THE token, almost derisory, slap of his hand from Diego Simeone not only lacked class, but reeked of disrespect. The Atletico Madrid manager’s words about Celtic though in the aftermath of the pulsating 2-2 draw during the week, in Brendan Rodgers’ view, perhaps spoke louder than his actions.
Rodgers was unperturbed when Simeone – famous as he is for avoiding flash points and confrontation – looked first to be ignoring his rival altogether as he strode over to the opposition dugout to warmly offer his hand at the final whistle, and then belatedly responded with a momentary wet fish of a handshake before abruptly disappearing up the tunnel.
“In this country we’re very much around respect,” Rodgers said.
“You always hold out your hand. I know abroad they’re not so keen on it and they do their own thing. It doesn’t worry me.”
Instead, Rodgers puts more stock in Simeone’s assessment of their encounter in the Spanish press.
“We probably surprised Atletico Madrid with our genuine quality and intensity,” he said.
“So, afterwards they would have gone back home and sat on the plane saying we were a good side.
“He’s a fantastic manager and he’s done great things with them, so it doesn’t matter to me.”
What does matter to Rodgers is that his team are clearly progressing at Champions League level. The point they gained matters too, even though he feels they could and probably should have bagged two more.
“I hate the condolences after you play well and lose, or you don’t get the result,” he said.
“But you always have to look at performance, and when you are performing at the level we were at against a team that will have a genuine feeling they can have a chance in the competition, then it’s a great testament to the bravery and courage of the players and how well they’ve performed.
“So, I take my hat off, it’s consistency and growth, that’s what we want to see.”
Another indication that Celtic are starting to make the big boys of European football sit up and take notice of them as a footballing force once more, is that their post-match assessments of their experience in Glasgow now don’t solely centre around the elite level atmosphere in their stadium.
“That’s the combination, that’s what the force of Celtic is,” he said.
“The process for me is about remembering what Celtic used to be at the Champions League level.
“I know where the Champions League has gone, but for us to get back to be a team that can be feared on the pitch as well as off the pitch, that’s the reality. I think we can see the beginnings of that with this group.
“You can’t just attack well at this level and be fast and dynamic. You’ve got to be compact and tight and aggressive, and be able to cope with different situations within the game.
“I’ve been really pleased by that aspect within the team.”
Rodgers and his team now travel to face Hibernian this afternoon at Easter Road, with the switch back to domestic football normally requiring Celtic to alter their mindset to overcoming a low block and a packed defence.
He doesn’t expect that to be the case at Easter Road though, with new Hibs manager Nick Montgomery copping some flak for sticking to his attacking principles in last weekend’s 4-0 hounding against Rangers at Ibrox.
Rodgers hopes that his critics won’t deter Montgomery from holding his nerve and going out on the front foot when the champions come to town, having faced similar doubts throughout his own career.
“I’ve heard it all before,” he said.
“It’s all part of the journey as a coach and manager. It’s being able to stick with your principles whenever the world is telling you that’s not how you’ll get a result.
“I’ve had it all my career. That’s where the mental strength comes from. It’s what you believe in and what you study.
“With the greatest respect, why listen to someone who doesn’t know the players and hasn’t studied to the level you have and doesn’t have to stand on the touchline and feel the pressure?
“Because as a manager, you have to know if you are going to fail, it will be on what you believe in. You don’t want to not succeed with someone else’s vision.
“He’s about 65 games into his career as a young manager. He was a fantastic player with more than 500 games, he’ll know what football looks like and what he likes to watch.
“He clearly likes his teams to be offensive, to take and pass the ball.”
