Brendan Rodgers has enjoyed a brilliant debut season for in Scotland with Glasgow giants Celtic.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers celebrates after winning the Scottish Premiership
Celtic completed a clean sweep of trophies last weekend, beating Aberdeen 2-1 to lift the Scottish Cup, sealing the club’s fourth treble and finishing their season having never lost a domestic game.
Brendan Rodgers guided Celtic to their sixth consecutive Premiership title, joining Juventus, Arsenal and Welsh club Barry Town in completing an ‘invincibles’ run across a 38-game season.
The Hoops won 34 of their 38 league games, drawing the other four and scoring 106 goals in the process.
They have sent records tumbling with their incredible campaign and Brendan Rodgers deserves the praise he has been given in such a remarkable season.
However, this Celtic side and Rodgers’ tenure as manager should not be based solely on this success, as great a feat as it is.
Celtic have been impressive all season domestically but they have not really had any real contenders for a title challenge, spanning back to the liquidation of Rangers in 2012.
The squad at Rodgers’ disposal is far superior to any of their domestic rivals and in many cases Celtic would have been expected to have such a comfortable campaign.
Aberdeen were runners up to the champions in every competition this season, but, as was evident in their Scottish Cup final performance, their opponents simply had too much for them in a 90 minute game.
The Dons may have given it a good go this season, but the realistic fact is no other side in the Scottish top flight are capable of financially challenging the champions and it shows with the gulf in class between Celtic and the rest of the Premiership division.
Celtic’s Scott Brown celebrates with the trophy after winning the Scottish Premiership
It is in Europe that the Scottish champions have failed to make any real progress, last progressing beyond the group stages of the Champion’s League in 2012.
The Hoops finished bottom of their group in the UEFA Champion’s League group stages this season, where they failed to win any of their games against Barcelona, Manchester City and Borussia Monchengladbach.
For Brendan Rodgers and Celtic to really prove their ability, they should show their quality on Europe’s biggest stage and make further progress than they have done in recent seasons, equalling or surpassing the Hoops’ achievement under Neil Lennon’s 2012 side.
Celtic’s Efe Ambrose celebrates with teammates after winning the Scottish Premiership
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