Brendan Rodgers has laid out what success looks like for Celtic in Europe.
For the second season running the hoops will go straight into the group stage draw for the Champions League but almost certainly from Pot 4 due to their five year UEFA co-efficient.
Unless Feyenoord or Porto come out of Pot 1 with Celtic their group is likely to be dominated by teams from the leading countries such as Spain, England, Germany and Italy.
Realistically it would take something special to advance in those circumstances but there is a Plan B of the Europa League, in Celtic’s circumstances there would be nothing second rate about joining that competition in the new year.
The Daily Mail reports Rodgers saying:
We will fight for our lives in the Champions League but, obviously, the further you go in that tournament, the quality increases and the levels go very high.
It’s a huge challenge with the investment in those teams, but that doesn’t stop us being allowed to dream. That’s the exciting part ahead.
Ultimately, it’s about trying to get European football after Christmas. I read somewhere about Celtic not having a knockout win for such a long time.
To be in Europe after Christmas and go as far as possible in whatever competition should be the aim.
Rodgers achieved European football after Christmas twice during his first stint in charge of Celtic but Zenit St Petersburg and Valencia quickly ended hopes of further progress. A year later Neil Lennon hit the same brick-wall against Copenhagen despite beating Lazio home and away in the group stage.
There can be an element of luck in any given campaign but the season ahead will mark the 20th anniversary of that aggregate win over Barcelona. Updating the history books would be a welcome sign of progress under new management.
