'Rodgers' naive Celtic fall into familiar European trap'

On a bleak night, location was a infinitesimal of acheronian drama erstwhile Brendan Rodgers sat down to measure nan unmerciful hiding that had conscionable been inflicted connected his team.

“We weren’t rather astatine our best,” said nan Celtic head successful nan aftermath of nan deluge that washed complete his players.

He said it without fearfulness of contradiction. After watching his squad suffer 7-1 while committing truthful galore errors that 10-1 wouldn’t person flattered Borussia Dortmund, not rather astatine their champion was a reasonably unarguable take.

Dortmund preyed connected Celtic’s naivety and rendered them quivering wrecks wrong half an hour. It was brutal. Their extremity was swift and horrible.

The errors that nan spooked visitors made were jaw-dropping. The specified show of a yellowish and achromatic jersey turned their composure to mush.

Some of nan goals were outstanding finishes, lustily banged location by players who couldn’t judge their luck.

Julian Brandt recovered arsenic overmuch abstraction arsenic he liked successful midfield and cipher thought it sensible to do thing astir it. But Celtic don’t really person a subordinate who is made that way, a destroyer, a feline who tin consciousness danger, a characteristic who tin - Lord forbid - fto Brandt cognize he’s there.

In a word, Celtic were soft.

Many of nan goals had their origins successful players losing nan crippled successful possession. Daizen Maeda did it; Alastair Johnston did it; Auston Trusty did it. Three different Celtic players did it wrong seconds of each different successful nan lead-up to nan seventh goal.

The “acid test” Rodgers called this. “For us, it’s looking to bring our crippled to nan adjacent level,” he said connected nan eve of nan match.

Of course, he didn’t opportunity which guidance he was reasoning of erstwhile talking astir nan adjacent level. Up aliases down?

Dortmund mightiness person noted Rodgers’ fighting talk astir really awesome a spot nan squad was successful (he didn’t mean Dortmund) and really he knew that they had nan mentality to “hurt teams.”

Based connected play routings of clubs pinch a mini percent of their budget. Flimsy grounds that they chose to construe arsenic compelling. Again.

This was a monumental humiliation for Celtic, a squad that erstwhile again fell into nan trap of believing that conscionable because you tin play freewheeling shot against St Johnstone successful Perth connected a Saturday intends that you tin effort to do nan aforesaid against Borussia successful Dortmund connected a Tuesday.

Pragmatism? Closing nan space? Staying successful nan fight? Keeping it tight and compact successful nan look of Dortmund’s evident gait and danger? No, no. They group up for illustration they group up against St Johnstone and Falkirk and Hibs and Rangers.

They felt they could spell toe-to-toe pinch Dortmund because that’s what they do successful Scotland and opponents autumn astatine their dancing feet. They were beautiful bullish astir their readiness to transportation home superiority into nan unforgiving fields of Europe. They’re obscurity near.

Until Rodgers introduces immoderate overdue realism erstwhile playing immoderate of Europe’s best, past this is apt to continue. They’ll beryllium different shellacking down nan statement if he doesn’t alteration course.

Celtic are repetition offenders nether their manager. That’s a 2nd 7-1 Champions League conclusion he has suffered astatine nan club. That’s connected apical of a 5-0, a 6-0 and a 7-0.

Most of nan biggest beatings successful Celtic’s European history person Rodgers’ sanction beside them. He’s been a superb home manager, but Europe has been painful.

We saw again Celtic’s wont of conceding goals successful clusters. They shipped 3 successful speedy bid successful Dortmund and nan crippled was done.

Last play they conceded 3 times successful 16 minutes successful nan 6-0 nonaccomplishment to Atletico Madrid and doubly successful 3 minutes against Lazio successful Rome.

This goes backmost awhile. In nan Europa League successful nan past play of Rodgers’ first spell successful 2018-19, they mislaid 2 successful six minutes against Salzburg, 2 successful 4 minutes against Leipzig, and 2 successful 7 minutes against Valencia.

In different Champions League games nether Rodgers, they conceded 2 successful 2 and different 2 successful six connected nan aforesaid nighttime against PSG. In nan return game, they mislaid 2 successful 4 and different 2 successful six.

They shipped 3 goals successful 10 against Barcelona successful 2016 successful that 7-0 defeat.

What happened to them successful Dortmund was a shock, but it shouldn’t person been.

It’s conscionable a continuation of a taxable involving a head who has been singularly incapable to execute moreover nan humble extremity of making his squad resilient successful nan look of superior opposition. Too often, they spell down successful flames.

Later connected Tuesday, Rodgers was asked if he would do thing different successful nan measurement of formation. “Not really,” he replied.

Their adjacent crippled is distant to Atalanta, who hit a mighty Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 successful past season’s Europa League last and who started their Champions League run pinch a 0-0 tie astatine location to Arsenal.

That 1 has menace written each complete it if Celtic sleep-walk into it successful nan measurement they look to person sleep-walked their measurement to Dortmund.

In nan preamble to Tuesday, Rodgers outlined his goals for nan night. “I’m not looking for perfection,” he said, which was conscionable arsenic well.

What he sewage had a wearying familiarity to it. Pride earlier a autumn and each of that.

You’d opportunity that he needs to study lessons astir really he sets up his squad for these reliable assignments successful Europe, but those things were said successful his first spell, too.

History is repeating itself successful much ways than one.