Why Rodgers believes Celtic can be a Champions League force

How do you think this challenge will compare to the ones you've faced already this season in the Champions League?

Yeah, equally as tough. I think the world probably thinks that, okay, you play really hard games against Atalanta and Red Bull Leipzig and then everything else is fine, but it's the Champions League. Every game is a very, very tough game and this game will be another big examination for us.

No one knew for sure at the start of this new format, but everyone's been speaking about 10 points as being that mark. How does it feel to have that within your sights tomorrow?

Yeah, well, a halfway point. I think seven out of 12 we're pleased with and not just that, I think it's the performance level at and in the competition that gives us confidence. But yeah, we'll be going to our next run of games now and we just want to accumulate as many points as we can. I think seven out of 12 is a really good start against the opponents that we've played.

How big an achievement would 10 be at this stage if that is indeed the total that sees you at least into that play-off phase?

I've not thought about it. Our objective is to get into the play-off phase first and foremost and then we just have to see what points total that will take us. But for us, it is focusing on this game and bringing the performance level.

How beneficial is it to have the RB Leipzig performance and result for you to reference and try and do again ultimately?

Yeah, I think we've been building towards that over the last 14, or 15 months. I think our performance level last year, even though we didn't quite get the results, and the wins that we would have wanted, the performance levels certainly indicated to me that we were growing and developing at the level. In three of the four games, we've shown a high level of performance, different types of performances, but certainly, the Red Bull game was a combination of everything that we would want. The physicality, the pressing in the team, the aggression, but also the calmness in our defending. I think when you can go away to Atalanta and keep a clean sheet, I think that gives us great confidence that at the very highest level, we can be strong defensively and then we take that into the Red Bull game. Same idea, but then we've got the home crowd behind us as well. so the level of our football then gets elevated and we overall produced a consistent performance. So I think that there, along with some of the other performances we've had over the journey in the last 14 months, has given us a real good hope to keep progressing and developing at this competition.

Is that something you've been stressing? That calmness under pressure, almost embracing the pressure? Is that something you're particularly pleased with as the message is getting through?

Yeah, because you're not going to as much as you want to dominate, you're just not going to do it. You can't do it at this level. You're going to have spells where the opposition, who have real quality in their squad and their team and are very well coached, will make you suffer and it's having that ability to suffer. I think that was the great thing with the Leipzig game. We suffered, we went behind after making a really good start. So we had to weather a wee bit of a storm for 10 minutes or so, but then we grew back into the game again and then ran out very, very convincing winners. You have to be ready for it and that's something that we're developing all the time.

You said this will be a big examination for you tomorrow. How heartening is it for you that your opponents are almost certainly thinking the same thing, given your results here? Feyenoord, Bratislava, RB Leipzig. Maybe it's becoming the fortress that you wanted or the difficult game for your opponents that you've wanted.

Yeah, absolutely. I think it's for us, again, another opportunity to show the power of Celtic Park. I've got no doubt that every team and their supporters will feel that their football ground is special and special to be there, to play there and I respect that. I know this club. I know the fans and I know the stadium, so I know how special it is to play here and how difficult it can be. But what you have to be able to do is match that with the performance and that's something that has pleased me in these recent home games in the Champions League. So it's not just a tick box for players to come here and clubs to come and say they've played at Celtic Park, but it's to come and realise you're going to be in for a game here and that combination of the support base and the team making it a really difficult night.

I wonder then, is this the best team that you've had in all your time here, this new level that you've now reached?

It's just different. I think the team I had here in the first spell was outstanding. This team is a different team, but it's a different generation and a different quality. But I've been very happy with the progress of how we've been. If you think of this time last year to where we are now, 12 months later, we're in a really good place with lots of progression still to make.

You talk about expectations at the start there. How do you assess how that's changed from the start of the competition, the expectation of how the team are going to perform?

I think my own expectation is that I have that belief that we can come in and perform and I think the players believe that as well. But we have the humility to understand that you have to work at this level. But I think I see that in the team anyway. We've played 19 games this season, won 16, drew 2 and lost 1 to a Champions League finalist. So that tells me that the mentality in the team is there, the spirit in the team is there, the grit in the team is there and that we'll never quit in a game. So that always gives you confidence as a manager that you're going to go into these games and perform. That's what we want to do. We want to make it difficult for teams to play against us and we know that we're going to have to suffer at times, but that's the level. I'm excited again about coming to Celtic Park and seeing the game tomorrow evening.

Having that grit after a difficult start in the competition, is that something you didn't doubt?

No, it's something that you have to experience. I think that's what is key, that failure is a part of the journey. I said it at the time and it was probably looked at a bit funny, but it can be that trampoline effect and it can bounce you back even higher. It's how you deal with it which is important. So dealing with the setback that we had that night, you can see where it's trampolined the players and bounced them forward. So it's all in how you react to the difficult moments. So this team have shown that and proven that and I believe there's still a lot more to come.

What specific dangers do Club Brugge offer?

They are very experienced in Europe in recent times, but what are the specific challenges facing them? I think they're a really good organisation. I've watched some of the games they've had and I've watched the Villa game. Very well coached, you can see they know their role, and they know their jobs. The front line is fast and dynamic. The goalkeeper I had at Liverpool was a very calm and very experienced guy. So that mix of real young, hungry players and who have had experience at the level. Teams at Club Brugge are not probably spoken about a lot, maybe in the same echelons as some of these other big names. But these are teams that you cannot underestimate. They're very experienced at the level. They've got some fantastic players, a very good coach who's stepped up and taken them and works them very, very well. So we have to be mindful of that. We have analysed them and watched them and they are what you would expect at this level, a dynamic team, creative, who will run and will work hard. So it'll be a difficult opponent for us.

Have you seen the impact of the power of Celtic Park, as you refer to it, having an impact on opponents? Is that a real thing?

There's no doubt, I think. It's probably more you see when you listen to other players. But also I listen to my own players. It's the feeling that it brings here. We don't take it for granted. It's one that I hope when I came back here, it was to connect it, which was to have that off the field, that fire and that passion and emotion. Bring that onto the field as well with a performance level and a level of football that excites. So that was the challenge. You can see when that is all connected, and what it brings. Like the Red Bull Leipzig, the feeling that it gives, not just for that night, but the supporters the next day and for days after. The feeling of watching the team compete at European level and play at a level of football. So that's what we want to bring and it definitely does as I spoke to some of the players afterwards, experienced players, the impact that the stadium brings. So we have to use that, we have to connect with that spirit and continue to make it really difficult.

You spoke about the belief that the team have now got and how they've embraced things. Is there a message there that you'll never crack the Champions League code?

You've always got to be switched on. Warning against things that can go wrong, you're always learning. Things can be tricky. Never think you've ever got it sussed. No, especially with the greatest respect, clubs like ourselves, it's always we have to bring our ability at the highest level into every game if we're going to have that opportunity to progress. It's a brutal competition in terms of the level and the slightest mistakes get punished. Like we had in the Leipzig game, we started the game well, 15 minutes and then we gave the ball away once, it led to a corner, then we conceded and then all of a sudden you're on the back foot for 10 minutes. But we all know that I think we've all seen it enough. You have to be laser-focused in your concentration, you're bringing your performance level and then, as I said, make it difficult for the opponent.

Just a bit on Bruges, in their game against Milan, they had a lot of success through fast, aggressive counter-attacks. They looked to win the ball around the halfway line, just inside their half, and then outnumber Milan on the counter-attack, just flooding the half and getting as many chances as they can. They were arguably unlucky not to be two or three goals up in the first 10-15 minutes. What can Celtic put in place, or what can you put in place to prevent this? Does the way they play and the way they look to go up the park affect your team selection?

It's a good question in terms of the tactic of the game. It's something that I've been aware of right back to pre-season. So if you think of how we've played in those City games and Chelsea games where we were building with three, the Leipzig game where at times we were building with three, having Greg (Taylor) going in. So that gives you five behind the ball and gives you five, sometimes you can release one of them to go and attack. Counter-pressing is a big part of our game. I think to stop counter-attacks, counter-pressing is something that's in our make-up now. Getting to the ball for a little simple example of that was again at the weekend against Hearts. Our first goal comes from, it just looks like the defender just gets rid of the ball but what pleased me was that the impulsive action of Callum (McGregor) was to jump forward. Jumping forward those extra few yards means that when the defender goes to clear it, we're there and then we get the bit of fortune that rebounds. If he doesn't move, if he stands still, the guy's clearance is okay, he'll go away and they'll defend the box. So the counter-press mentality is what stops counter-attacks and makes sure you defend the space behind the ball. So you've always got to protect at this level because if you're too open and you don't cover your spaces, then these, like other teams, will have fast players that can exploit that.

Christos Tzolis is someone who could cause a lot of issues for Celtic tomorrow night. He's the Bruges left winger, who scored four goals in 48 minutes at the weekend. He's got an average score rating of 7.71 in his last 10 starts. Just to give a comparison, Niklas Kuhn has an average of 6.6, so that tells us who we're up against in terms of the quality of the player. With Alistair Johnson already on a booking from a recent European game, is it important we nullify Bruges before the ball gets to him so that there's less of a possibility of a foul being committed? He's also a player who gets fouled as well because in his last 10 games, he's been fouled on an average of 1.9 times, so just under two. Johnson commits an average of 1.2 fouls per game. Is it important we nullify Bruges before the ball gets to him to prevent an issue for the next game where Johnson might not be available?

That's it. You said it. He's a very good player. He was a young player at Norwich. I've seen him recently for Greece as well, where I thought he was excellent. We have to guard against all of that.

Away from home, Bruges conceded a lot of high goalscoring opportunities. You signed a man at Liverpool for £9m and at the time quoted him as one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League. Is it important they still take these opportunities when they get them so that we have the best possibility of a win or a result tomorrow night?

You sound very nervous. It's okay, don't just relax. Is it important that we take these chances? Absolutely. That's the level. You've got to be efficient. First of all, on Simon, at the time at Sunderland, he was a fantastic goalkeeper in the Premier League and he came into Liverpool and did really, really well. I haven't seen him for a long time, so it'll be good to see him. He's a very good shot-stopper. He's got a lot of experience. He's good at coming for crosses. I just think it's the level. We've shown that we can score goals at the level and score a lot of goals at the level, so you have to be really efficient. I don't have a worry about us scoring the goals. I'm just really looking forward to us playing our game and playing to the level that we want to. We know we're playing against a very, very good opposition and we'll be ready to try and control as much of that as we can.

In terms of Arne and Kasper, who have played against Bruges, how much can they help in terms of little nuggets and what they've picked up playing against them throughout the years?

Maybe for themselves. They'll maybe know some of the players. Arne had come through there and, as you say, Kasper played against them. But I haven't spoken directly to them on anything. It'll be more for themselves. They might speak to the players. But we've done all our analysis on them and they will reiterate. I'm sure they're a good side. We're at home and this is where we want to show our power. We've shown that in the last number of games here in the Champions League. When we do that, it's given them something to really, really worry about. That's our plan.

How's the squad after Hearts? In terms of coming through injuries, how is the squad looking?

Yeah, in a good place. Coming back after the international break is always a challenge. I've found that we've not certainly been perfect in our rhythm. In the three games that we've played after the international break, we've done well but we've just not been quite in the same flow. We had eight of the eleven players on international duty and that always breaks the rhythm. I'd seen one of our players in a pressing action which was his international team's pressing action but not ours. It's just something that happens because they've been away for a couple of weeks but the idea was to get them through it. They've all come through it really well and we have a fit squad to pick from.