Celtic’s ambition deserves praise. The Scottish champions faced off against a Bundesliga side that made last year’s Champions League final. However, with a 5-1 deficit at halftime, few Celtic fans were convinced by the team’s attacking approach against such strong opposition.
During their summer tour in the United States, pre-season form was impressive, as they secured victories against two Premier League giants, Manchester City and Chelsea. These wins, combined with their dominant performances in the Scottish Premiership, where they quickly dispatched rivals like Rangers and Hearts, had fans feeling confident. Celtic then carried that momentum into the Champions League, starting their campaign with a 5-1 victory over Slovan Bratislava, sending a strong message to Europe.
Next on the agenda was a highly anticipated clash with Borussia Dortmund, one of the Bundesliga’s powerhouses and a team packed with star players. With Celtic’s thrilling, attack-minded style of football, the question on everyone’s mind was whether they could rattle the formidable German side and continue their European journey with another bold statement. Could Celtic’s fearless approach shake up Dortmund and prove their mettle against Europe’s elite? The stage was set for an exciting encounter.
Celtic’s Challenge Against Atalanta: Lessons from Dortmund and Insights from Chris Sutton
The result spoke for itself. Next in the Champions League, Celtic face Atalanta away, and Brendan Rodgers is eager to stick with his approach. Will it pay off against the Europa League champions? Only time will tell.
Despite the optimism before facing Dortmund, Celtic fans may now be hoping for a more cautious strategy against Europe’s top teams, including Atalanta. In his Daily Record column today, Chris Sutton presented an intriguing proposal that deserves consideration.
It might take a few more poor results before the message reaches Lennoxtown. Brendan Rodgers could prove himself right in Italy, and Dortmund will be seen as an off day.
“It’s not tough to understand why Rodgers would consider taking the risk at kick-off of trying to impose that on to Borussia,” Sutton wrote in Saturday’s Daily Record. “He clearly felt Celtic’s football could be better than Dortmund’s press. And vice versa. You may debate its merits and drawbacks with hindsight.
“What can’t be argued is that, very quickly, it was apparent Celtic were not able to impose themselves and, indeed, the polar opposite was taking shape. That’s the moment when you have to address it because being adaptable in-game is crucial,” Sutton pointed out.
“Listening to him afterwards, I got the impression Rodgers did see it, but the players had lost their way in that painful first-period demise and the slide was irreversible, but someone had to sort it.
“I’ll use an example of Arsenal. Most of us would agree they are an aggressive, offensive team who are easy on the eye when things are working for them. But Mikel Arteta and his players seem quick to understand when a tide is turning against them. The most obvious example came this season when going down to 10 men against Manchester City.
“At that point, Arsenal changed their plan. They got ugly at the Etihad. Simply put everyone behind the ball as they devised in-game that it was their best chance to get a result. They were 30 seconds from winning by keeping out City a full half of football.
“My point is that Celtic, when the waves started crashing against them and it became clear Borussia were in the mood, just kept doing the same things and kept doing them progressively worse. Players have to act sharper and smarter. Get streetwise, be mucky, break the game up, stop the opponents. Don’t just keep making the same mistakes.”
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