Jamie Carragher names the 'superstar' Celtic have right now but casts sobering Champions League prediction
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Jamie Carragher says Slovan Bratislava may be Celtic’s Champions League level - as he eyed Brendan Rodgers’ one superstar.
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Hide AdThe Liverpool legend was assessing a terrible week at Europe’s top table for the ex-Anfield boss, as Borussia Dortmund hammered Celtic 7-1. It follows on from previous 7-0 and 7-1 hammerings off Barcelona and PSG in Rodgers’ first reign at the Hoops.
They were thrashed 6-0 by Atletico Madrid last season. Group stage football is gone and in its place is a league phase format, Celtic getting the better of Bratislava 5-1 in their opening match. Bayern Munich thrashed Dinamo Zagreb 9-2 in their opening match, and while he thinks similar scorelines would still have happened in the old format, he reckons Celtic are proof of the new system at play.
He said: “I think you would have probably still got them in the group games. What we are talking about is Bayern Munich winning 9-2, Celtic over the last few years when they’ve played top teams they have had really big defeats.
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Hide Ad“Brendan Rodgers said to Peter Schmeichel, basically, that they are going to play a few teams at their own level. Bratislava may be classed as their level. End up beating them 5-1 last week.
“For the smaller teams it gives them a chance to win a game or two. Celtic are proof of that, they have been on the wrong side of it this week but over the next five or six weeks I am sure Celtic will be feeling can we get another win or two on the board and maybe give a fighting chance of staying until the qualifying rounds.”
Assessing the Celtic squad, Carragher reckons Rodgers can thank predecessor Ange Postecoglou for a strong core, that contains a clear star man in his eyes. He added: “The speed in which they play at and the physicality you need at the top level, especially Engels in what he gives them. He makes that run (from deep into the box) and you don’t often see that from midfield players anymore.
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Hide Ad“But Kyogo is the superstar, there is interchange, one going near post, one going far post and because there is movement in the box, if that ball comes back here, here or here, then it’s a tap-in for one of the players.
“Hatate, he isn’t playing, but actually look at the movement here. Constantly looking over his shoulder and then there are runners off him again. When you talk about that speed and physicality, Brendan Rodgers wants a technical game. That’s the type of manager he is, I know what he is like. He wants runners and he wants energy.”
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