For a major chunk of this decade, Celtic have unarguably been a big fish in a small pond. They have amassed domestic trophies, have banged goals left right and centre, have assembled a midfield setup built to kill and a solidified their backline with an intriguing aura. Ever since the incoming of Brendan Rodgers, they have stormed the Scottish Premiership and poised to go all along the way with a domestic treble to account, leave aside the likelihood of them concluding the league as being invincible.
After leaving a thumping mark domestically, the next marauding step they must look forward to is to better their stature in the Champions League. Speaking unabashedly, the Bhoys have just been filling the numbers for courtesy and formalities’ sake. In the last three years, they have been reduced to tatters by European heavyweights as they have come agonisingly short in leaving a mark. Nonetheless, there appears to be a certain amount of splendour and tenacity in the unit at the onset.
With Rodgers sitting good and tight at the helm, who is a fortuitous and commanding guardian any quality side would love to possess, setting the engine on by taking baby steps could muster wonders in the near future. With the likes of young sensation in the shape of Kieran Tierney alongside the experienced veterans like Kolo Toure and Eric Sviatchenko bolstering the back line, Tom Rogic, Scott Sinclair and James Forrest building the game meticulously in the middle and Moussa Dembele and Leigh Griffiths leading the unit, the quality is definitely running up and down the veins of the Celts, and maybe an impetus of self-belief and grit is all that is required to be instilled into the domestically high-functioning side.
The former Liverpool manager has done exactly the same, for he isn’t the type of manager who would flock in, make the team cross the line and forge the dreams of the club. Rodgers has resembled a gaffer who is constantly aspiring for that extra mile to transform Celtic Football Club into a lucrative venture and a paradise. He has set his sights at the long-term success of the club in the Champions League, and thus, they now need to match their merry words with flamboyance in their actions next season. A start with an entry into the last sixteen shouldn’t be a crunchy yardstick to cater to in the upcoming season. But the question is, will they? Only time will tell.
