Chris Sutton, writing in his *Record Sport* column, shared his thoughts on Celtic’s heavy 5-1 defeat against Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League. He acknowledged Brendan Rodgers’ intention to impose Celtic’s attacking football on Dortmund but highlighted how the game quickly shifted out of control. Sutton pointed out that once it became clear that Celtic were unable to handle Dortmund’s press, adaptability was needed. He emphasized the importance of in-game adjustments, noting that while Rodgers recognized the issue, the players couldn’t recover from their first-half collapse.
Sutton then drew a comparison with Arsenal’s ability to adapt under pressure, referencing Mikel Arteta’s response during a match against Manchester City where Arsenal went down to 10 men. In that situation, Arteta shifted to a more defensive approach, successfully staving off City for much of the game. Sutton believes Celtic should have employed a similar strategy—becoming more pragmatic when it was clear Dortmund were in control, rather than continuing to play the same attacking football that was proving ineffective.
Looking ahead to Celtic’s upcoming Champions League matches against Atalanta and RB Leipzig, Sutton suggested these are opportunities for Rodgers to adjust his tactics and frustrate top opponents, pointing to examples from his Leicester City days where such approaches worked. He also expects the team to respond with hunger to prove the Dortmund result was a one-off, as Celtic prepare to face Ross County in their next domestic match.
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