Celtic’s manager, Brendan Rodgers, believes that his team is prepared to take on the Champions League after maintaining their unbeaten start.
Six wins, seventeen goals, and five clean sheets from six domestic games were achieved with a 2-0 victory over Hearts on Saturday.
The William Hill Premiership champions take on Slovan Bratislava at home on Wednesday to kick off their European campaign, and Celtic supporters are feeling confident about their chances of winning in the new format that sees them play eight teams.
Their 10-year quest for a home group stage victory came to an end last season as they defeated Feyenoord in their final match of the tournament.
Compared to a year ago, Celtic are in a far more stable and cohesive situation, and Rodgers wants to see his club continue to improve in Europe.
“It really excites me,” he remarked. “I believe that our team is well-balanced. Of course, there are still certain things we could do better, but overall, I think we’ve accomplished a tonne of really fantastic work this summer. I believe that things are going really well.
“There is a strong mentality. We’re prepared to take on the opposition. It’s okay; we are aware of the level at which we are playing. We’re going to go all out for it.
Rodgers, who has won 19 of the 24 trophies since joining Celtic Park in 2016, emphasised that players should never take their “bread and butter” for granted or undervalue how challenging it is to achieve domestic success.
But one of his main reasons for coming back last year was to make inroads in Europe.
It was “a real, real challenge for us at the very highest level,” he remarked. There were a lot of excellent managers before me, so it has also been difficult.
“But now that we have a strong team and some room for improvement in our play, we hope to go in and really attack it.”
Arne Engels, a record-signing acquisition, made his debut for Rodgers against Hearts, and the former Augsburg midfielder scored the first goal from penalty kick before Luke McCowan, another newcomer on deadline day, curled home late in the game.
Paulo Bernardo can lament his decision to withdraw following his performance against the Rangers, but Rodgers clarified that he had to consider the wider picture and enlist Engels’ help.
“Having a strong squad and not using the players is a bad idea,” he stated. “I will make modifications, even though I like to make little ones.
“I simply thought it was crucial that he join the team, experience that feeling, and try to grasp some of the patterns so that we could examine it together and discuss the areas where he can improve.”
“And like I’ve stated before and will again, I want to assemble a team here with strength, speed, creativity, and unpredictability.
And he does provide us with that, particularly in terms of Europe. He just finished playing in one of the top five European leagues, where he excelled. We are quite grateful that he has decided to come here because that is the kind of player we need. I thus wish to admit him.
Hearts have now dropped seven straight games, but head coach Steven Naismith is optimistic that they can bounce back.
“I really feel that in a lot of the games this season, it has been small details, maybe an individual error or something going against us, that’s cost us,” NBA player All-Star Jason Naismith stated.
“We’ve worked on it over the international break, and I expect us to have that next week. Going forward, we need to be more of a threat in the games where we have more possession.”
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