THE heavy defeats his side suffered at the hands of Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain during his first spell in the dugout at Celtic did nothing to convince Brendan Rodgers that he needed to alter his attacking game plan in Europe.
No, it was a record-breaking victory over Manchester City, who lifted their first Champions League title earlier this month, which finally persuaded the Northern Irishman there was merit in adopting a more cautious approach in continental competition.
Rodgers’ previous stint at Parkhead saw the Glasgow giants enjoy a period of unprecedented domestic dominance and entertain their fans with some sparkling football in the process.
But against top class foreign opposition they were often humiliated due in no small part to their manager’s stubborn refusal to tweak his tactics.
Yet, the 50-year-old is, after four seasons in the Premier League, older and wiser now.
When the Celtic players take to the field in their opening Champions League group game in September they will, unlike in the past, be concentrating just as much on containing their opponents as they will be on creating chances up front.
His surprising, some would say long overdue, change of philosophy is sure to be well received by those supporters who crave European success and have been left desperately disappointed bhy their repeated failures against overseas rivals in recent years.
“You always go out to be offensive and aggressive in games,” said Rodgers on Friday after being officially unveiled as Celtic manager for a second time. “But it was something I looked at when I went back to England.
“The very first game I ever did it - brought a bit more pragmatism into my team - was when we beat Manchester City away 5-2 (in the Premier League in 2020). That was the first time I ever went into a game where I wasn’t pressing high and really being super-aggressive on the pressure. We closed up the space much deeper.
“That was part of my growth as a coach. Because I thought: ‘Okay, it’s not how I see the game and how I want to play. And 99 percent of the time I won’t’. But when you’re up against an opponent that actually wants to attract you out and exploit the space, there are ways you can win really well.
“That was the first time in my career I did it - and I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the 5-2, absolutely. That’s not how I work all the time, but it was an acknowledgement of the super quality of the team we were facing. And how to take a different tactical approach, while still being really effective and working well.”
He added: “That’s the challenge here at Celtic. Every week, 99 percent of the time, your games here are about being front foot, imposing your style on the game. And that’s how my teams have always played.
“You might lose whatever style you play, but it’s about finding a way. And you do that through experience. Ultimately, the game’s about winning. You want to win so I won’t be averse to having that balance this time between attacking and having that little bit of pragmatism.”
Rodgers’ new mindset had its genesis in another encounter with City towards the end of his first season at the King Power Stadium which his charges performed well in but took nothing out of at the end of the 90 minutes.
He is adamant he is a more astute coach now than he was when he departed after pitting his wits against the likes of Mikel Arteta, Thomas Frank, Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Davie Moyes and Thomas Tuchel in the Premier League.
Could he lead Celtic through to their first European final since the climax of the UEFA Cup in Seville in 2003? It will be a tall order given the greater finances which rival clubs, even those competing in the third tier Conference League, have. But that is certainly his objective going forward.
“In the half season I had when I first joined Leicester, Vincent Kompany scored a worldy out of nowhere, stuck it into the top corner,” he said. “We actually played really well, but we lost 1-0. Then there were other games where we couldn’t quite find a way. So it was about finding a way to win.
“That 5-2 game at the Etihad was the first time they’d ever conceded five goals. Then in the Community Shield (FA Cup winners Leicester beat Premier League champions City 1-0 at the start of the 2021/22 season) it was similar.
“It wasn’t that it was negative, it was a tactical approach and it got us some results. It’s very much against the grain for me, but it’s also me understanding from time to time it might get you the result.”
Rodgers added: “In the Premier League, the challenges are there every week because there are so many different styles, players and cultures of managers. That enriches you as a coach. You then go into Europe and it’s not that much different.
“The Premier League is virtually a European league. You’re at the level already, physically and mentally. It’s just about taking it into European competition. Europe is about the depth of your squad and a club like Celtic wants to compete on every front. The more experience you have of highest level football, it helps you.
“That’s what I want to do, to kick us on in Europe. That’s part of the ambition coming here. I want to continue having success in Scotland because you have to look after that. But in Europe, you have to be competitive and that’s the next challenge for us.
“People think you should win. That’s such a massive challenge. In the last 20 years it hasn’t been so good for Celtic in Europe. That’s definitely something we can look to improve on, whether that’s Champions League, Europa League or Conference League. We can definitely do better.”
