BRENDAN Rodgers spoke last night of his disappointment that Celtic were unable to bring the curtain down on their Champions League campaign with the victory he felt they deserved against Manchester City but said the manner in which his side had mixed it with the "superpowers" of world football had set the standard for future matches.
While City manager Pep Guardiola kept only two of his starters from their Barclays Premier League match against Chelsea on Saturday, Celtic played with maturity at the Etihad Stadium and carved out the bulk of the clear-cut chances.
The Parkhead side must still capitalise on their commanding position at the top of the Ladbrokes Premiership then fight their way through six qualifying matches to return to the group stages of Europe's elite club competition but there is much to build on from this campaign.
Read more: Patrick Roberts salutes Celtic's improvement as he looks forward to making impact at Manchester City
"I thought it was a brilliant team performance," said Rodgers, after his first return to England since leaving Liverpool last November.
"I’m disappointed we didn’t win as we had chances and Craig [Gordon] didn’t have a lot to do. I always said this was a team ready to learn and progress and apart from the first game our level has been good. We competed against the superpowers and could have beaten City in both games. It sets the standard for us. To play that well here and with belief and concentration is a huge credit to players. If we can qualify next year we’ll be better seven or eight months down the line."
Ironically, the only goal Celtic did score on the night came from a Manchester City player, in the form of the on-loan Patrick Roberts. It is not in Rodgers' gift to persuade the 19-year-old to remain in Glasgow beyond this summer when his 18-month arrangement at Parkhead comes to a close but he lavished praise on a player who he feels would not be out of place amongst the superstars of Manchester City and praised City for allowing him to play.
Read more: Patrick Roberts salutes Celtic's improvement as he looks forward to making impact at Manchester City
"I’ve been impressed with Patrick in the build-up," said Rodgers. "It can’t have been easy for him as a City player but he kept his emotions well. He showed his quality and is in the right place at this time in his career. It’s great that City allows him to play.
“He has the quality [to come good at City] – no doubt," Rodgers added. "When he signed it was for 18 months and the idea was to play games at his age. I’m sure he’ll come back here and Pep will look in the summer. He’s tactically good and physically he looked strong. He’s a big talent and he will have a big career."
Guardiola was similarly impressed, even if he was keeping his cards close to his chest. “I’m so happy with his performance," he said. "It’s one game and we have to judge over a season but you see his quality one v one. He scored a good goal but we will see how his football develops.”
While Rodgers enthused about the late cameo from Gary Mackay-Steven, as the winger made his first appearance since April, he admitted that James Forrest had sustained a hamstring problem. The Scotland winger already seems unlikely to feature against Partick Thistle on Friday night.
“Forrest felt a tightness in his hamstring," said Rodgers. "I'm not sure if it’s gone or not. He came off as a precaution. I'm disappointed Gary didn’t score – but I like how he breaks the line with speed and aggression. He’s been unfortunate he’s been out injured but I felt this was a nice time to bring him in."
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