BRENDAN RODGERS admits he is in a positive mood as he prepares to solve a “brilliant dilemma” before Celtic’s Champions League opener against Slovan Bratislava at Parkhead this evening.
The Hoops gaffer was delighted to get the business done in the recent transfer window as he brought in eight recruits and broke the club’s transfer record TWICE.
Striker Adam Idah, after nine goals in 19 appearances during his short-term loan move from Norwich City, signed in a £9.5million switch to eclipse the previous best of £9million shelled out for Odsonne Edouard from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2018.
And that was overtaken by the £11million splashed on Belgian international playmaker Arne Engels from Bundesliga club Augsburg on deadline day.
Both are likely to play a role against the Slovaks as the hosts prepare to launch into Europe’s elite competition.
Rodgers declared: “There’s absolutely no doubt that this is the most ready I’ve felt as a Celtic manager coming into the Champions League campaign – naturally because of the qualification phase and the doubt around all of that.
“And I didn’t get players in late off the back of that last season. Coming in last year and trying to find out the players and managing them through that. And then seeing them in the competition.
“But having had a year under my belt back here, seeing all the players, and being able to improve a lot of the areas that I want has been great.
“There are still areas that we want to improve in, but, certainly, readiness is a great word.
“I think that feeling of arriving at this first game in what has probably been the best place that I’ve been in since I’ve been here.”
Rodgers, speaking to Celtic TV, continued: “We’re very excited and really looking forward to it. It’s a special competition which this club has got a rich history in.
“Coming in to the stadium and seeing all the work that’s going on, it makes it so exciting.
“The home games will be vital for us. Bringing that energy from the pitch to inspire our support, which is unrivalled, that opportunity makes us really excited for the game.
“I think everyone agrees that the format of the draw was good and I’m hoping that the competition itself will be similar.
“It’s fantastic with the different types of teams and games that we have. The club will be going to some of these teams for the first time and the supporters get a chance to travel to some great cities.
“From a football perspective, it’s a great opportunity for us to test ourselves against some of the best teams and that’s always a big challenge from a manager’s point of view.”
The 51-year-old Irishman, preparing for his 49th European tie as Hoops gaffer, revealed he had a welcome headache as he puts the jigsaw together with four players – captain Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate, Paulo Bernardo and Engels – vying for three places in the middle of the park.
Images courtesy Celtic TV
Rodgers added: “It’s a brilliant dilemma and absolutely what I would want because I know that I can’t just use three players for the whole season.
“It’s about having the numbers there so that when one comes in, it doesn’t change. That’s how it will work over the course of the season.
“With the way that we play and how we play, our subs can give us an advantage. There’s a cost to how we play, with our intensity and our work, so our bench has to be strong.
“It makes me feel like we’re in a really good place because we have that bench.
”We’re playing well, we’re intense and consistent. We want to bring that energy to the stands and, hopefully, have a really good night, but we know we’ll have to work really hard.”
*DON’T miss the unbeatable match report from Celtic v Slovan Bratislava this evening – only in your champion CQN.
