Rodgers has already won everything there is to win in Scotland, comfortably and repeatedly. Europe was the obstacle that he had not been able to overcome with them… until now.
After the 7-1 defeat against Borussia Dortmund at the beginning of October, this would have been almost unimaginable.
“The ultimate goal is to get to the knockout stage and that’s what they’ve done, so it was a brilliant night,” former coach Neil Lennon said on TNT Sports.
“After the tough defeat in Dortmund, they are unbeaten in the Champions League. For them to bounce back from that was great character and great skill.”
That five-game unbeaten run has propelled Celtic to qualify with a game to spare, taking pressure off next week’s trip south to face Aston Villa. A victory there could even mean finishing in the top eight and going directly to the round of 16.
“I couldn’t imagine that they would get a point against Atalanta, for example, and that really showed that they have matured,” said former defender Johan Mjallby.
“The balance is better. They know they can’t go gung-ho and always on the attack. Nowadays they are a little better at balance to keep the ball a little longer. That’s been the key, especially the way they’ve performed the visiting team has been very, very good.
On a similar topic, Rodgers added: “The fact that we won it shows the maturity and development of this team. You saw where they came from last season, where we played well but we didn’t achieve the level.” needles.”
