CELTIC have seen glory and grief all within the same season, and actually in a few months of the first half of 2023.
After completing a treble, all seemed to be working well for the Scottish giants and plans for the future were already being made. The objective was to escalate the domestic success to see that Celtic takes back its place in Europe.
The team will kick off the group stages of the Champions League in September as a reward for their great campaign in 2022/23. However, their fire was quickly extinguished by interest in Greek-Australian boss Ange Postecoglou emanating from the Premier League. The manager has since made a switch to Tottenham Hotspur and he is helping the North London side shape up for the 2023/24 season in the Premier League.
Meanwhile, Brendan Rodgers is back at Celtic, as his replacement, four years after leaving rather acrimoniously, to join Leicester City.
Tough task
Unlike his first stint as manager at Celtic, Rodgers now more than ever, has a tough task, the biggest of them all, endearing himself to the fans once again. Even before the fans get over Postecoglou’s departure, they’ve had to make do with the return of a man some cruelly branded a traitor when he left for the Premier League.
Well, Celtic did well without him, and he also did well at Leicester City, until last season, when the Foxes were relegated after a poor campaign. Rodgers, though, remains a top manager and his qualities and history remain a key bait for Celtic. However, this time round, one of the main ways he will endear himself to the fans is a good run in Europe.
The bar has been set, and while targeting big things in Europe, domestic dominance remains a constant. With this in mind, the Scottish league and Celtic will be good fields to bet on, as it is expected some of the top bookies like Bet365, 1XBet, BetObet, and more will continue offering welcome bonuses. Details on how to use the bookies’ special bonuses for new and existing customers can be found on Wincomparator.
Good season
While he seeks to engineer a good season both at home and in Europe, Rodgers, a boyhood Celtic fan, also has to prove to the fans that he remains one of them. This is after he was branded a fraud by a faction of the support following his departure to Leicester City. It is worth noting that all that was in disregard of the successes he had achieved at the club during his stay.
Postecoglou didn’t receive the backlash as bad as Rodgers when the Northern Irishman left. Perhaps it is because not much was expected of Postecoglou on arrival from Japan. In contrast, Rodgers had declared his undying love for Celtic when he first arrived as manager, terming it a living dream.
Walking away from the dream was hard to take for the fans, as is his return. The best argument he can put forward at the moment is that he has been there and done it, plus the promise to make it better, but the fact remains, he has work to do with a section of the fans.
