Celtic earned a valuable Champions League point with a credible 0-0 draw in Italy against Atalanta tonight.
Here's three key talking points from the match...
Change in tactics
Brendan played down his desire to change his approach in Europe in the build up the match. He sniped back at his critics saying that Celtic get no ‘leeway’ from some, given the disparity between the Hoops and some of the Champions League sides they face. Indeed, the Northern Irishman DID change his tactics for this match. And rightly so, as it earned the Scottish Premiership champions an incredibly valuable point in Bergamo. The set-up in Dortmund was far too open, and ultimately led to an absolute doing for Celtic. It was a film that Hoops fans had seen time and time again under Rodgers in Europe. This was a much steadier and more sensible way to go about things. Celtic still stroked it about when given the chance - there was no hit and hope – the style of play remained. But everything was done with more caution, with the whole team a good 15/20 yards deeper than usual. Atalanta were wasteful, granted, but the blueprint for future Champions League ties away from home has been found. After being destroyed in Dortmund, they now have a platform to build on, with the next two UCL matches in Glasgow against RB Leipzig and Club Brugge.
Stern and solid
Keeping things tight at the back was the order of the day for Rodgers. And his players carried out the manager’s instructions down to a tee. Alistair Johnston – booked early on for a poor challenge on Zappacosta – excelled when up against it. There was one tackle in particular on Lookman inside Celtic’s box right before half time that was potentially goal-saving. Liam Scales flew into tackles as well, meanwhile Auston Trusty played his best game for the club and Alex Valle continued his run in the side. The young Barcelona loanee was unlucky with a deflected effort from around 25 yards out. Nicholas Kuhn, Daizen Maeda, James Forrest and Luis Palma all fulfilled their defensive duties throughout, providing much-needed cover to their full-backs. Kasper Schmeichel was outstanding too, pulling off several vital saves to keep the score at 0-0 and earn his clean sheet bonus. The defence cleared everything, keeping clearcut chances to a minimum.
Trusty by name, Trusty by nature
The jury has been out on £5m centre-back Auston Trusty since his summer arrival from Sheffield United. His pace is obvious, however, his positioning among other things had been called into question against Ross County and Aberdeen with Cameron Carter-Vickers unavailable. He was part of an overall colossal effort from the entire Celtic team, and backline in particular. However, the American deserved a special mention for the upturn in his performance compared to recent games. He was strong in the tackle, and didn't shirk under pressure from Atalanta's constant high-press.
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