Danny Murphy reckons Brendan Rodgers is “pulling the wool” over Atalanta’s eyes with his bold claims about Celtic’s game plan.
The boss was in bullish form going into the Champions League clash in the wake of the hammering at the hands of Borussia Dortmund last time out in Europe’s elite competition. The Celtic boss insists he will “stick with the philosophy” they deployed in Germany against the Europa League winners despite the massive 7-1 demolition for the Scottish champions.
But Liverpool legend Murphy reckons that the comment can only be a tactic from the boss to send Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini in the wrong direction. After hearing the snippet from Rodgers’ press conference on talkSPORT, Murphy said: “I think the job in Europe in any competition, not even the elite level, is to be compact and you always have to have a good foundation.
“Any success I got in Europe with Liverpool or Fulham was based on that. Then, you have to grow into the game. I think Celtic are so used to dominating teams in games that it’s difficult to adapt quickly, but there has to be an effort to adapt.
“I kind of understand the Dortmund game a little bit, because Dortmund had conceded five the week before and they were all over the place. I think he might have thought ‘you know what, let’s go an have a go’ because it’s a bit of a free hit, and it’s failed.
“I’m amazed at what he said, because after speaking to Brendan, meeting Brendan – he is an intelligent guy. Maybe he is trying to pull the wool a bit in his interviews. I think we might see a different Celtic tonight. I can’t see them going toe-to-toe.”
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