After beating Astana last night Brendan Rodgers faces a very hectic four days as he tries to bring in the new faces needed to take Celtic into the group stage of the Champions League.
Over two rounds against Lincoln Red Imps and Astana the Celtic boss has learned more about his squad than a season load of dvd’s and statistical analysis will ever reveal.
Reaching the play-off stage has been far from straightforward, Lincoln Red Imps and Astana have both created problems but Rodgers has kept his calm, soaked it all up and praised his players in public for their efforts.
Behind the scenes the Irishman will be forming opinions on a number of key areas in the squad, perhaps gaining more trust and respect for the younger element while questioning if some of his more senior players have a medium term future.
If Rodgers gets the four players that he is looking for Celtic will be transformed, add them to Moussa Dembele, Kolo Toure and Eoghan O’Connell and it’s not far off a new look side to work with.
While looking to put his own stamp on the squad Rodgers knows that he has to rely heavily on the players he inherited if he is to open up the money available from the group phase of the Champions League.
CLICK on the gallery at the top to view the FIVE big issues from last night’s match.