Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is convinced that the hoops can come to the next phase of the Champions League in the future after he has completely pushed Bayern Munich.
The Scottish champions reached the knockout phase of the tournament for the first time in 12 years after losing only twice in eight games in the competition format and were then seconds from extra time in the Allianz Arena.
Given Celtic in the play-off, after he had not replaced Kyogo Furuhashi before the transfer period, a clear reach can be strengthened in the summer, assuming they hold other top players.
“There are financial levels that we can never reach,” said Rodgers. “I think that is clear. People talk about to the next level. But that will always be a challenge for a club like us or clubs without the finances of the real elite clubs.
“But we can certainly come to the next phase. And the next phase is what we have shown this season with the game level that we can play and the confidence you get, because that is the big thing at this level, with the confidence to Go to the Allianz Arena and play that way.
“And there is no reason why, if you can qualify from these group phases and perform as we did, there is no reason why you cannot continue to a last 16 or a quarter final.”
The European progress was Rodgers, “explained ambition when he returned to Celtic in the summer of 2023.
“Without being arrogant, I always have the feeling that I can do that,” he said. “I think I did that in my career, I won big games.
“When I was here the first time, the reality might not have been built for that. In general we were very good and it was then a challenge for us who entered European football.
'You will always have critics, there will be something else. You do something else and someone will say something else. This is how life and the way the game is. For me I am not really too much busy people think or would say.
“My focus is very clear to help this club at that level and have credibility in Europe. That is what I wanted to achieve and I think we have done that this season. Now we should hopefully maintain that in the coming seasons . “
Although the Celtic players have gained confidence from their performance in Germany, Rodgers had to ensure that they recover from the crushing stroke of admitting four minutes in the stopping time.
There is no room for self-pity with a trip to Paasweg to meet a Hibernian side on Saturday that was not lost in 12 games.
“I told the players after the game that you can keep your head so proud because of the level of the opponent,” said Rodgers.
“What you are looking for in this game is respect and you come from the field and those guys will respect you for what you have done about the few games. These are guys who will be a challenge for perhaps the Champions League itself.
“So the disappointment was of course because of the nature of how the game ended. But I told the players, for us to sit here, to feel us so, it really shows how far you got.
“In their eyes, I watched the Dortmund game (a 7-1 defeat in October) and that was a real difficult one. So it just showed you the mentality and the resilience and the grit that this team has. She conquered that, recovered of the setback and then pushed further.
“We went back to the hotel, we had a beer and then went back to the training the next day.
“They rarely get the chance to do that. Don't worry, it wasn't a typical Scottish night out! It was a nice relaxed beer and a wine and then we trained the next day, we stayed overnight, ready for Hibs.
“It is very important that you can just reflect and relax and think about the moments in the game and the performance, but you have to continue very quickly.
“We have a few months to go, so let's finish what an absolutely brilliant campaign can be for us.”
Comments