BRENDAN Rodgers said last night that he is "living the dream" as manager of Celtic and his intention is to stay at the club for as long as he possibly can. The 43-year-old, who manages in England for the first time since his departure from Liverpool last November against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium tonight, has been a revelation in his six months in Scottish football thus far, a period which has seen Celtic make progress in the Champions League, claim the Bet Fred Cup and rack up a healthy lead as the Ladbrokes Premiership approaches halfway. While he faced questions upon his return to the North East as to whether his ambitions can ever be fully satisfied in the Scottish game, the Northern Irishman said he was as happy professionally and personally as he has been for a long time and hopes to stay for a "number of years".
“I don’t see it [the Celtic job] as a stepping stone," said Rodgers. "I see myself coaching for another 20-odd years and it is highly unlikely I will be at Celtic for another 20-odd years, given how football works. But my intention is to be at Celtic for as long as I possibly can to let the club grow and to take it as far as I can.
“It has huge potential and although there are financial restrictions, I am absolutely loving it in Scotland and working with Celtic," he added. "It may not have the profile of the Premier League but it doesn’t diminish the pride I have at being at Celtic and I hope I can continue for a number of years. For me, it’s about enjoying my life. Enjoying working with players who want to learn. I’m living the dream being the manager of Celtic."
With all the positions in Champions League Group C settled, all that is up for grabs tonight is the small matter of £1.27m in Uefa prize money and a further learning experience for this group of players which Rodgers said he could not put a monetary value on. While former Manchester City player Scott Sinclair and Kieran Tierney are on the injured list for Celtic, Pep Guardiola is likely to make a number of changes to a side which is already qualified.
Striker Sergio Aguero could play as he faces up to a four-match domestic ban for Saturday's dismissal against Chelsea which will take him through to Hogmanay, although midfielder Fernandinho - also sent off against the Londoners - already had a European ban to serve in any case. Indications are that Guardiola will use the match to allow fringe players like Willy Caballero, Leroy Sane and Fabian Delph to press their claim for first team football.
The Spaniard meanwhile said last night that Celtic striker Moussa Dembele - the scorer of a double in the 3-3 draw against Manchester City at Parkhead in September - was an "exceptional player". While he admitted that the 20-year-old was a player which he had an interest in - he joked he had been similarly linked with in excess of 120 players, most recently including Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal.
"With his qualities, he [Dembele] is an exceptional player," said Guardiola. "But if you read the newspapers in the last six months since I became coach of Manchester City, maybe I’ve been in contact with 126 players to buy for Manchester City, so Dembele is another one. Every week I contact for the next season maybe 10 players. Alexis was the last one."
Guardiola said he was "surprised" by how effectively Celtic played at Parkhead in September. “In Glasgow they played so aggressively," said the Spaniard. "They played quite well so my impressions of the team are really good. I don’t know what my colleague [Rodgers] is going to do tomorrow because obviously they have no chance to stay in the Champions League or the Europa League, but it was a good impression they left with the wingers, not just Dembele, but with Patrick Roberts and Sinclair. I have a lot of respect for the way they play. They are a really good team and it will be a good test for us."
"If they make eleven changes there are still going to be players who have maybe cost £30m or £40m," said Rodgers. "There are still going to be top class players playing."
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