Celtic must be humble against Atalanta and drop the ego

The Celtic Star

·3 October 2024

Celtic must be humble against Atalanta and drop the ego

The dust has settled on what was a humiliating 7-1 trouncing in the Westfalenstadion with Celtic’s perfect start to the season ending abruptly. Here’s the first of my three takeaways from my trip to Germany…

Serhou Guirassy of Borussia Dortmund celebrates scoring his team’s fourth goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD6 match between Borussia Dortmund and Celtic FC at BVB Stadion Dortmund on October 01, 2024. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

Repeat offenders

How many more embarrassments in Europe will it take before Brendan Rodgers changes his approach? Also, why do the same players continue to make the same mistakes at this level? Questions that need urgently answered.

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There is no escaping, Tuesday night was mortifying. It was our 40th Champions League away fixture since the Champions League’s revamp in the 90s.

Celtic have lost 34 of those games. Winning only twice. Granted, Brendan is right, he has come up against elite level opponents throughout his two spells. That is the beauty of the Champions League. To test yourself against the best.

Borussia Dortmund vs Celtic Glasgow, Champions League, Matchday 2, 01 10 2024 Dortmund North Rhine-Westphalia.Photo kolbert-press/Marc Niemeyer

However, every season, the manager whether it be from Brendan Rodgers to Ange Postecoglou to Neil Lennon have all said the same thing, ‘we will learn from our mistakes.’ With Celtic having now suffered 70 away European losses since the year 2000, the most of any European club, the support is at breaking point with these results.

To go toe to toe with the Champions League finalists of last season is bad management. Rodgers is now in his fourth Champions League campaign as Celtic manager, and in every one of those seasons his sides have conceded at least six in an away game.

READ THIS…Celtic’s problem is tactical. And it’s beyond embarrassing. It’s humiliating

Fans of Celtic Glasgow with the choreo at the start of the match, flags UEFA Champions League Borussia Dortmund Celtic Glasgow Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund 01 10 2024. Photo BEAUTIFUL SPORTS/Buriakov

Whether that be the 7-0 at Barcelona in the 16/17 campaign, the 7-1 in Paris the season thereafter, or the 6-0 drubbing in Madrid last season, and now possibly the worst yet, 7-1 in Dortmund, history is repeating itself.

Celtic must be humble when heading to Bergamo in three weeks time and drop the ego. The Hoops cannot go into that game thinking they can play the same style of football they do week in week out domestically. Or else, it will be the same story, again.

Conor Spence

READ THIS…Sandman’s Definitive Ratings – Celtic at Rhinoland. Battered, humbled and slaughtered

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Celtic must be humble against Atalanta and drop the ego | OneFootball