Celtic showed “courage” and “passion” during the second half of their chastening 7-1 Champions League defeat against Borussia Dortmund, according to manager Brendan Rodgers.
Daizen Maeda’s goal made the score 1-1 after just nine minutes, but Celtic found themselves 5-1 down at half-time as the German side picked Rodgers’ side off almost at will.
Rodgers felt both Celtic’s pressing and passing were below par, but insists there were positives to take from the second-half display
“I felt our pressing – we probably went a little bit on our own and the early goal spooked us a bit,” Rodgers said.
“The mentality of the team and the lack of experience in the team mean sometimes you can rush and come out of position and top players will find the space. With the ball we were too rushed.
“The two quickfire goals before half-time puts you at 5-1 and psychologically it’s a very difficult place to be in against such a level of opponent.
“Second half they played with courage, played with passion, they kept fighting, showed the spirit and their resilience.”
Rodgers promised to “lead” Celtic through the difficulty that follows such a defeat, and preached “calm” and “poise” if they are to improve.
“You can dwell on it and become bitter about it, but that’s not something I like to do,” he said. “This is when you lead.
“With all the players, it’s a reassurance. We don’t hide behind it and pretend it never happened. We speak about it and talk through it.
“The job is to stay calm, keep your poise and talk the guys through how you can trampoline beyond your start point. It’s learning and it’s growth.
“It’s horrible at the time, but this group has real resilience. That’s the mark of this team. We showed that last season, and we’ll show it again this season.”