Rodgers looks to change the record in Europe

Ten years ago this week, Brendan Rodgers managed in the group stages of the Champions League for the first time.

A late Steven Gerrard penalty secured a win over Ludogorets as Liverpool returned to Europe’s elite tournament after an absence of five years.

In the decade since, Rodgers has found the Champions League a tough old finishing school. He’s taken charge of 24 group games in total, but has won only three.

One was with Celtic against Anderlecht seven years ago during his first spell in charge. The last was in a dead rubber win over Feyenoord last December when the unlikely matchwinner was Gustaf Lagerbielke.

The Swedish defender was one of two Celtic players sent off in the opening game in Rotterdam, a 2-0 defeat which saw the policy of signing raw, wet-behind-the-ears projects brutally exposed.

Fans who accused directors of banking the money, taking their beatings and displaying a lack of ambition, didn’t have far to look for the evidence. It was there in the results. On the pitch and off it.

In the club’s latest financial results, chairman Peter Lawwell’s statement spoke of Celtic being ‘firmly established as a European club from a participation perspective’ and it felt like a tacit admission of failure. While Celtic are usually there, taking part in the Champions League, that doesn’t mean they’re competing.

Their last appearance in the knock-out stages of the tournament was in season 2012-13. They’ve failed to progress from the group in their last five appearances.

In 78 group games they’ve won just 19 and all but two of those were more than a decade ago - the last two of them dead rubbers. In the last 12 attempts, they’ve failed to win their opening group game, racking up ten defeats and two draws.

Returning to Celtic last summer, Rodgers wanted more than that. Tired of just turning up and taking part, he wanted to use his second chance to make an impact in Europe. Urging the directors to be braver in the transfer market, they shattered the club’s record transfer fee twice this summer to sign Adam Idah and Arne Engels.

Now comes a home game against Slovak champions Slovan Bratislava at Parkhead that they are expected to win. With a fair wind and a favourable draw, they fancy their chances of being one of the biggest beneficiaries of the biggest change to the Champions League format in 32 years.

‘Listen, it’s an elite competition,’ said Rodgers, as he reflected yesterday on what he’s learned from ten years at this level.

‘I obviously didn’t have too many games at Liverpool in the Champions League. Most of my Champions League history has been with Celtic. So, I think in terms of from a managing perspective, I’ve clearly developed a lot since that. You know, 39, 40 years of age and 51 now, and I’ve had a lot more games under my belt, much more experience and played against a lot of the big teams and big competitions around the world.

‘It’s a real challenging level and, for teams like ourselves, we have to be at our absolute maximum to benefit, especially given how the game has grown and developed in the financial side over the last number of years.

‘But what I always believe in here as a club is that, if we can get our squad to a really competitive level, what we can do here at home can make it a really special place to be - and still we can be really competitive at this level, and that’s what I’ve always wanted us to be.’

Opta’s stats computer looked at Celtic’s games between now and January and gave them a healthy 57.2 per cent chance of finishing in the top 24 of the 36-strong league section, which guarantees a place in the play-off round. 

Their chances of qualifying for the last 16 from the play-offs are rated at 49.9 per cent. While their hopes of reaching the quarter finals plunge to 4.5 per cent, they will take that. A place in the last 24 is the target, the last-16 a bonus.

Publishing their latest accounts on Monday, Celtic’s plc board reported £77.2million cash in the bank - an increase of £4.9m from the same point last year. Revenue increased by 3.9 per cent to £124.6m.

No other club in Scotland can compete with figures like that, and the dominance off the pitch is reflected on it where Celtic have won five Trebles in the last eight years.

Wrapping themselves around Scottish football like a boa constrictor, domestic success is expected. It’s Europe where Rodgers, like his players, will be judged now.

‘You judge me however you want to judge me,’ said the Parkhead boss. ‘I’ve managed big games before and, believe it or not, I’ve actually won big games. But, for us as a football club, we want to make that progress from participating to being competitive.

‘Whether it’s domestic or European level, you’re always judged. You’re getting judged every day you train. Every time you train, every time you play at Celtic. it’s a real test of your character and mentality.

‘So, this is a competition, clearly, that we want to do well in, and we want to grow in, but I feel we’re in a really good place to do that.’

UEFA’s new format removes some of the predictability and staleness from the Champions League. The draw was favourable to Celtic, bringing opportunities to win games against Slovan Bratislava, Young Boys, Dinamo Zagreb and RB Leipzig. 

However, when a club has a recent European record as lamentable as Celtic’s, opportunities are all they are. There’s no such thing as a sure thing.

Last season they lost players to red cards in Rotterdam and Madrid. One first-half performance against Atletico Madrid was exhilarating, but secured only a point. With more quality in the squad - and a real selection dilemma in midfield - Rodgers expects progress and improvement.

‘You see the club has supported us fantastically in the summer, and we want to be able to do that again in some other areas because we want to keep growing. We don’t want the benchmark just to be domestic. We want to improve and do well in Europe.’