Brendan Rodgers hits back at Celtic critics’ over ‘pragmatism’ accusations following the Atalanta stalemate

Brendan Rodgers was accused of being overly optimistic about his team’s chances against Borussia Dortmund.

Celtic fell that evening, on Champions League matchday two, and were punished with a crushing 7-1 defeat in Germany.

The manager refused to compromise on his methods, insisting that his team go out against the Bundesliga giants and give everything they had while being defensively stout.

However, things did not go as planned, which Rodgers acknowledged and accepted responsibility for, but he appeared to have learnt an important lesson.

Rodgers was overjoyed to keep a clean sheet against one of Italian football’s top scorers last night as the Hoops put on an outstanding defensive performance.

The Black and Blues had chances, but Kasper Schmeichel, Auston Trusty, and Liam Scales stood out for the visitors.

Celtic’s front line, however, was severely lacking in opportunities, but it was simply one of those evenings.

Atalanta were held to a 0-0 draw by Celtic in the Champions League

When asked to reflect on the changes between yesterday night and the Dortmund defeat, Rodgers took into account past suggestions from supporters and commentators to adopt a more defensive approach.

The Northern Irishman even used it as proof of his actions.

“It gives them (the squad) the confidence that they can defend against the top teams,” he said.

“I said that. I’m not sure whether that was pragmatic enough for people tonight, I don’t know.

“We go out in every game to be structured and defend well, you want to get pushed back, but I think the confidence it gives you when you can defend against the best teams…