It was time to show them the real Celtic. They definitely accomplished that last night at Celtic Park, when they steamrolled Slovakian champions Slovan Bratislava, demonstrating that we have arrived in the Champions League this season prepared to not only participate, but to make our stamp on the competition for the first time in a long time
I don’t care if the Slovakians are one of the competition’s weakest teams; any 5-1 victory in Europe’s elite championship will draw attention. And, after suffering some crushing setbacks over the last decade, it feels nice to return the favor.
As I stated yesterday, I feel that a win in our first Champions League game this year will provide us with the confidence boost we have been looking for on the continent. I feel there is now enough belief in this set of players to compete with any of our European opponents in the coming months. The fear that has kept us back in this game over the previous decade will gradually fade when these players realize they belong at the top table. After last night, they believe Brendan has been trying to add to his team.
Do I expect us to go to Dortmund and Atalanta’s home grounds and do the same thing we did to Slovan Bratislava last night? No. It will not happen. I do, however, expect the days of us flying away to these great teams and taking a beating to come to an end.
In many prior Champions League away days, I went with the intention of enjoying the journey, the drinking, and the camaraderie with fellow supporters, but with no high hopes of us getting a good outcome on match day. Our prior findings on the continent suggest that if you go on one of these trips anticipating three points, you may be quite disappointed.
However, once I return to Dortmund in a few weeks, I will be carrying a renewed sense of optimism, hoping that we will be able to leave Signal Iduna Park with something. Now, it could just be pride that we competed against last season’s Champions League finalists in their own backyard, but as I already stated, I don’t expect the maulings of the past to be the norm in the future.
As expected, jealous fans of the city’s 12-year-old team have rejected our result from yesterday. Slovan Bratislava has been compared to Ross County and St Johnstone in an attempt to convince themselves that we aren’t that excellent.
I even saw one comment that they are about the same standard as Dunfermline, demonstrating how distorted their minds are! Totally unaware of how easily we swept aside their own team 3-0 just a couple of weeks ago, they argue that only a team of ‘jobbers’ would lose by three or four goals to this ‘ordinary’ Celtic side. They truly are utterly delusional.
As a last note, when news of Brendan Rodgers’ return appeared last summer, I was unsure what to believe. I believe we were all appropriately disappointed when he left us mid-season after a cash-rich EPL club made approaches on him, but I also knew we would not be able to sign a better manager than the Carnlough local.
So, like the most of us, I gritted my teeth and welcomed him back to the club. I knew, however, that if he did not lead this team ahead, the fan support would turn against him much faster than they had before he left us for Leicester. He was well aware of this.
The fact that he has come in and significantly enhanced this team following a good era under Ange Postecoglou speaks much about Rodgers. He has unquestionably demonstrated his ability as a top-tier football manager. On a side note, I thought it was somewhat hilarious that while Celtic were having their best Champions League performance in many a year under the Irishman, Ange was sweating as his big-spending Spurs team just avoided an embarrassing loss to Coventry City in the English League Cup. How do things change, eh?
For much that we praised the Australian, I don’t think Ange was ever going to significantly enhance us in Europe. Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed his style of play in Scottish competition. His all-out offensive methods were effective on that front, and we frequently blasted the competition away, but they proved troublesome on the big stage. Ange’s ‘plan B is to do plan A better’ mindset will always leave us vulnerable to being targeted by Europe’s elites. Brendan’s more regulated, careful approach will serve us well in the future.
I have a hunch this season’s Champions League campaign will be a thrilling rollercoaster ride. I, for one, am well prepared to strap in.
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