The new Champions League format has capacity to bruise egos. Few teams finishing bottom of a section of four are likely to invite ridicule. Coming 36th out of 36th, or anywhere close to the foot of this expanded section, will be optically embarrassing.
Brendan Rodgers had his eyes fixed on making a European impact long before the Champions League was remodelled. Celtic have realised their domination in Scotland is – save wild mistakes, or a revolution across the city – virtually guaranteed. Broader horizons now, if belatedly, appeal. So they should; recent days revealed annual income of £124.6m, from which they spent £105.4m. Celtic reported £77.2m in the bank, even before Matt O’Riley’s £26m sale to Brighton. Umpteen clubs have competed in Europe on fractions of those figures. Celtic have strength, stability and an excellent manager, which all negate excuses.
Wednesday evening and the 5-1 thumping of Slovan Bratislava was the standout occasion of Rodgers’ second stint at Celtic. It mattered more than defeating a weak Rangers team at the start of the month or signing off from the last Champions League campaign with a win over Feyenoord. The significant element was that Celtic showed they could take the intense game which serves them so well domestically to another level. Rodgers was criticised in his previous spell for a lack of flexibility when stakes were raised. The Slovan fixture demonstrated his plan A can be perfectly effective in a world beyond St Johnstone.
“Sometimes I think at this level, people can dress it up and think because you’re playing in the Champions League that you might have to do something different,” Rodgers said. “You don’t. For us it was really important not to complicate things. These are big ‘belief’ games and it’s been really difficult over a long period of time for Celtic at this level. I want to change that mood and that feeling and we’ve worked on that from the beginning of pre-season to get to this point where we can have that belief.”
The availability of good players helps, of course. Instant impressions of Arne Engels are that it will be a shock if Celtic do not sell the Belgian midfielder for considerably more than the £11m they recently paid to coax him from Augsburg. Engels has mobility, elegance, attacking movement that bemuses opponents and can deliver a wicked dead ball. The 21-year-old will be given status that would have been unlikely in the Bundesliga, hence this transfer makes sense. Celtic fans should enjoy him while they can.
That midfield, also including Callum McGregor and either Reo Hatate or Paulo Bernardo, is Celtic’s strongest suit. Kasper Schmeichel should be an upgrade on Joe Hart in goal. The displays of less-heralded players, namely Liam Scales and Greg Taylor, have improved since a summer transfer window which brought the arrival of stiff challengers for their positions. Celtic’s strength in depth is suddenly striking. O’Riley’s departure has barely been noticed. The Scottish champions are not only entertaining to watch but press with a ferocity that illustrates Rodgers has complete buy-in from his players. Celtic were expected to beat Slovan but few could have predicted they would do so with such pace and swagger.
Celtic’s sharp progress – they are in a hugely better place than even nine months ago – is mutually beneficial. Rodgers has a curiously poor European record as a manager. Ange Postecoglou and Neil Lennon, in his second tenure, found it heavy going against foreign opposition. There was little point in Rodgers returning to the club solely to prevail in Scotland, having ticked that box long ago. The bar had to be raised. After the high point of beating Barcelona in 2012, it felt for too long as if Celtic banked European money without intending to have competitive relevance.
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If there is a flaw, it is that Celtic still concede more opportunities than may be healthy. The proof of that will soon arrive, their next Champions League outing taking them to Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday week. Later next month comes a trip to Atalanta. Later home matches against Club Brugge and Young Boys look the most feasible in respect of reaching the nine points that would surely earn a playoff berth for the last 16. That feels a legitimate target, which says it all about the formidable position Celtic find themselves in.