Brendan Rodgers shrugs off grim Celtic stats to focus on Atletico positives as Diego Simeone offers praise

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers refused to be caught up in any statistical slayings that will not have been allievated by the exceptional football that earned his team a 2-2 draw with Atletico Madrid in their latest Champions League encounter.

The point, claimed with a fabulous first-half showing as the club have served up that was underpinned by blinding goals from Kyogo Furahashi and Luis Palma, does not hugely alter Celtic and Rodgers records in the competition. Celtic remain without a Parkhead win in it in 10 years and now 12 outings, and have not posted a victory at this level home or away since their 3-0 success against Anderlecht in Brussels six years ago.

Rodgers, meanwhile, now has only two wins in 22 such encounters, between his stints with Liverpool and Celtic, with his returns the poorest of any manager to have helmed so many matches in the tournament. However, his energised front-foot, but composed approach did not leave his team found wanting against Diego Simeone’s side. Even as one point after three games of Group E leaves Celtic propping it up, with Feyenoord on seven, Atletico five and Lazio four. A broader picture he deemed less relevant than the progression evident from his side following the reverses suffered amid unfortunate circumstances in their previous two encounters.

“It’s a balance,” the Celtic manager said of the ask from his players. “It’s intense, the pressing and playing the football you want to play. But you have to be organised within that, you are playing outstanding teams. You can see the progress of the team. You will always have critics. People throw stats at you. It doesn’t really bother me, my only focus and worry is having this team and this club competitive at this level which is a really, really high level. I am only focused on ourselves. We have three more games to go. I think we showed that we can perform in the games. We go into the next three looking to get as many points as we possibly can and see where it takes us.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers applauds the fans after the 2-2 draw with Atletico Madrid. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)

“The football was great. Both goals were very, very good. The players will take that confidence. They are just going to get better and better at this level. You come into a game like this and you have to believe and you have to learn. The important thing was to get a result as well as a performance. I am really pleased with the performance. I am pleased with the result because we needed to get some points on the board. We wanted all three but if you can’t win the game then certainly don’t lose it. I didn’t think we looked like losing the game, they didn’t have so many chances in the game despite the real quality they have. I can see development for sure.”

Rodgers declined to comment on the mass waving of Palestinian flags from all four sides of the stadium - not just the Green Brigade - from which the club had asked their supporters to refrain. Asked if he had any comment on the display, he said: “Nothing. I am only thinking about the football. The Celtic manager repeated the mantra, when he posed the follow-up as to whether he worried about possible UEFA repercussions. “No, I am only thinking about the football.”

The play produced by the home team drew commendation from his counterpart Diego Simeone, when asked if Celtic’s capabilities had surprised him. “I wasn’t surprised. Yesterday I saw how well they started against Lazio and Feyenoord. In the second half they ran out of ideas, but I was impressed with their speed and dynamism they have in their play and their ability to move the ball forward at pace and create chances.”