CELTIC legend Kenny Dalglish reckons Brendan Rodgers’ greatest achievement in his debut season at the Hoops is Champions League qualification – even if the club go on to win the treble.
The pacesetting Premiership leaders are effectively 180 minutes away from a domestic clean sweep and are due to face Sevco Rangers in the Scottish Cup semi-finals next month.
The Parkhead outfit finished bottom of their Champions League group 50 years after becoming the first British team to win the trophy and Dalglish feels Celtic need European recognition.
He said: “They’ve only dropped two points in the league, they have already won the League Cup, but I think the greatest success, even if they win the Scottish Cup, is qualification for the Champions League.
“People might say, that’s a bit strange. But people keep saying how weak the league is and the teams in the league are.
“And I don’t think one of the teams got through the qualification for the Europa League.
“So, it is not Celtic’s fault the league is a disappointing standard. They can only go and beat what is in front of them. By the way, they’ve done it in some style.
“It is hard to win three things. But I still say the Champions League qualification is the best one.
“It is enjoyable for the players to go and play against Manchester City – that was a fantastic game at Celtic Park. They got to play Barcelona and got off to a horrendous start when they got beaten by seven over there.
“However, they pulled it back a bit and got themselves a wee bit of pride and then lost and drew with Borussia Monchengladbach, who, by the way, are not too bad, either. It was a really difficult section.
“When you put them all together, the treble is important. But to elevate the standard and status of Celtic, they have to be recognised in Europe.”
