Celtic earned three points in their first Europa League group stage match of the season.
Michael Stewart has told BBC Sport that he believes Celtic missed Stuart Armstrong during their narrow 1-0 win over Norwegian side Rosenborg on Thursday night.
The Hoops got their Europa League Group B campaign off to an excellent start as Leigh Griffiths finally put Celtic in front after replacing Odsonne Edouard in the 76th minute.
With 87 minutes played, Dedryck Boyata got on the end of a long ball clipped in by captain Scott Brown and Griffiths was in the right place at the right time to head home.
In what was largely a frustrating night for fans at Parkhead, BBC Sportscene pundit and former Hibernian and Hearts midfielder Stewart believes Celtic missed Armstrong – who was sold to Southampton for £8million this summer.
“James Forrest, in a lot of games, plays a little bit deeper to try and protect Mikael Lustig,” Stewart said. “That changes the dynamic of the team slightly.
“Celtic’s forward attacking play has suffered because they don’t have that attacking midfielder, like Stuart Armstrong, who runs beyond the strikers. And there’s a lack of competition in that area.”
Under Rodgers, 26-year-old midfielder Armstrong had a record of one goal in every four games as he found the back of the net 22 times in 88 matches. He also created 13 goals in assists.
That form saw him move south to Premier League side Southampton, where he has largely been a fringe player under Mark Hughes. He was not replaced by Celtic in the summer window.
Rodgers’ side are next in action on Sunday, as they travel to Rugby Park to face Steve Clarke’s Kilmarnock. The last time they visited Rugby Park, new signing Youssouf Mulumbu scored the winner against them in a 1-0 win.
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