Rodgers Faces Challenges Ahead of Champions League

Brendan Rodgers appeared very relaxed and assured as he faced the media ahead of Celtic’s Champions League Play Off away to Kairat Almaty.

More than a place in the group stage is at stake with the long running stand off between the manager and the club’s decision makers coming into focus.

There is no other way to put it other than Rodgers is going into this match seriously handicapped.

In January Kyogo Furuhashi was sold without being replaced, in April Jota picked up a long term injury with no cover sought with Nicolas Kuhn joining the exodus at the start of July.

Rodgers applauded the Kuhn deal because it gave the club time to bring in replacements, seven friendlies and five competitive matches later and Michael Nicholson has failed to sign a replacement winger.

Against Kairat and at Ibrox Rodgers will have to ration the use of James Forrest, Yang Hyun-Jun and Daizen Maeda.

Just over two years ago Ange Postecoglou could start with Liel Abada and Jota then bring on Forrest and Maeda between the 60 and 70 minute mark. It doesn’t take much to put a club into decline.

To different extents Rodgers has highlighted the recruitment failings at every media conference, as ever Nicholson has remained silent while others inside Celtic Park brief against the manager while hiding from scrutiny.

Against that background there is a football match to be played, victory puts Celtic in line for around £40m plus spin offs for every area of the club, defeat and it will be the Thursday/Sunday routine through autumn and winter, around £10m from the Europa League and a downturn in every area of the club. Even in recruitment.

The drive and ambition of Rodgers will be evident in the Celtic side tonight.

Reaching the Champions League group stage in these circumstances would be a fantastic achievement- passing the baton to Nicholson to build a Champions League squad over the next five days.

From Monday’s pre-match media conference

Squad-wise, how are you looking? Who has travelled, who hasn’t?

Rodgers: Pretty much the same from the weekend. Adam (Idah) has travelled with us, he wasn’t available at the weekend. But other than that, pretty much the same.

Auston (Trusty) obviously hasn’t made it, but in the main, the same squad as the weekend.

The Kairat manager this morning said that he felt that Celtic had underestimated Kairat last week. Is that the case?

Rodgers: No, no, we always respect every opponent.

We know that they were going to be a good side and hard to beat, and we didn’t quite play to our level, especially in the first half, but I think the advantage of two legs is that you get a chance to play against the opponent.

We know they are really hard to beat, hard to break down. And it’s really up to us to impose our game. And I think having the first leg now really helps us because we know the players we’re up against. And yeah, we’ll look forward to that challenge.

But certainly not, we never disrespect or underestimate any team.

In terms of the enormity of this tie, how aware are the players of what’s at stake? Do you need to explain that to them?

Rodgers: No, no, I don’t need to explain it.

I think we all, every player, every coach, manager, wants to work at the highest level of club football, and for us that is the Champions League. So I think for me it’s more based around not worrying about failing, and worrying about performance, because if you think so much of the consequence, then it can paralyse you, and that’s not something we want to do.

We have to play our game, play the football that we’ve played in a lot of the league games this year, and if we can take that into the game, then we’ve got a fantastic chance of qualification.

On the journey across here in the last few days, are you able to get a sense of the kind of mood that the players are in ahead of a game like this, with obviously so much at stake? Can you kind of gauge where the players are at?

Rodgers: Yeah, I think we’re all very relaxed but focused.

I think we come off the back of a good win at the weekend. Some of the guys got game time. The travel, all the preparation has gone really well. So we’ll have a nice session this evening to make our final preparations, but no, we’re all focused on the game.

But, like I say, if you overthink it, and I felt we probably maybe did that a little bit in the first half, where you overthink it, then you don’t play with the freedom.

We know what’s at stake; it’s very clear, but the only way you get to where you want to get to is by playing how we want to.