Rodgers believes Celtic can take positives from Europa League exit

Follow us on Google Discover

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers believes there are some positives to take from the club’s Europa League defeat last night.

As reported by Daily Record, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers believes there are some positives to take from the club’s disappointing Europa League exit in Russia last night.

The Scottish Premier League leaders failed to create much against Zenit St Petersburg, as they fell to a poor 3-0 second leg defeat which wiped out their 1-0 lead that they carved out in Glasgow just over a week ago.

Success in European competitions hasn’t exactly been something Scottish clubs have enjoyed in recent years, and with Celtic being at the forefront of that, this doesn’t help the country’s current image in comparison to some of the other more prominent nations around them.

“There is still an awful lot of work for us to do but, when I take a step back, there have been a lot of positives for us in Europe this season.” said Rodgers.

“We have played very well in some games, shown some great qualities. Of course we are up against the best of the best, so there is a lot of learning taking place.”

Rodgers’ optimisim in the face of great disappointment is something that could either serve as hope for the Celtic Park faithful or on the other hand, could be one of their greatest frustrations.

This mentality has been something that has followed the Northern Irishman’s career for a few years now, with many believing that he has skated by both at Celtic and Liverpool on the back of great players and a weak division.

Of course, when it comes to changing that, you have to question how much pull Rodgers is going to have moving forward in terms of improving Celtic’s standing in European competitions. The appeal of the club is always going to be there for domestic players, but aside from that, it’s unlikely that high-level prospects will choose to go there when offered the chance to play down south in England.

Their often early starts to the season with qualification probably don’t help in the grand scheme of things, but for now, their attention must turn back to the league as they attempt to defend their title.