Brendan Rodgers has set Celtic the target of being involved in the Champions League play-offs in the new year- as well as dominating domestically.
Over the last two seasons the hoops have had the benefit of direct access to the group stage but have achieved just one win in 12 matches- in a dead rubber at home to Feyenoord.
Domestically Rodgers holds an incredible record of winning nine trophies out of 10 with a sizeable contribution in two more before he quit for Leicester City in February 2019.
When the Irishman returned to Celtic in June 2023 he made it clear that progress in Europe was a target. That failed to materialise, this season there is a new format to the competition that has removed the ‘safety net’ of dropping into the Europa League.
Rather than playing three teams twice Celtic will play eight opponents once with one league table including all 32 teams.
The top eight will progress to the knock-out stage, the bottom eight will be eliminated with the 16 sides in the middle playing off home and away for a place in the last 16.
You know you get three trophies domestically so to win them is the target. In the Champions League, we want to qualify for the playoffs by the end of January. And then there’ll be other little targets that we’ll speak with players individually on in terms of their own personal targets and where they can get to and how they can improve.
So domestically, we’ve got to make up on that and then we have to be better in Europe. It’s as simple as that. We can’t beat about the bush. We have to be better but in order to be better, you need quality. And if you’re going to improve on that, then we need to find that. It’s as absolutely simple as that. That’s our drive, that’s our motivation. The ambition is absolutely burning for us to be the best that we can be.
It is 12 years since Celtic last reached the last 16 of the Champions League, after the last two seasons of disappointment reaching the round of 9-24 would certainly be a big step forward.
