European ambitions can keep Brendan Rodgers at Celtic

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The Celtic Star

·21 de febrero de 2025

European ambitions can keep Brendan Rodgers at Celtic

Brendan Rodgers reflected on Celtic’s Champions League match against Bayern Munich on Tuesday night at the Allianz Arena and gave a strong indication that he plans to stay at Celtic to achieve more in European competition…

There was praise for Jeffrey Schlupp and Arne Engels and there are no new injury concerns ahead of the trip to Easter Road to play Hibs tomorrow lunchtime before Celtic take on Aberdeen at Celtic Park on Tuesday evening.

Here’s everything that was said at this afternoon’s media conference at Lennoxtown with the Celtic manager answering the questions…

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18 02 2025, UEFA Champions League 2024 2025 Play off second leg, FC Bayern Munich Celtic Glasgow, at the Allianz Arena Munich Coach Brendan Rodgers Celtic Glasgow on the sidelines. Photo IMAGO.

Q: Brendan, reflecting on the Champions League campaign, how do you now build on those performances to go one more next term?

Brendan Rodgers: “Obviously it was a campaign that was full of growth and improvement and that was very clear to see. I think we’ve set the standard for the next steps going forward and a game tomorrow is the first step on that journey to get back there. It was a wonderful campaign and I’m really proud of the players and how they performed and how they got over many aspects within the campaign of adversity. The quality of our football, the resilience, the grit, everything you have to show at that level. But it’s gone now so we get ready for our next game.”

Celtic players inspect the pitch prior to the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off second leg match between FC Bayern München and Celtic FC at Allianz Arena on February 18, 2025. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

Q: How would you say that performance was on Tuesday as an advert for Scottish football?

Brendan Rodgers: “I said after the game it was great for Celtic, it was great for Scotland as well in terms of showing that we actually can be competitive at that level. I think people who have watched the game up here will watch it closely. We’ll see how we play and see some of the games we’ve had against top teams and how we’ve performed. To ask the players to go into that arena and play without that fear but then to actually produce that performance, I was so happy for them. Obviously really disappointed for them at the end because they didn’t deserve that. To go and perform how they did, they at least deserved that extra time. But it didn’t come, over the two games we created chances, in the main we defended really well and we just had to use that as a vehicle to go forward.”

Dermot Desmond next to Michael Nicholson in Munich’s Allianz Arena on Tuesday night, image via Celtic Curio

Q: Have you been given assurances by the board that you’ll be able to reinvest what you’ve earned from the Champions League for next season?

Brendan Rodgers: “Well it’s not even a conversation. We’ve literally just finished our Champions League campaign and we will look at that in the summer. Have you had a chance Brendan to look back at the game and speak with your players and look at what you have achieved? You’ve gone to the Allianz Arena, one of the toughest stadiums in the world, leading 1-0 to the 94th minute.

“I think everyone knows you can’t take away what Bayern Munich are. They are a European giant, probably one of the top five clubs in the world. Everyone who was there would have felt the arena and the atmosphere and everything and what you have to cope with. For us then to go and play to that level and be so close, it’s a huge testament to the players and how they have worked. The composure they had and the nerve they had to go and play how I asked them to play. We touched on it this morning just to reflect on the game itself like we do every game. Reflect on the performance level and then we draw a line under that and that’s the lever to push on and be really hungry to get back there next season.”

18 02 2025, Champions League, FC Bayern Muenchen vs Celtic Glasgow, Allianz Arena Muenchen, FC Bayern cheers for the equalizer while the Celtics suffer on the ground.Photo Imago

Q: What has the message been Brendan to the players over the last few days now that you’ve just got domestic, the cup and the league to focus on?

Brendan Rodgers: “Well I said after the game to the players that it’s a real sign of how we’ve developed. That we’re sat in here at this stage of this competition against a club of this magnitude and we’re really disappointed. But I said that to come and perform that well we must draw the positives on that. Now we look forward and we’ve got two titles more to play for back home and we’ve got a few months to go. So let’s finish off on what can be an absolutely brilliant campaign for us.”

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Q: Looking how far your team has come, what the potential is, are those the kind of nights that can persuade you to stay a bit longer than the 18 months left in your contract?

Brendan Rodgers: “To be fair we’ve not really had any conversation around that. I think that what we’ll always look at is what’s the very best thing for Celtic. Above any individual will always be what’s right for Celtic. But certainly when I came back, domestically my record was okay and I knew to become better in Europe I needed a stronger squad. The club have been fantastic that way in terms of providing that.

“We’ve shown what we can do and all within the finances of the club. Hopefully going forward we can continue to push that way so we can keep becoming a seasonal team at that level and challenging. In terms of the length of me staying I’m obviously very happy here. But it will always be what’s best for Celtic. But in this moment in time the real focus is finishing the season as strong as we can.”

Alistair Johnston of Celtic looks dejected as they applaud the Celtic fans after the final whistle. Final score Bayern Munich 1 Celtic 1 Agg. 3-2. Bayern Munich v Celtic, UEFA Champions League, Knockout Round Play-offs, Second Leg, Football, Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany – 18 February 2025 Ulrich Gamel/Shutterstock

Q: If we look at a performance from the outside before the campaign there’s a vast ceiling on what a team like Celtic can achieve in the Champions League because of the financial budget. Do you think you’ve shown that maybe isn’t the case and you can push it a little bit further and go a little bit further in the competition?

Brendan Rodgers: “I think there are financial levels that we can never get to. I think that’s clear. People have gone to the next level. That’s always going to be a challenge for a club like ourselves without the finances of the really elite clubs. But we can certainly get to the next stage. The next stage being what we’ve shown this season with the level of game that we can play and the confidence that you gain. Because that’s the big thing at this level having the confidence to go to the Allianz Arena and play that way.

“So that will give the players a huge lift of confidence. And there’s no reason then why if you can qualify out of these group stages and we can perform like we did then there’s no reason why you can’t move on to the last 16 or quarter final. But that’s all obviously part of the plan going forward hopefully.”

Nicolas Kuhn scores past Manuel Neuer during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off second leg match between FC Bayern München and Celtic FC at Allianz Arena on February 18, 2025. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

Q: “You obviously have a qualifier next year, it’s not straight into the group stages. I just wonder how much the wheels are already in motion in terms of the planning for next summer to allow signings to come in early and make sure that you’re ready for that playoff time?

Brendan Rodgers: “Listen I don’t want to start talking about qualifiers for the Champions League when I’m not a champion yet. So we’ve got a lot of work to do in the league. We’ve got the games that we have left so we have to finish the season strong. But Champions League, Europa League, whatever, the plans are well underway and a lot of work going on to improve our squad.

Q: In terms of how you respond to the way the game ended, the cruel nature of it, what’s the psychology of picking the players up from a result like that? Or is it you can look back to the pride of the performance you put in, is it a difficult one?

Brendan Rodgers: “Not really. I said to the players after the game, you can hold your head up so proud because you think of the level of the opponent and the team and what you look for in this game is respect. You’ll come off the pitch and them guys will respect you for what you did over the couple of games and these guys will be challenging for maybe the Champions League itself. So for that, again the disappointment was there naturally because of the nature of how the game ended.

“But no, I said to the players for us to be sat here feeling like this, it really shows how far you’ve come really because I looked in their eyes after the Dortmund game and that was a real tough one. So it just showed you the mentality and the resilience and the grit that this team have. They overcame that, recovered from the setback and then pushed on and we went back to the hotel, we had a beer and then got back to training the next day.”

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Q: Did you ever worry just after that Dortmund game? You could imagine the wheels come off, you sort of panic, players lose their confidence, lose their nerve. But they didn’t do that, I’m sure they took lessons from that?

Brendan Rodgers: “Yeah, I think in moments like that, it’s like in life the same isn’t it? It’s when you know it’s coming, it’s one of the things you can anticipate in your life, the sun doesn’t shine every day for you so it’s always how you react and how you recover from the setback. So after that game it was a bruising night for us but I think we showed and I said at the time it was a bit of a freak result because the nature of every shot they had went in and everything went for them.

“I think we’ve proven that over 10 games that that was that but you still at that time have to come back from it and the players did that and they rallied around. It wasn’t a nice evening to experience but I know through my experience in life and football that it’ll be a great measure for us and the next game we come back, we won, we got there in the end and then we were able to grow from that.”

Q: How important is it to recognise moments like Bayern to take the sting out of the pain and the loss and let the guys reflect on what’s been a very good campaign?

Brendan Rodgers: “Yeah because they very rarely get the chance to do that, very rarely get the chance. Don’t worry it wasn’t a typical Scottish night, it wasn’t what you would consider, it was a nice relaxed beer and wine and then we trained the next day, stayed overnight, trained the next day and getting ready for Hibs. It’s very important that you can just reflect a little bit and relax and think about the moments within the game and the performance but very quickly you have to move on.”

Josip Stanisic under pressure from Daizen Maeda during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off second leg match between FC Bayern München and Celtic FC at Allianz Arena on February 18, 2025. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

Q: What about the nerve that the players showed to play the way you asked them to play, even just going back to the first leg, maybe the first 50-60 minutes Bayern had a lot of the ball, you came through it during that game and then to go to Bayern and show that you could play the ball around the way you did as well, is that the sort of thing that can accelerate the team’s confidence that they’ve come through that?

Brendan Rodgers: “Yeah well I think from a tactical perspective the players were outstanding, like I said before the first game we need to make sure we’re alive in the tie. You can play at home and go home and then you’re 3-0 down, 4-0 down and you’re playing your second leg and you’re virtually out of the tie. So for us it was really important to make sure with our level of quality that we’re in the tie, we had moments and then we were able to then in the last 25-30 minutes of the game then go and really push and then that gives you the confidence then going into the second leg that we can go.

“I’ve always said here I was looking to build a team that had power, had pace, had creativity, had unpredictability and also can go into any arena in the world and play our game and the players showed no better example of that than on Tuesday evening.”

Nicolas Kuehn of Celtic celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off second leg match between FC Bayern München and Celtic FC at Allianz Arena on February 18, 2025 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

Q: I know you spoke to Martin O’Neill and Neil Lennon immediately after the game but can you give us a flavour of the sort of reaction you’ve had on your phone, people you know in the game getting in touch to talk to you about that respect that you talk about yourself that you’ve brought back?

Brendan Rodgers: “Obviously the performance merited that and what the players gave so yeah obviously a lot of nice things said and compliments which is great and will give us again like I said the feeling going forward that we can push on. We always respect everything that comes our way when people recognise a performance at that level but like I say it’s in the past now.”

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Q: How satisfying was it for you that people have talked to you about if could you do it in Europe as a manager the last time and being able to do what you’ve done this time as well and prove that at Celtic you can take this team to performances like that?

Brendan Rodgers: “Well without being arrogant I always feel I can do that. I think I’ve done that in my career, I’ve won big games. When I was here the first time the reality is maybe our squad wasn’t built for that. Domestically we were very good and it was a challenge going into European football. I only need to look at when I was here the last time in Bayern. You’ll always have critics, you do something else and someone will say something else but that’s the way life is and the way the game is.

“So for me it’s, I’m not really too bothered what people think or would say. My focus is very clear on helping this club progress at that level and have credibility in Europe and that’s what I wanted to achieve. I think we’ve done that this season and now we’ve got to hopefully sustain that over the coming seasons.”

Q: Just looking at Saturday, how are the squad? Because obviously the vast majority of them played the full 95 minutes in Bayern as well. Does that take its toll? Do you have to freshen things up even more than usual?

Brendan Rodgers: “The players are in a great place physically. I think that’s been one of our hallmarks this season. The physicality of the team in the main has been really good, especially after European games. We obviously played on a Tuesday, we’ve had a couple of days to recover. We had a good session this morning and designed our plan for the game. Obviously we have a game on Saturday and a game on Tuesday. So yeah, it’s going to be a tight turnaround but whatever team I play I’ll be looking to impose our style on the game.”

Q: We were just chatting to Jeffrey Schlupp who was giving an insight into his 90 minutes and how frantic it was. For you, him coming in so soon but to have slotted in so seamlessly into that, what does that say about the player that he is?

Brendan Rodgers: “Yeah and the professionalism. He fits what we do here which is the reason why we brought him. I’d obviously spoken to Jeff in the summer with an idea of bringing him here then and then it worked out that we couldn’t get him here. There was a possibility that Kieran Tierney was coming back so we left it late. But obviously when that was the case he definitely wasn’t able to come back then Jeff was my first port of call really. You can see he has fantastic attributes, his physicality in the game. I thought he was brilliant the other night having to get through the game like he did.

Jamal Musiala R of Bayern Munich vies with Jeffrey Schlupp of Celtic FC during the UEFA Champions League knockout phase play-off second leg football match between Bayern Munich and Celtic FC in Munich, Germany, February 18, 2025. Photo by /Xinhua Philippe Ruiz

“He was absolutely superb in the game. He settled in really well. He’s only been here a few weeks but he’s settling into the rhythm of the team which takes a bit of time. Just getting the feel for a team that’s having the ball a lot of the time and the movement patterns within that. But also defensively he was really strong against his former teammate. So yeah, I was so pleased for Jeff. He’s a good guy. He’s come here, fit in very easily and very well.”

Q: Would you like to have a conversation to prolong his stay?

Brendan Rodgers: “We’ll speak throughout our time here and communicate and we’ll see what develops.”

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Q: Arne Engels is a young guy who has come here with a big price tag and the expectation as well. Was that a real coming of age performance for him?

Brendan Rodgers: “Yeah, I think he’s been developing and growing right through the season. Like you say, coming in with everything around him. He’s really developed into the style of our game, understands the movement patterns and the physicality. You look at his data and everything over the course of this competition and that physicality which I’ve been really impressed with as a team.

“But for him in particular, he’s been very, very good for us. He was excellent but I think he’s been improving every week he’s been here. Just a shame for him, like I say, going back to Germany and not being able to get the result we got. We got a fantastic result but obviously over the course of the two legs we just didn’t quite manage it. But he’s been doing really well.”

Easter Road, photo The Celtic Star

Q: What do you expect from Hibs tomorrow?

Brendan Rodgers: “They’re obviously going to be high in confidence, I feel. They’ve picked up over the last few months really well. I’m delighted for David Gray. I think I mentioned the last time when I spoke that managers need time, especially young managers coming in. They need that time. But he’s turned it around really, really well. So they look like a team that’s got confidence, they’re very happy in the structure of how they play. They get the ball forward quickly, they get away, they get crosses in the box. So we know there’s going to be moments where we have to defend the game. But for us, we want the three points so we know we have to go and get them.”

Q: Any fresh knocks from the other night?

Brendan Rodgers: “No, everyone’s fine. James (Forrest) is back out on the pitch now the last three or four days. So he’s working away, but he’s obviously not near to coming back as of yet. But injury-wise, everyone’s OK.”