A detailed Dortmund analysis clip from Brendan Rodgers’ media address has been shared online – but Celtic fans have dismissed it.
The Hoops gaffer was looking back on the Champions League mauling at the hands of the Bundesliga giants as they hit the Scottish Premiership champions for seven in their own backyard. It was a real lesson for Celtic – who have made the perfect start to the season domestically with six league wins from six and yet to concede a goal. They are also in the League Cup semi-finals and got off to a flier by dumping Slovan Bratislava 5-1 in their European opener. However, the midweek hammering was not on the cards of the Parkhead faithful.
A clip from his media duties was shared online with one punter saying: “Favourite moment from Rodgers presser today. Great insight.” In the video, the Hoops boss said: “The quality of the team no matter what your philosophy is. The quality of a team will push you back. Our game the other night was a classic example of that. Now you have your idea, you want to sit in at times and be compact at in that mid section of the pitch but Emre Can or Julian Brandt they have that quality. It’s a big level you know?
“There was one moment in the first half the ball got played up to the striker, he just plays it one touch off the side and all of a sudden if your winger is not quite in his close of the pitch. He plays one pass around the corner and they are into the final third. 8/9 out of 10 strikers when that ball comes in you are actually getting a chance to win that because his first touch might take him back the way he comes, you double press the game and then you are away. But that’s a level. And if people don’t recognise or see the levels that are different. It is not a problem of mine. I know what we face, I know what we play against. We have to do our very, very best.”
Not all fans however agreed with one punter writing: “Might be great insight but the question would be why he didn’t do anything to set us up to make it difficult for them to do these things they do week in week out and instead set us up to be destroyed? Poor management and the size of the defeat lies at Rodgers door and only him.”
Another posted: “So 7-1 is acceptable because the manager gives his input. How many bang average Bundesliga teams will go there and get humiliated like that?” A fellow X user wrote: “He’s bang on the money about the quality. So why on earth did he try and match that? Real Madrid wouldn’t play so open as that against a team full of pace and running power so why would we?”