Park, which puts them 16 points clear ahead of Tuesday’s second-leg Champions League clash against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena.
With Rodgers making five changes ahead of the game against Dundee United, the Hoops comfortably strolled to a 3-0 win, with Jota getting on the scoresheet. The Portuguese winger has put himself in contention for a start on Tuesday, having been named on the bench in Wednesday’s 2-1 defeat.
Celtic do go to Munich with a mountain to climb, not due to the scoreline, but because of the fortress Bayern have made of the Allianz. Having previously lost in Germany in the Champions League this season, the Hoops have transformed from a naive team to one capable of pulling off European shocks.
Rodgers was delighted with what he saw this afternoon, but he is under no illusions about the task the Hoops face against Vincent Kompany’s side. However, given Celtic’s stellar European campaign, the Irishman is proud of the journey his team has been on over the last six months.
He said: (Clyde 1 Superscoreboard), “We’ve made great strides this season from last season in the competition and we were competitive, like I wanted us to be, I wanted us to show our level throughout the competition and we’ve done that.
“Whatever happens on Tuesday, the guys can be really proud of what they’ve achieved and we look to build on that.
“What’s important for us, we always want to keep our boldness, but our humility is important as well. We understand the size of the task, but we want to go and give the best that we possibly can.”
Rodgers has taken Celtic, in the space of a year, from a team that looked to be in a Scottish Premiership title race at this stage last season, to now being the dominant force in Scotland once again.
With three trophies won in the span of a year, the Hoops are now in contention for a domestic treble, with the outside chance of a Champions League last-16 place. A two-goal win over Bayern on Tuesday would make that possible.
The fact that there is even a conversation about Celtic being able to get a result at the Allianz shows just how well the Irishman has done in his second spell at the club.
With this afternoon’s impressive performance, Celtic maintained their incredible clean sheet record in the Scottish Premiership at Celtic Park this season, ensuring perfect preparation.
