BRENDAN Rodgers has stressed he will resist the temptation to go “gung-ho” against Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena on Tuesday night despite the pressure Celtic put the German giants under towards the end of their Parkhead match this week.
The Scottish champions, who fell 2-0 behind on Wednesday evening after allowing Michael Olise and Harry Kane to score, dominated the closing stages of the Champions League knockout round play-off match.
Callum McGregor and his team mates pulled a goal back against Vincent Kompany’s side when Daizen Maeda netted and almost equalised in injury-time to give their supporters hope they can still reach the last 16.
However, Rodgers remains wary of the threat which the Bundesliga leaders pose up front and is likely to stick with his cautious game plan in the second leg in Bavaria.
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“We have to be smart in the game,” he said. “You have to respect that you're playing against some world-class players who are waiting for that moment when you to go gung-ho. That's when their technical quality arrives into the game.
“You have to be in balance. There's going to be times when you can press. I think we missed a few of those opportunities in the game on Wednesday night. A few of the triggers that we normally have in our pressing? We maybe missed out on a few of those. But we still have to be compact, tight, together.
“But what the last 25 minutes does, it gives you that notion and feeling that no, actually, we can play here and not just play on the counterattack. It's the beauty of the team that they've learned so well over the course of this competition. We'll be there to get a result on Tuesday night and we'll come up with the best plan.”
“He’s remarkable, isn't he?” he said. “He's just an incredible player. I played him for 90 minutes in three games, but he goes again. He's having a remarkable season and is such a joy to work with.
“It's as much the will to do it. There's lots of players that can actually run and run fast, but to do it repetitively and to have the will and the desire to continually do it. I'm so happy for him, he's getting the rewards now of the goals.
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“He's pressing, the energy is great. But you look at his numbers, you look at his finishing and you look at the calmness now. He's taking his goals. He's a player who's really, really high in confidence.”
Rodgers continued: “I know some of our staff were speaking to their staff and they obviously were fully aware of him and the numbers that he created. I think in terms of high-intensity runs and sprints, he's right up there with the very best in this competition.
“He is a handful, he's a threat at whatever level. When you have that will and desire to run, then the opponents will be aware of you.
“We have to be mindful that he is still human as well. We don't want to break players. That’s what I've tried to manage right the way through this whole season. There's times I've rotated when I haven't wanted to. But I know to keep the fitness and health of the team I've had to.”
