Joe Ledley is convinced Brendan Rodgers can finally take craved and cherished Champions League glory nights back to Celtic.
The 50-year-old is set to return to Parkhead with a key motivation being progression for the club in Europe to build on domestic dominance. Not since Neil Lennon’s Barcelona beating team of 2013/14 have Celtic managed to get beyond the group stage of the continent’s elite tournament. But, despite the huge financial gulf between his old club and elite, Ledley is adamant it can be done again by Rodgers.
He said: “It is achievable. Obviously you need a little bit of luck with the draw and who you get. When you play at home, it is important to get those three points, regardless of who you are against. You always have an advantage at Celtic Park with the fans behind you. Like I say, you do need a bit of luck, but it is definitely achievable, especially with this team that is in place right now.
“Ange Postecoglou did remarkably well and he’s also a fantastic manager, but it is just those European nights which are missed. Of course, you cannot be too picky given what has been achieved domestically. That is unbelievable.
“The expectations are always going to be high at Celtic. The bar is also being raised and it is high at the moment. Not just with what they have achieved, but the quality within the squad at the moment is remarkable.
“Hopefully, if Brendan goes in there, it can be built upon and make the team even stronger. It has been shown that these things can be achieved and sometimes you just need that little bit of luck. Maybe not being too expansive and too attacking when you are playing against these teams in the Champions League or Europa League. Opposition have so much quality that they can hurt you.”
Celtic are guaranteed a spot in the group stage of the Champions League and Ledley knows there are other avenues to relative success. It is 20 years since Martin O’Neill’s team reached Seville, but Rangers made it to a Europa League Final in the same Spanish city two seasons ago and former Celtic defender David Moyes last week led West Ham to triumph in the Conference League.
Ledley believes his former club can make a mark on continental competition and is excited about the prospect of a Rodgers return to plot and plan the next steps with an exciting young squad already in place. He said: “If you have that solid base defensively, you know what Celtic have got offensively with the likes of Jota, Kyogo and Liel Abada.
“They are quick going forward and able to counter-attack teams. That’s what we sort of did in our time. We set our tone with the defensive shape and then we’d go from that to our attack.”
Rodgers has given his plans to the Celtic hierarchy as he prepares for his second stint in charge. Ledley said: “It would obviously be a massive appointment given what Brendan has already achieved at Celtic.
“It was two Trebles in a row and then a large part of a third, so what he did domestically was fantastic. What is lacking at the moment is that European experience and getting through the group stages which is vital for the club.”
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